Mark

1:40-45

The journey begins, 1:1-5:43

2. Jesus the Son of God, Messiah, 1:14-45

iv] Popularity - A leper cleansed

Jesus' early Galilean mission continues in both words and signs. In this episode, Jesus heals a man with leprosy. The story again illustrates Jesus' authority and popularity. Even when Jesus is driven from the towns to the wilderness, "the people still come to him."

Again in this episode we see Jesus' popularity and acceptance, but v45 gives us a hint of future trouble. So, although the story confronts us with the saving power of God in Jesus, it also warns us of conflict ahead, conflict that is brought to the fore in the following five conflict stories, 2:1-3:6.

ercetai (ercomai) pres. "came" - go, come. The historical present conveys a sense of urgency.

leproV (oV) "leprosy" - leprous. A disease as good as death and therefore, its healing is a powerful sign. It should be noted that the word is also used of various kinds of skin diseases.

parakalwn (parakalew) pres. part. "begged" - pleading for, asking with intent / exhorting, comforting. Attendant cercumstance participle identifying action accompanying the main verb "came", "came and begged". The leper doesn't actually ask Jesus to heal him so the sense of the word here is not "pleading".

gonupetwn (gonupetew) pres. part. "on his knees" - kneeling down. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the leper's coming. The "kneeling" posture emphasizes Jesus' authority.

legwn (legw) pres. part. "-" - saying. Again an attendant circumstance particple, "came and begged and said."

oJti "-" - Introducing a dependent statement, direct speech.

ean + subj. "if [you are willing]" - Introducing a conditional sentence, 3rd. class, "if as the case may be, ..... then ....". Better, "if you so will" in the sense of "want to." The "if" is probably not expressing doubt in Jesus' ability to heal, rather the leper is making a statement about Jesus' authority - "you are able to cleanse me if you so desire", "you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to", CEV.

kaqarisai (kaqarizw) aor. inf. "make me clean" - [you are able] to cleanse. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "able". Not declare clean, which is all the priest is able to do. Again emphasizing Jesus' authority. "Cure me", Barclay.

splagcnisqeiV (splagcnizomai) aor. pas. part. "filled with compassion" - having an inward feeling of tenderness or compassion. The participle is adverbial, probably causal, "because he was filled with pity, he stretched ....." Descriptions like these highlight the goodness of Jesus and therefore, the evil of his crucifixion. A textual variant, "filled with anger", is adopted by many commentators. Although the variant has limited support, it difficult to understand why "be filled with compassion" would be changed to "be filled with anger." Is Jesus angry at the damage done to this man?.

ekteinaV (ekteinw) aor. part. "reached out" - reaching out, stretching out. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "touched".

hJyato (aJptomai) aor. "touched" - touched, held, grasped, clung to. Again the physical touch of Jesus is noted and in this case he is touching an unclean leper, unconcerned with the possible communication of disease. "Stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper", Phillips.

qelw pres. "I am willing" - I want, wish, will. "I will" better reflects the sense "I am able", rather than "I am willing to heal you." "I am well able."

kaqarisqhti (kaqarizw) aor. pas. imp. "be clean" - be cleansed. Divine passive (a questionable classification). "Be cured!", Barclay.

euquV "immediately" - Noting the instantaneous nature of Jesus' healing.

aphlqen (apercomai) aor. "left" - went. Describing the disappearance of the physical evidence of the disease.

ekaqarisqh (kaqarizw) aor. pas. "he was cured" - he was cleansed, made clean. The aorist is probably culminative where the emphases is on the results of the completed action. The sense of cleansing is the thrust here, not physical cure, although Mark is probably making both points; the Leper is cured and cleansed.

exebalen (ekballw) aor. "[Jesus] sent [him] away [at once]" - [he] cast out, drove out [him immediately]. This is a rather strong word. Most translators opt for a softer "dismissed him", REB, "sent him away", but these words do not express the idea of forcible expulsion. Yet, why would Jesus drive him out of the synagogue? Note a similar problem with "strong warning" = "growling at him", see below. It is possible to argue that Jesus is behaving like a secular miracle worker using theatrical antics in his performance, but it is far more likely that the strength of the words conveys a confrontation with evil powers, leprosy being a fearful weapon in the arsenal of darkness.

embrimhsamenoV (embrimaomai) aor. mid. part. "with a strong warning" - having sternly warned him, growled at, scolded. The participle is probably temporal, "after warning him, he sent him away immediately." Although numerous possibilities have been suggested, eg. the man has dabbled in Satanic arts, there is really no reason for Jesus to be upset with the leper and so censure him, "growl" at him. Gundry suggests that Mark has used this particular verb to emphasize the forcefulness of Jesus' instruction that the leper should go immediately and show himself to the priest. The "strict injunction", Phillips, is probably not "don't tell this to anyone", v43, rather it is "don't hang around here speaking about the healing, but go......" Jesus wants the leper to have his healing confirmed by the priest as quickly as possible so that he can return to his local community. Of course, we may be dealing with the messianic secret where Jesus downplays his miracles so as not to promote messianic fervor in the wider population, in which case, "don't tell anyone" is likely to be the sense of Jesus' instruction, cf. v45.

mhdeni mhden + subj. "don't [tell this] to anyone" - to no one you say nothing. A double negative subjunctive of emphatic negation continuing the forcefulness of Jesus' instruction.

deixon (deiknumi) aor. imp. "show" - Lev.13:49. There is debate over whether he is to show himself to a local priest or a priest of the temple in Jerusalem. The issue hangs on the actual content of "your offer for cleansing of which Moses commanded", cf. Lev.14:1-32.

prosenegke (prosferew) aor. imp. "offer" - carry, bring, offer. Often "offer" in the terms of a sacrificial offering, so "the sacrifices" understood. For those who hold that offering a sacrifice is too specific, "take a gift to the temple as Moses commanded", CEV.

prosetaxen (prostassw) aor. "commanded" - ordered, commanded. "What Moses commanded", NRSV.

eis marturion autoiV "as a testimony to them" - as an evidence of what is witnessed or said to them. The "witness", possibly "proof", Cranfield, is probably not to the priest, but rather to the leper's neighbors. The word is used elsewhere with a negative connotation; a witness against those who reject Christ, cf. 6:11, 13:9, but this is probably not the sense here. Jesus' instruction is all about due process. The priest inspects the leper's body for open sores etc., and if healed, declares the leper clean. The leper then offers a sacrifice as instructed in Leviticus, which serves as "a witness" to "them", ie. the people, that he is clean and therefore may return to his community. "To prove to your neighbors that you are properly cured."

oJ ... exelqwn (exercomai) aor. part. "[instead] he went out" - [but] the one having gone out, thrusted out, broken out. The participle as a substantive. Sometimes used of breaking out of confined spaces. Did this healing take place in a synagogue? Anyway, it is presumably the leper who went out, given that the grammar implies a change of subject, but it cannot be ruled out that Jesus is the subject, "the one having gone out", giving the sense "now Jesus went out and began to proclaim ....."

khrussein pres. inf. "to talk [freely]" - [began] to preach, proclaim ..... [much]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "began". The leper (if it is the leper!) is doing what Jesus does. If the conjunction de, "instead" ("but") is adversative, (it may be transitional, "now", or connective "and") then the impression is that the leper is not obeying Jesus' instruction. Of course, the account may be condensed and so, having received his "medical discharge", he is now "spreading the word with much preaching."

diafhmizein (diafhmizw) pres. inf. "spreading [the news]" - to publish or spread widely, disseminate, communicate widely [the word]. the infinitive is complementary, "he began to preach much and to disseminate the word"

ton logon (oV) "the news" - the word. The leper may just be speaking of his healing, but the word grouping implies the gospel, the message concerning the coming kingdom of God, the inauguration of the reign of God evidenced (signed) in the healing of a leper. Most commentators take the view that the leper is telling the "story", "news", of his healing rather than proclaiming "the gospel". As noted above, there remains the possibility that Jesus is the one "spreading the word/gospel far and wide."

wJste + inf. "as a result" - so that [....... was able]. This construction forms a consecutive clause expressing result, "so that".

mhketi dunasqai (dunamai) pres. pas. inf. "could no longer" - was no longer able. Infinitive used in a consecutive clause. The verb is weakened and so serves as an auxiliary to "enter"; "he couldn't enter", "could no longer appear in any town", Barclay.

eiselqein (eisercomai) aor. inf. "enter" - [was no longer able] to enter. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "able".

erhmoiV (oV) "lonely places" - desert, wilderness. "Wilderness" imagery may be intended, evoking a memory of the Exodus, but possibly just meaning "out in the country", NRSV. Even here the crowds came to Jesus indicating his popularity.

Mark Introduction

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