White As Snow
In the Gospel of Mark we read about Jesus’ encounter with a leper:
“And a leper came to him [Jesus], imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “if you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean” (Mark 1:40-41, ESV).
Most people would hesitate to go near a man with leprosy, let alone touch him. Lepers were perceived as dirty and sinful. This man likely had blisters and scabs covering most of his body.
But Jesus was different.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus healed people in many different ways. For some, all He had to do was speak. For others, His presence alone healed them. When no one else wanted to approach or touch the leper, Jesus chose to cleanse him by touching him.
I find that small detail beautiful. Don’t you?
We are like this leper.
Our sin has tainted us. It has made us unclean and separated us from God. Sometimes, our sin makes us feel guilty and shameful. It even causes separation from others because they don’t want to come near us after discovering what we’ve done.
But Jesus touched us. He willingly cleansed us.
Jesus died on the cross so that we may be cleansed from our sin. 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (ESV).
By the wounds of Christ Jesus, we have been healed!
My dear sister, you may feel unclean today because of your sin. You may feel like an outcast because of what you’ve done in the past. But take heart! There is forgiveness and redemption for you at the foot of the cross. Jesus cleansed you while you were still a sinner because of His pure, sacrificial love for you. Praise God!
As we rejoice in this beautiful truth, may we also be compassionate extenders of it! As Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (ESV).
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
Soli deo Gloria!
