Saturday after the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on September 7, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 1:40-45 (NKJV)
1:40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.
Devotion
Our Lord Jesus gave the cleansed leper clear instructions. He gave Him commands that were fair and reasonable. But this man, in spite of God’s grace toward him, chose to do what seemed right in his own eyes, spoke when and how he shouldn’t have, and failed to do as the Lord told him.
God still accomplished His will and blessings for people in the situation, but it demonstrates again the difference between the good that could be worked through us versus the good that is worked in spite of our sinful frailty and failure. This week’s Collect prays that God would mercifully help us to be conformed to His will and make us able to do profitable good works. We should not be indifferent about our failure to obey His teachings, and we most certainly should not justify our disobedience, thinking that things will work out anyway. Such carelessness is toxic and faith-destroying. Instead, we should heartily repent of our weakness, continuing to pray and seek His help. We who are baptized into Christ Jesus are sanctified and cleansed by His sacrifice on the cross, and He causes this to bear fruit as we faithfully love Him and keep His commandments by the power of His Holy Spirit.
Collect: Keep, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy Church with Thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without Thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by Thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
