He will

“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” (Mr 1:41 AV)

 

What a great picture of salvation and the balance between man’s desire and God’s will.  The leper came to Christ and besought him to cleanse him.  His request, although simple enough, contained much.  In coming to Christ as a leper, he acknowledged his need.  In coming to Jesus, he also acknowledged Jesus was his only hope.  His statement clearly voiced Christ’s ability to do for him what he could not do for himself.  In beseeching Christ, the leper lost all pretense and cast his case completely and wholly at the feet of the Great Physician.  This act of faith and dependence is what moved Christ to compassion.  The declaration that if Jesus willed it so, the leper could be made whole also shows the leper did not feel entitled to a miracle and if the LORD were to heel him, it would be motivated by grace.  This is exactly what happened.  Jesus did not force a miracle on the leper nor felt because the request was made, He was obligated to answer it.  The choice to heal was solely His and His alone.  I for one am so glad Jesus chose to make me whole!

I cannot help but think of the couple of times I stood before a judge from some kind of traffic violation.  One of those times, I had run a stop sign.  It was actually a mistake rather than negligence or deliberate.  My big old work boots slipped off the brake pedal and rather than stomping on the brakes and risk sliding, I coasted through the intersection.  This happened at about one in the morning on my way home from work and there was a police officer who watched the whole thing.  This was the first time I would have to go to court and I was a nervous wreck.  My wife worked for a defense lawyer and he offered to represent me as I went before the judge.  Complete overkill here.  What did I know?  We arrived at this small county courtroom.  It probably held less than fifty people.  As we went before the judge, he was clearly peeved that I would bring a lawyer to such a simple proceeding.  He was not happy.  When he asked how I pled, I got really confused.  That only resulted in the judge getting even more frustrated.  My lawyer didn’t help much.  He didn’t say a word until he could see how confused I was and how inpatient the judge was getting.  Then he stepped in and did his lawyer thing.  According to the letter of the law, I had broken the law and deserved whatever consequences were coming to me.  However, my lawyer gave the judge several options (which I am sure he was well aware of) as an out so he could show mercy to this really young driver.  He didn’t have to, but the judge had me pay a fine but also chose not to put points on my license.  Doing so would have driven up my insurance.  We sought relief and the judge took pity on me and gave that relief.  I hadn’t earned it.  I didn’t deserve it.  But he granted it.

When I consider all that I have done contrary to the holiness of God, my thoughts become a terror to me.  There is so much!  I came to Jesus knowing there was no other hope.  I knew that if He did not die for me and intercede for me, my eternity would be tormented beyond description.  When Jesus said to the leper that He willed it so, He was speaking to me, too.  I am that leper.  I am an outcast from humanity and heaven.  I was born that way, but I also chose to be that way.  Almost forty years ago, at an old-fashion altar, a hopeless sinner with a heartfelt cry for mercy was completely dependent upon the grace of almighty God.  I asked.  But asking doesn’t make it so.  Asking moves the compassion of Christ.  It doesn’t require it.  Yet, on that Sunday morning, Jesus looked at a young man who was desperate for peace with God and moved with compassion.  He willed it so.  I was saved almost forty years ago not because of the sincerity of my cry.  I was saved almost forty years ago not because I went to church and headed to an altar.  I was saved almost forty years ago not because I was truly moved with sorrow over my sin.  I was saved almost forty years ago because Jesus willed it so!  His grace is that by which all souls are saved.  Because He willed it so!