Is Jesus willing?
by Jilly Lyon-Taylor
In Matthew’s account of Jesus healing a man with leprosy, we can learn much from the way the man approached Jesus. First of all he came and knelt before Jesus. The Greek word translated here as ‘knelt’ is ‘proskuneo’, which implies prostration in homage and worship. What a good way to start as we come to Jesus! So often we begin by pouring out our needs to Him instead of worshipping Him first of all for who He is.
Secondly, he calls Jesus ‘Lord’. To make Jesus Lord of our lives involves complete submission to Him, laying down our own rights and agenda, being willing to follow Him no matter what the cost. This is a key aspect for people seeking healing, as problems in our lives are often the consequence of allowing other things to rule us – fleshly desires, sinful behaviour, and excesses of any kind.
Thirdly, the man makes a declaration of faith by saying to Jesus, ‘You can make me clean’. Healing from leprosy was something only the Messiah could do, and the man was therefore declaring his belief in who Jesus was as well as in what He could do.
This man therefore knew that Jesus was able to do such a miracle. His problem, however, was that he was not sure if Jesus would want to do it for him, hence the phrase, ‘if you are willing’. Suffering from leprosy, he would not only have had to endure the physical effects of such a terrible disease, but he would also have had to suffer being treated as an outcast, unable to live a normal life in his community, being considered ‘unclean’. This would no doubt have resulted in huge rejection and a sense of unworthiness, so it is no wonder that in spite of his faith in Jesus he doubted if Jesus would consider him worthy of such a miracle. Jesus’ response to the man was to reach out and touch him, saying ‘I am willing. Be clean.’ Immediately the man was healed.
Perhaps you are in a similar position today – you know that Jesus can do what His word says, but you wonder if He would want to do it for you. Maybe you have feelings of unworthiness because of rejection in your life, or of condemnation because of past failures. The good news is that God is always willing to restore and heal! Allow Jesus to reach out and touch you in your place of need now, and receive the healing that He has for you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I praise and worship You for who You are, and I want You to be the Lord of my whole life. Thank You for Your willingness to heal, and I pray that You will reach out and touch me now. Amen.
Jilly Lyon-Taylor is part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Pierrepont. She worked in publishing and then with children in Hong Kong before concentrating on being a full-time mother and serving in the local church. Her desire to see people healed led her to the Luke Nine Eleven Training Scheme(NETS) at Pierrepont, and now she teaches and ministers there.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
