My personal ministry paper is in regard to restoring broken father-child relationships. This fits well into the overall plan of God revealed in Scripture. The plan of salvation is about God the Father restoring the relationship between Himself and fallen man through adoption. God revealed His plan for the restoration of creation and the created order already in Paradise after Adam and Eve fell. The cleansing of the leper in the passage of Mark 1 that we have been looking at is very relevant to the Scripture’s overall theme of cleansing, restoration and redemption.
When God addressed Pharaoh through Moses after hearing His people’s cries and recognizing their suffering, He referred to the people of Israel as His son, and He was determined to set His son free in order that Israel might serve Him (Exodus 4:22-23). This idea is picked up later by Hosea in chapter 11: “Out of Egypt I called my son” (v. 1). Moreover, this passage is referenced by Matthew in chapter 2 of his gospel (v. 15). The connection Matthew makes to Christ as this “son” ties this idea of the salvation of a son from Egypt with Christ’s willingness to suffer in our stead. As Exodus 3:7 reveals, God knows the sorrows of His children. Jesus, the Suffering Servant was also “[bore] our griefs and carried our sorrows”; He was “oppressed and…afflicted” just as Israel was in Egypt (Isaiah 53:4, 7). Therefore, when we see Christ reaching out to the leper in Mark 1, taking upon Himself as it were his uncleanness, we see a Savior who was indeed willing to bear the curse of our sin for the sake of being reconciled to God as well as to others.
Mark mentions that Jesus was driven out into desolate places after healing the leper; in a sense, Jesus takes the leper’s place. Lepers, according to levitical law, had to remain outside the camp, separated even from their families. Moreover, when Jesus took the guilt and shame of His people upon Himself on the cross, He was forsaken by His Father and left all alone; their relationship was disrupted because of the sin that He bore. Yet, He bore it to deliver us from its effects as well as its power. He came to cleanse our hearts and to restore our relationships. In order for a child to have a relationship with a father redeemed by Christ, that work of redemption and reconciliation must first be worked out in the heart of the individuals involved.
In order to work this cleansing within us, God promised not only to give new hearts to His people, but to put His Spirit within them also (Ezekiel 36). Jesus reiterates this when He promises to send the Comforter who would remain with us until we enter the final rest in heaven where full reconciliation will be realized.
As the leper, we too can draw near to God to find cleansing and restoration. When the leper was cleansed, he was able to return to his family and to the temple to worship. When we humbly bow before God and let our requests be made known to Him, when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. He is willing and able to bring the reconciliation that we may seek for our earthly relationships. Perhaps one of the most poignant pictures of God’s willingness to restore us to Himself is the parable of the prodigal son. Although the son was covered in filth, and was unclean because of his contact with pigs as well as their filth the father still ran to greet him, and embraced him and kissed him in his uncleanness. The son was given new clothes and restored into fellowship in the family. In this we are given an example as we see God’s desire for us to forgive one another and to seek restoration of familial relationships. This gospel message gives great hope that through Christ any broken father-child relationship can be restored.
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