“I am willing” The revelation of God’s heart
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
Matthew 8:1-4 “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
“I am willing”, in the Greek means, to be resolved or determined, to purpose. Jesus was willing. Full of compassion, he was ready to heal and make clean. The Greek word for clean here means to make clean, cleanse in the moral sense- to free from defilement of sin and from faults, to purify from wickedness, to free from guilt of sin, to purify.
The leper needed to publicly proclaim, “Unclean! Unclean!” As he did that, what was he affirming to himself? I am unclean, sick, rejected, numb, not enough, broken and isolated. He dressed differently as if he were mourning. He felt lonely, separated, cursed and shunned.
When we speak to others what do we consciously and unconsciously affirm to ourselves?
I would joke around and say, “Good thing we don’t live off my income.” I was affirming to myself the starving artist lie. I was essentially saying my art was not good enough, not good enough to make a living from it.
The leper came seriously but humbly, and he had Jesus’s undivided attention. He knelt before Jesus showing Him respect and acknowledging that Jesus had the right to refuse or grant his request. It is not a lack of faith but a dependence, trust, and commitment for someone who is in such a desperate situation. The leper heard Jesus say, “I am willing…be clean”? But what did his heart hear? Love, compassion, authority, hope, desire, forgiveness, and power.
Jesus affirmed this by inserting Himself into humanity’s great need. He was saying I am willing and able to draw near at any time and heal you. He cares for those who are hurting, and he desires for man to be whole.
I chose blue for the sound waves because it is symbolic of the word of God, living water and the heavenly realm. The heartbeat is within the sound waves and connects the ear to the heart. I had my husband speak, “I am willing, be clean,” so I could get an accurate rendering of sound waves to use in this piece.