It's A Miracle!

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him. [Mark 1.40-45]

Why did Jesus instruct the man to "take the offering required in the law of Moses to the priest?"

It would seem that the reason was quite simple: Jesus was trying to avoid mass hysteria over the healing. So He sent the man to the priest to follow protocol of the law of Moses so that the testimony about it would come out that way...

However, as it would turn out, the man apparently did not go to the priest, but instead made a public spectacle of his healing.

It is not ironic then, that in the case of the following recorded miracle that Jesus did (healing a paralyzed man), He told that man to just go home.

Jesus was doing he ministry of reconciliation which included help and forgiveness. Forgiveness just happens to facilitate healing so much so that Jesus made no distinction between the two in the case of the paralyzed man mentioned above.

The point was, Jesus knew that the miracles, even though they were part of the Good News, could also cause people to be distracted from the whole of the Good News. In fact, Jesus was mostly "matter of fact" about performing miracles because that is what faith does. Salvation is the focus but healing and miracles sure are also a nice part of it.

Father, help me - help us all - to have the right understanding of the miraculous. Help us understand that Your kingdom IS miraculous in every way - salvation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, deliverance, healing, and provision.