The Leper Made Clean

The words

1. Beseeching

   Earnestly asking or pleading.

   Mark describes the man beseeching Jesus while kneeling and saying, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”; Luke likewise presents a plea for cleansing.

   Mark 1:40 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:12 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

2. Blaze Abroad

   Spread the news widely.

   Mark describes the man spreading the story after Jesus tells him to say nothing; the account then places Jesus outside the city, with people coming from every direction.

   Mark 1:44–45 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

3. Charged

   Mark records a strict charge and immediate dismissal; Luke specifies an instruction to tell no one and to show himself to the priest, with an offering as Moses commanded.

   Mark 1:43–44 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:14 (opens a new tab)

4. Cleansed

   Mark follows Jesus’s “I will; be thou clean” with the report that the leprosy departs and the man is cleansed; Matthew likewise describes immediate cleansing.

   Mark 1:41–42 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 8:3 (opens a new tab)

5. Desert Places

   Remote or deserted places.

   Mark says Jesus remains outside in desert places after the man spreads the news; the same verse describes people coming to him from every direction.

   Mark 1:45 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

6. Kneeling

   Mark describes the man “kneeling down to him” as he asks for cleansing; Luke describes him falling on his face, while Matthew says he worships Jesus.

   Mark 1:40 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:12 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 8:2 (opens a new tab)

7. Leper

   Matthew introduces the man after Jesus comes down from the mountain; Luke places the encounter in an unnamed city, while Mark emphasizes his plea for cleansing.

   Matthew 8:1–2 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:12 (opens a new tab) · Mark 1:40 (opens a new tab)

8. Leprosy

   Mark uses “leprosy” for the man’s condition; the NET note explains that the ancient term covers a wider range of skin conditions than the modern disease called Hansen’s disease.

   Mark 1:40–42 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

9. Make Me Clean

   Mark, Matthew and Luke each give the man’s request as “if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,” followed by Jesus’s answer, “I will; be thou clean.”

   Mark 1:40–41 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 8:2–3 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:12–13 (opens a new tab)

10. Offer

    Mark and Luke record Jesus directing the man to offer what Moses commanded for cleansing; Matthew uses “the gift” in the corresponding instruction after the touch and cleansing.

    Mark 1:44 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:14 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 8:3–4 (opens a new tab)

11. Priest

    Mark records Jesus’s direction to visit the priest; Leviticus 13 describes priestly inspection, while Leviticus 14 places the examination outside the camp to see whether the condition has healed.

    Mark 1:44 (opens a new tab) · Leviticus 13:2–3 (opens a new tab) · Leviticus 14:2–3 (opens a new tab)

12. Shew

    Show; let someone see.

    Mark places “shew thyself to the priest” alongside the instruction to offer what Moses commanded; Matthew and Luke likewise direct the man to show himself to the priest.

    Mark 1:44 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 8:4 (opens a new tab) · Luke 5:14 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

13. Straitly

    Mark uses “straitly” for Jesus’s charge before sending the man away; the next verse gives the instruction to say nothing, visit the priest and make the prescribed offering.

    Mark 1:43–44 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

14. Touched

    Mark’s KJV says Jesus is “moved with compassion” as he touches the man; the NET reads “moved with indignation,” with a note discussing the competing manuscript readings.

    Mark 1:41 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Mark 1:40-45 (opens a new tab)

15. Withdrew

    Luke follows the gathering crowds with Jesus withdrawing to the wilderness to pray; the NET reads “frequently withdrew,” with a note also allowing “he began to withdraw.”

    Did you know?

    Luke 6:12–13 also links prayer with a later scene: Jesus spends the night praying on a mountain, then chooses twelve disciples when day comes.

    Luke 5:15–16 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Luke 5:12-16 (opens a new tab) · Luke 6:12–13 (opens a new tab)