Make Me Clean

This past week I was at an event that took place at Walt Disney World in Florida. The company I worked for sent us to a team building and recognition event from Sunday to Wednesday. I really appreciated the time to go with others in the company. My wife was able to join me on Wednesday and we had our own mini-vacation together through Saturday.

The team building and training was facilitated by the Disney Institute. There was a discussion on the perception or stereotype of what people expect when they come to Disney World. Some of the stereotypes are positive and some are negative. One of the positive stereotypes is that Disney World is clean. This is not just a perception but a reality if you have had an opportunity to visit Disney. According to the man facilitating our session, every night the parks are power washed. I imagine its some sort of machine that drives down the various roads and pathways spraying high volume wash. Also about a 1/4 of the parks get steam cleaned each night. So not only is dirt cleaned away, but bacteria is also killed.

The week before we left there was a heightened concern about the swine flu. Spray sanitizers were provided in our welcoming kit. I am not aware of anyone deciding not to take the trip but trusted that they would be safe from this disease. We all want to be clean and safe from disease. If we aren't clean or if we are sick we want to be made clean and well.

Lets look at the story of the man who has leprosy in Luke 5:12- 16.
^{Luke 5:12}While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
 ¹³Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.
 ¹⁴Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."
 ¹⁵Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
  This wasn't ordinary case of leprosy, the man was covered with leprosy.  This is a very advanced case. This would be a man in desperation.   Someone who had leprosy was considered unclean.  The determination of whether someone had leprosy and was unclean was decided by the priest according to the law found in the book of Leviticus.


 ^{Lev 13:1} And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ² “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. ³ The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean. 

The man comes to Jesus for healing but he asks will you make me clean.  As we can see from Lev. the idea of being unclean has a practical and a spiritual aspect to it.  This man wants to be made spiritually clean, as well as healed of the decease.  To be unclean was to be separated from the rest of the people. You would not participate in the fellowship of the followers of God.  It would appear that he believes that Jesus not only has the power to heal him, but to be made clean, to restore him to the community.    Jesus does heal him and then says go to the priest for examination according to the law.

^{Lev 13:45} “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

Jesus had already been healing folks and many had come to be healed, but the healing of the leper was so dramatic and visual.  People could see that he was clearly a leper and the examination by the priests would have confirmed the miracle.   The crowds were now flocking to hear Jesus.  To understand the good news, to be healed and made clean.

Can you truly be clean with power washer, disinfectants and Purell?  These things will clean the surface but they won't clean the sin and dirt in our lives.  We can look and feel well physically, but if we are unclean spiritually we are sick.  People came to hear Jesus.  To hear the good news.  To be made spiritually clean.

Will you ask Our Savior "Make Me Clean"?