Handcuffing Jesus

It's amazing what a person can learn when they shut up and listen. What's even more amazing is what we can learn when we shut up and listen to God.

I've been referring back to the first chapter of Mark for a while now, and have been stuck on the 45th verse for quite some time. In context it reads like this:

40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

As I read these verses, I couldn't help but think, "How many times have I done something in complete disobedience to what Christ called me to do and left Him outside in deserted places?" I've probably read this Scripture thirty-seven times and never paid attention to the leper doing the exact opposite of what Jesus told Him to do. It's always exciting and intriguing when we see Jesus perform divine miracles, like healing the leper, but why would he then go out and do precisely what Jesus told him not to do?

Most times when we read in Scripture about a leper being healed, it's a brilliant picture of what we were like as sinners, and how Christ restored us to be made whole. But the ironic and scary part is, often times like the leper mentioned here, as Christians we go out and do precisely what Jesus tells us not to do. When we do those things, not only are we hindering our relationship with God by disobedience...but have you ever thought that you might be hindering someone else's relationship with God?

Think about it this way: How many more people might Jesus have had the opportunity to change their lives - if it wasn't for that one leper? Because of his direct disobedience to instructions, Jesus was basically not welcome in the city anymore. He was left outside. Deserted. Because of the leper, people were forced to find Jesus and go to Him; Jesus was no longer free to go to people inside the city and find them in their weakness, they had to come outside to Him. The leper didn't really do any harm to himself; he had been healed, his problems were better, what did he have to be concerned about anymore? But he made it really hard for others to come to Christ and heal them.

What's even more surprising about this act of disobedience is that we read about it, and still do it 2,000 years later. When you look at it through the eyes of the leper, it doesn't seem like it's the wrong thing to do. I mean, if you were healed from a life threatening disease, wouldn't you go around telling everyone what had happened to you? I certainly know that I would. It was a miracle! Christ cleansed the leper - just by speaking to him!

This brings me to an important conclusion - Just because I might think it seems like the right thing to do...even if I think it's good for the Kingdom; I'd better be sure that it's what Christ has called me to do:

For my sake. And maybe, just maybe, for the souls of others.

James 1:19-20 says this:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

It's time that followers of Christ do as we're instructed. It's time for us to shut up and listen. It's time we stop doing what we think is right, and do what God tells us is right. It's time for us to stop handcuffing Jesus, and get out of the way, allowing Him to work freely in our lives and others' lives.