#407: No One Wanted to Touch Him… But Jesus Did - Mark Part 6

0:00Hello again, and welcome back to Kids Bible Stories. This is part 6 in our Mark series and is called No One Wanted to Touch Him, but Jesus did. This comes from Mark chapter 1, verses 40 through 45. Last time, we heard how Jesus healed many people, how he went to a quiet place to pray, and how he told his disciples that he came to preach the good news in many places. And today, we hear a story that shows us something beautiful about Jesus, his compassion. Let's jump right back in to our story. Jesus had been traveling from place to place. He had been preaching, teaching, and healing. People were hearing about him, and the news spread fast.

1:04Some whispered, Is that Jesus? Others hurried to see him for themselves. And then one day, a man came to Jesus who was very, very sick. A man with leprosy came to him, and begged him on his knees. Listeners, you might be wondering, What is leprosy? What is a leprosy? A leprosy was a person with a very serious disease called leprosy. And in Bible times, people were very afraid of it, because they did not want to catch it. So people with leprosy were often forced to stay away from others. It was even unlawful to touch them. They couldn't get jobs. They were kept away. Can you imagine how sad that would feel?

2:05Do you think that would be lonely? Yes. So when the Bible says a man with leprosy came to Jesus, this was not just a man with a small problem. This was a man who was suffering, who had been pushed away by many people. And what did he do? He came close to Jesus and begged him on his knees, saying, If you are willing, you can make me clean. Hmm. Notice he didn't say, Jesus, if you are able, he believed Jesus could heal him. He was asking if Jesus would. If you are willing, you can make me clean. I imagine if people nearby saw this, they stepped back, stared in shock,

3:10alarmed that a leprosy was close to Jesus. Perhaps the man's heart pounded in his chest as he eagerly waited to see what would Jesus do. Would he step back? Would he tell the man to go away? But then filled with compassion, Jesus reached his hand and touched the man. Oh my, he's touching him. How long had it been since someone placed a hand on his shoulder? How long had it been since anyone came near him with compassion instead of fear? And then Jesus spoke. I am willing. He said, be clean. Immediately, the leprosy left him and he was cured.

4:14I imagine him looking down at his skin, turning his hands over, checking to see, was it really gone? Jesus had done what no one else could do. Jesus was not made unclean by touching the man. Instead, Jesus's power made the man clean. Now, after healing him, Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning. See that you don't tell this to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them. Why did Jesus say that? He wanted the man to do what God's law said to do. In the Old Testament, God had given instructions through Moses for what someone should do after being cleansed. So Jesus was not ignoring God's word.

5:15He was honoring it. As a testimony to them, likely means it's showing the priest and the people that the man was truly cured. They would see it themselves. Oh, I see. Amazing. Jesus also knew something else. People could become so excited about miracles that they missed the bigger reason he came. Yes, Jesus did heal people. Jesus did have compassion, but he had also come to preach the good news. The gospel. He came with a mission. Do you think the man who was healed followed this instruction? Nope. You guessed correctly. Instead, he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news.

6:21I can picture him running down the road, shouting to the people about what had happened. Really? But you don't say so. You're healed? Oh, oh, you do say so. Well, let me see, let me see. Oh, my goodness. Well, of course, with that news, crowds became larger. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed outside in lonely places. But did the people stop coming? No. The people still came to him from everywhere. Well, that is it for our story today. But before we go, let's think about what we just heard.

7:25First, what did the man with leprosy ask Jesus? To heal him. Yes, he said, if you are willing, you can make me clean. That means he believed Jesus was able. I love his faith. Now, before Jesus even spoke to the man, what did he do? Kids, do you remember? He reached out and touched him. Yeah, he reached out his hand and touched him. That is such an important part of this story. Remember, in Bible times, touching a leper was unthinkable. People did not want to get near them. They were afraid of becoming sick. And lepers were often separated from everyone else. So imagine how much this man may have missed human touch.

8:25A handshake, a hug, a hand on the shoulder. Have you ever fallen down and gotten hurt? Ow! And what in someone to just give you a hug? Or maybe you felt sad and scared, and someone rubbed your back or held your hand? That kind of comfort, it matters. Jesus did not only heal the man with his words. First, Jesus reached toward him with compassion, and he touched him. When I worked as a nurse in the hospital, I worked in a place where the people were very, very, very sick. And sometimes they were scared or hurting. And I would often hold their hand or gently pat their arm, sit next to the method bedside, because people long to be comforted. And this is one way we can do that.

9:27In today's story, Jesus showed perfect compassion. He was not afraid or disgusted. He came near. And guess what? He comes near to me and you too. So if you ever feel lonely, left out, if you ever feel scared. Remember this. Your Heavenly Father loves you. He sees you. He cares for you. He is close to you. And you are never forgotten by him. We are going to take a quiet moment to pray. And after that, we'll hear about some special listeners. So don't go anywhere just yet. OK, let's pray.

10:28Jesus, thank you for being compassionate and kind. Thank you that you are willing to help the hurting. Thank you that you come near to people that others push away. I'm grateful you were powerful and able to make people clean. Please help us to trust you, obey you, and show compassion to others too. Amen. All right, friends, we are about to do our listener shout outs to our newest podcast supporters. These are families who gave a one-time donation or joined the Family Library on Patreon as paying members. Their support helps us keep making these episodes to share God's word with kids around the world. Inside the Family Library, families get member-only audio, coloring pages for episodes, and more. New weekly content is sent straight to your parents' email and always saved in the library, where you can search by episode number anytime you want. Try a free trial at patreon.com-kidsbible-stories.

11:28That's on patreon.com-kidsbible-stories. The link is also in the show notes. All right, now let's get to our shout outs. Thank you, thank you to seven-year-old Kermit, three-year-old Jesse and two-year-old Charlotte, who loved to listen to the podcast before bedtime. Kermit, I heard that you did your house chores to earn some money and wanted to donate some of it to this podcast. Thank you so much, Kermit, and a big thank you to Bethany and Luke, who liked to listen during breakfast before the bus comes. That is a wonderful way to listen and start your day. Thank you so much for your support and for listening. Listeners, that is it for today's episode. I'm so glad you joined us. Thanks again, and as always, bye for now.