A Man with Leprosy - Mark 1:40-45

40 A man with leprosy[h] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”  41 Jesus was indignant.[i] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.  43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
h. Mark 1:40 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
i. Mark 1:41 Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compassion

This story marks the beginning of a theme important to the community of Mark in their Gospel, the elevation of compassion over purity as the imitation of God. The significance of the skin disease is that it made the man, "unclean", a literal untouchable according to the laws of Leviticus.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,2 “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease,[a] they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons[b] who is a priest. 3 The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.

1. Leviticus 13:2 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin; here and throughout verses 3-46.

Someone who was, "unclean", was excluded from the worship of God. They were not allowed to come near the Tabernacle ( Num 5:3 ).  It placed a person in a "dangerous" condition under threat of divine retribution, even death ( Lev 15:31). Uncleanness among the people in general was feared. It could lead to expulsion by God of the land's inhabitants ( Lev 18:25 ) and its threat remained on those who did not undergo purification ( Lev 17:16 ; Num 19:12-13 ).

An unclean person was not allowed to eat or tithe consecrated food ( Lev 7:20-21 ; Deut 26:14), and had to celebrate the Passover with a month's delay (Num 9:6-13 ). An unclean person in general had to avoid that which was holy and take steps to return to a state of cleanness. Priests were to avoid becoming ritually defiled ( Leviticus 21:1-4 Leviticus 21:11-12 ), and if defiled, had to abstain from sacred duties.

Not only was a person with leprosy considered to be in an ongoing state of ritual uncleanliness, but anyone who touched that person became unclean as well until they underwent purification. This involved waiting a period of time (until evening for minor cases), and could also involve ritual washings symbolizing cleansing, atoning sacrifices, and priestly rituals.

As such, those with leprosy were treated as a pariah:

If a person contracted the contagious type, a priest declared him a leper and banished him from his home and city. He had to cry, "Unclean" when other people came near. Anyone who came in contact with a leper was also considered unclean. Lepers were not permitted to travel on the roadway, nor could they have any social contact with "clean" people. Therefore, lepers were isolated from the rest of the community so that the members of the community could maintain their status as worshipers. The leper was sent to live in a community with other lepers until he died. Lepers were social outcasts.
Once a man or woman was deemed leprous, he was totally abandoned by society. He had to keep his distance from others: six feet if there was no prevailing wind and over 100 feet if the wind was blowing. He also had to warn anyone in the vicinity that a leper was near by, crying out, "Unclean, unclean!" Upon hearing such a cry, the "normal" people of society would retreat to their homes or run away from the presence of the leper. No one dared to touch a leper either, for to do so would make a person ceremonially unclean. Anything the leper touched became unclean. (Life Application New Testament CommentaryBy Bruce B. Barton, Livingstone)

Persons with leprosy were not to be pitied or treated with compassion.  It was felt that they deserved their fate, that their affliction was a just punishment from God.  Many of the 55 times leprosy is mentioned in the old Testament are in association with punishment or the consequences of sin.  (https://answersingenesis.org/biology/disease/biblical-leprosy-shedding-light-on-the-disease-that-shuns/ )

When, in the story in this passage, the man with leprosy approaches Jesus, the man is breaking the rules regarding proximity and social contact.  He puts Jesus, and the crowd that was most likely around him, at risk of becoming unclean themselves and unable to worship God.  Jesus, however, instead of shunning or rebuking him, not only interacted with the man, but also touched him to heal him, making himself unclean. 


The reason given for Jesus' shocking action is his compassion, his desire to see the man healed.  His compassion in wanting to see the man returned to fellowship with the people and with God overrode any concerns over religious purity and ritual cleanliness.  

The Greek word in verse 41 translated as, "indignant", or, "filled with compassion", is, σπλαγχνισθεὶς (splanchnistheis 4697).  Literally it means to have the seat of ones affections moved.

Cognate: 4697 splagxnízomai – "fromsplanxna, 'the inward parts,' especially the nobler entrails – the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. These gradually came to denote the seat of the affections" 

To translate this to say that Jesus was indignant at the idea that he might be unwilling to heal the man highlights Jesus attitude even more. No one is unworthy of restoration and inclusion with God and his people no matter what ritual and law stands in the way. To suggest as much is an affront to Jesus' very nature. Love and compassion is priority over law and purity.

It would seem pretty obvious why the community of Mark added this story.  This is a community that includes gentiles and women, people who were by their very nature considered to be, "unclean", by Judaic law and ineligible for full communion and worship of God.  This story told them that they were included, that no ritual or religious law could bar them from full membership in the community and the faith, and that Jesus' coming kingdom was for all of them.

I imagine this story would be especially meaningful to the Gentile members of the community and their advocates since it would remind them of another healing of leprosy told in the fifth chapter of Second Kings.

In the story from 2 Kings, God heals from leprosy the Gentile Naaman, the commander of the king of Aram's army, through his prophet Elisha. This is something there was no precedent of God doing even for those of Isreal.  It portrays Gentiles as being eligible for God's compassion and mercy.

The message of this story that was important to the community of Mark was that compassion is more important than purity.  This is the higher quality of God that they should imitate.  This compassion called them to include in their community and in their worship those who had been marginalized and disenfranchised.