Mark 1:40Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This gaze, while enigmatic, was understood only by the man who had been healed, whose soul was now open to the Lord's scrutiny. It has been suggested that, having shown mercy through healing, Christ reprimanded him for violating the law by entering the house. This interpretation gains traction from Christ’s subsequent command for the healed man to adhere to the rituals required by the law for those who have been cleansed from leprosy (Leviticus 14).

Unclean!’ As long as the ulcer was present, they were obliged to live apart, outside the encampment (Leviticus 13:45-46). Leprosy was deemed incurable; however, if it spread over the entire body and later shed like scales, it was regarded as non-contagious. In that case, the priests could pronounce the leper clean and, as a sign of their purification, mandate the sacrifice outlined by Moses.

St. Gregory the Theologian articulates the plight of these individuals in his discourse on love for the poor, delivered in the almshouse founded by St. Basil the Great, where there were numerous lepers. He describes a heartbreaking spectacle seldom believed by those who have not witnessed it: individuals resembling the living dead, with limbs that have rotted away, unrecognizable as their former selves—rather, they are but the wretched remnants of humanity. They experience a torment of self-pity and hatred, unsure of whether to lament the loss of their bodily parts or the existence of those that remain. They cry for those parts that have been taken too soon and for those which suffer due to the ongoing ailment. These individuals are already as good as buried, with no one to offer them a proper burial. They possess no possessions, family, or friends; many avoid them, shun their presence, and recoil from the mere thought of sharing the same air.

Who holds more compassion than a father? Who can be more nurturing than a mother? Yet, for these outcasts, parental warmth is closed off. Fathers, despite mourning their sons, push them away. Mothers weep for their living children as if they were lost, longing to embrace them yet dreading their afflicted flesh. Anguish and persecution surround these unfortunate souls, driving them from towns, homes, public squares, and even from sources of water. Strangely enough, those we cast away as unclean, we compel to return, denying them shelter, nourishment, medicine, and clothing. Consequently, they roam aimlessly, destitute and naked, revealing their afflictions while singing sorrowful songs to beg for scraps of bread, a morsel of cooked food, or tattered rags to shield themselves from shame or alleviate their suffering. Who could remain unmoved by the sound of their collective groans? Who can endure this heart-wrenching scene? Here lie some beside one another—not for joy, but united by their suffering. Though a crowd of onlookers may gather, their sympathy is fleeting. These individuals are tormented by the heat of the sun, the dust, and at times, by harsh cold, rain, and storms; they would be trampled had they not been viewed as repugnant. In response to the sacred hymns resonating within the temple, they reply with groans and cries, their lament echoing the solemn prayers being offered.

Among these afflicted was one who hurried to Jesus, falling at His feet, as recounted by the Evangelist Luke, or kneeling before Him, as noted by the Evangelist Mark, imploring Him: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (Luke 5:12). This man understood his condition to be incurable, yet he possessed a profound faith in Jesus’ power, believing that if He willed it, healing was possible.

It affected the skin, infiltrated the internal tissues, and contaminated the muscles, bones, and even the brain, leading to a complete decay of the body. This illness compromised the lungs, speech, and vision, ultimately assaulting the very essence of life, which would cause the individual to lose consciousness, and death would bring an end to their agonizing ordeal. Besides the physical agony, lepers also endured profound moral anguish, living as outcasts shunned by society to avoid infection. According to the law, a leper was deemed unclean, prohibited from entering cities or villages, required to wear tattered clothing, walk with his head uncovered, and call out loudly to warn others of his presence, shouting “unclean, unclean!” He was forbidden from speaking to anyone or exchanging greetings, existing as a living dead man—an individual abandoned by community, isolated from all, and a burden to himself. The Talmud states: “The following four are considered dead: the blind man, the leper, the poor man, and the childless.” In this state, a man ‘full of leprosy’ stood in front of Christ. It took remarkable faith to believe in the Prophet of Nazareth’s ability to heal a condition that, as widely believed, was a relentless and incurable disease once it entered the bloodstream. The leper’s heartfelt plea expressed all the hope he had left: “Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me!

Upon potential healing, the leper was required to visit a priest, who would conduct the purification rite established by Moses (Deuteronomy 24:8), which necessitated various sacrificial offerings: two live birds, two unblemished yearling rams, one unblemished yearling sheep, a specified measure of wheat flour, and oil; for the impoverished, alternatives included two turtledoves or young pigeons, one ram, and a specified quantity of flour and oil (Leviticus 14:4-32). Following the ritual, which included the sprinkling of sacrificial blood, shaving of the hair, cleansing of garments and body, anointing with oil, and the offering of burnt sacrifices, the healed man would return to his previous residence.

As the news of the omnipotent Miracle Worker permeated the towns and villages of Galilee, it reached the ears of a man afflicted by leprosy. Filled with the hope of restoration, he dared to defy the prohibition that ordered the exclusion of such ailing individuals from populated areas and approached the city where Jesus was located. Displaying profound reverence, he knelt before the Lord and implored, “Lord, if You want, You can cleanse me.” He came with genuine faith and the thoughts fitting to Christ, surrendering entirely to Him, placing his healing in the hands of His will, thereby attesting to His remarkable power, as noted by St. John Chrysostom.