Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 10 Study # 4
May 7, 2019
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis:   The "problem" of the leper's disobedience is that it jump-started the opposition before the impact of the healing had time to settle in.

Introduction:   In our last study we noted that Jesus is presented by Mark as both "compassionate" (in regard to the leper himself) and "significantly hostile" (in regard to the roots of the leper's "T"heology in the demonic "twisting" of the Truth about God). It is the intention of demonic doctrine to cloud the truth about God so that people will be dissuaded from trusting Him unto "disobedience" with all of its complications.

This evening we are going to take a close look at the ramifications of the leper's "T"heology as to what it accomplished.

• I. Jesus' Specific Instructions.
  • A. With the combination of lego and horao, we have a very serious demand.
    • 1. The use of lego is very well established in the New Testament as the go-to word for serious truth-claims.
    • 2. Mark's use of horao is extremely enlightening.
      • a. Mark uses it three times; twice as a metaphor and once as a physical "sight" issue.
      • b. The two metaphoric uses have several parallel concepts involved.
        • 1) In both uses (1:44 and 8:15), there is an extremely important demand made that will lead to serious down-line results (whether positive, through obedience, or negative, through disobedience).
        • 2) In both uses, those "commanded" had no clue as to why Jesus gave the command.
          • a) The leper's flagrant disobedience revealed his cluelessness.
          • b) The disciples' "reasoning" (8:16) leads Jesus to challenge their "hardened hearts" with the question, "Having eyes do you not see?" (8:18), and then He asks "How is it that you do not understand?" (8:21), thus making "seeing" a metaphor for "understanding".
        • 3) In both cases, there is a deadly presence of what Jesus calls "a hardened heart", which points to serious problems in their "T"heology.
          • a) It is not an accident that "compassion" is a front-and-center characteristic in both "See this" contexts.
          • b. The strong implication is that "hardness of heart" is focused upon a faulty view of God.
        • 4) In both cases, the "problem" of enormous popularity is front and center.
          • a) In respect to the "leaven" it is obvious that the Pharisees are chewed up by their lust to be "popular" even to the point of illegitimate murder (Note Pilate's "knowledge" in 15:10).
          • b) Likewise Herod was driven to murder against his own wishes just to keep his "popularity" (6:26).
        • 5) In both cases, the issue of "great popularity" raises the "Why?" question of the value men place upon "popularity".
          • a) As for Mark's entire effort, "popularity" was seen as a most fundamental root of "the joy of life".
          • b) In the particulars, it was disbelief in Jesus' "obvious ability and compassion" that drove the quest for "the joy of life" in other directions.
  • B. Show yourself to the priest with the Mosaic offerings for the cleansing of a leper.
    • 1. What He commanded would have stunned the priest and his "associates" and forced them to consider "Jesus of Nazareth" as God's Sent One with the message of "Grace" because of "Compassion".
      • a. They had probably never seen anyone bring the offerings prescribed by Moses for cleansing from leprosy (Luke 4:27).
      • b. The background for the enormity of this event is found in Exodus 4:6-7, in that one of the most potent arguments for Moses' identity as one sent by God was his "leprosy" sign, and in Deuteronomy 18:15 and following where a "prophet like unto Moses" is to be sent, in that Moses' involvement in healing leprosy is shown in Numbers 12.
    • 2. Obedience would have given the priests some time to deal with the issue without the "fog" of the consuming lust for "life through popularity".
• II. The Leper's Disobedience.
  • A. The text says that he went out to "greatly proclaim" and to "make what Jesus did common knowledge" (Matthew 28:15).
  • B. This disobedience had to have had a "root" in the bad "T"heology of the leper, and the assumption is that he relished the limelight of telling the story of his healing.
• III. The Outcome.
  • A. This disobedience resulted in a "hiccup" in the way Jesus wanted to pursue His calling (1:38).
  • B. This disobedience lit the fire of opposition because it made Jesus "popular" before it made clear Who He is (thus, the next paragraph).

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This is article #072.
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