“And a leper *came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” (Mark 1:40-41)

I always marvel at this story, no matter how many times I read it. It astonishes me what I find behind the simple words of Jesus: “I am willing, be cleansed.” It is incredible how much a few words can tell us about the person who utters them! In them, the heart of the Savior lays open for us to see it.

But first, the happy ending of this story presupposes a couple of things about the leper. He knew who Jesus was. He knew about His power. He knew about His love. He knew about His compassion. He knew about His origin, therefore, he knew about his authority. He rested assured Jesus would be willing to help him, that’s why he approached the Savior.

On the other hand, we have Jesus, whose heart was wider than seas and heavens put together—always willing to give, even at the expense of His own well-being; willing to give freely and abundantly to everyone who asked for the right things. All who ever approached the Savior had His full attention, followers or otherwise. Jesus’ door was always opened to anyone daring enough to approach Him, and this leper was no exception: “I am willing.”

Can you hear Jesus’ answer as you approach Him asking to forgive you? Does an overwhelming sense of assurance fill your heart as you pray to Him for healing, wisdom, peace, or need of any kind? Do you really understand, as the leper did, who this Jesus is, how kind His heart, and how great His love for you? Can you feel His compassion and empathy towards you? Do you realize who this man you are dealing with is?

Oh, that we could contemplate the heart of Jesus as we approach Him in daily prayer! That we could see in Him what the leper saw. How many blessings would be at our disposal. How many answered prayers would fill our hearts with joy!

Ponder the heart of Jesus this morning and rejoice! He is good. He is loving. He is all-powerful and most important: He is willing!

I am a Christian. My passion is to know the Lord, and help others to understand His character and will. Read one of my blogs at: onetruthonegod.wordpress.com