A man with leprosy came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus was indignant. He reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
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What I find interesting here is that Jesus is more concerned with the man’s heart. He tells him that he needs to offer the sacrifices, but instead the man is satisfied with the outward cleansing. So many times we live the same. We are satisfied with being clean on the outside, when inside we are stained by sin. We should be more concerned about how we look to God on the inside when He examines our heart…not on looking clean as others examine us outwardly. Today, focus on cleaning up your heart and soul…because if we do that…we will be clean from the inside out.
A Journey With Jesus 