Then a leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Parallel translations
- WEB A leper came to him, begging him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”
- KJV And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
- NKJV 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.”
- NASB And a man with leprosy *came to Jesus, imploring Him and kneeling down, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
- NLT A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A leper begs Jesus, trusting that He is able to cleanse him if He is willing. He approaches with humility and confidence in Jesus' power.
Overview
Leprosy made a person ritually unclean and socially outcast, so this man's bold approach is striking. His words affirm Jesus' power while humbly leaving the choice to His will. This sets up a powerful demonstration of Jesus' compassion and authority over defilement.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Luke 5:12–14While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
- Matt 8:2–4Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
- Lev 13:1–14Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
- 2 Sam 3:29May it whirl over the heads of Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”
- Matt 17:14When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.
- Mark 9:22–23“It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
- Deut 24:8–9In cases of infectious skin diseases, be careful to diligently follow everything the Levitical priests instruct you. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.
- Mark 10:17As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
- Matt 11:5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
- Num 12:10–15As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous,
- Luke 17:12–19As He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten lepers. They stood at a distance
- Luke 22:41And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,
- 2 Kgs 15:5And the LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, so that he lived in a separate house while his son Jotham had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
- 2 Kgs 7:3Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die?
- 2 Kgs 5:5–27“Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.
- Acts 7:60Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- Gen 18:14Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”
- 2 Chr 6:13Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,
- Eph 3:14... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 1:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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