“I am willing…” – Luke 5:13 NIV

This has got to be one of the sweetest things Jesus has said, at least in my opinion.

This was said to a leper. An outcast. A man ignored by society and labeled as unclean, useless, unworthy of any community…a man whom Jesus loved.

Understanding why Jesus loves us so much has been a complicated thing to wrap my head around. He loves us because He chooses to. What compels one to see the rejected and flawed as beautiful and purpose-filled? I could not tell you. But what I can say is that God is so willing and loving despite all that we are.

Yet being broken just like the leper, tax collector, and paralyzed man in Luke 5, why is it that when we come to Jesus and are given a new name, there is a hesitation to leave our grave clothes behind as those 3 men did?

Desperate for God’s Involvement

Could it be a result of not actually wanting healing or perhaps the trouble of unbelief?

The moment the man with leprosy caught a glimpse of Jesus, he collapsed. Not even glancing up towards Jesus’ face, he cried and begged at His feet saying, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

This man was desperate for healing and acted out in that desperation. He knew the power and heart of Christ enough to know that He could heal and often would.

But what about in your life? It is critical that we posture ourselves at the feet of Jesus in prayer, putting faith in His power that still moves today and in His heart that we know is abundant in love. As the man offered Jesus access into his situation, Jesus “reached out His hand and touched the man.” What a beautiful joy it is to have a God who steps in and reaches for us.

Through the lepers desperation, Jesus made him new. As someone who finds it quite hard to willingly place myself in a receptive posture, I realize that the new creation God longs for us to become cannot be cultivated unless I give Him access. I know it is hard, but my friend, I pray you see that regardless of whether or not you feel worthy of being loved, God’s goodness is running after you (psalm 23). Not because you did anything to deserve it, but again, because He simply chooses to love.

No longer was the man known as a leper, but rather, he was free to leave that label behind and live clean. May we too be as desperate to leave the grave behind as we are desperate to be healed.

Confidence in God’s Faithfulness

This next passage of scripture is honestly one of the most fascinating events recorded. Jesus was in the middle of His teaching when a few men decided it was now or never for the healing of their friend. With the crowd being impossible to push through, these men put their paralyzed friend on a mat and lowered him down from the ceiling!

These men came to Jesus because they were confident of who He claimed to be. Because of their bold faith, they refused to let this moment pass so they did anything they could to get their friend in Jesus’ presence. Can we just pause for a moment and note that these sweet guys are perfect examples of the kind of friend we ought to become and be looking for.

In response, Jesus saw their hearts and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Again God brought new life into the lives of the broken. He sees the depth of our desires and when we long for Him, being bold in our faith, He responds with sweet redemption. Yet this was not the end of the story. After being criticized by the pharisees, Jesus reassured the crowd of the truth in His word. The same truth the men from the roof believed; Jesus is the Son of Man and holds the authority to forgive sin and heal physical ailments. And shortly after, He told the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” And so he did.

Dear Christian, there will be times where the mountain in front of you seems impossible to get through. But may those moments cause us to reflect back and look up towards our faithful God. Sometimes the goodness in the past or in His word is the only clear thing you can see. But let your confidence never waiver for our God is the same loving and willing God as He was in these two passages.

Receptive of God’s Love

Now we come to one of the hardest passages for me to get through. Levi was a man who was shunned by his community, as the jews did not like the tax collectors because they were labeled as selfish traitor’s. He was just a man living in sin, like you and me. But on one random day, Jesus caught sight of this man and said two words to him, “Follow me.” If that wasn’t surprising enough, in what seems like immediately, verse 28 says, “and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him.”

One common theme we see among each of these stories is the obedience of these men as they encounter Jesus. Every single one of them accepted the grace He gave out. Maybe for you that is very easy. But for me, I struggle to understand how they did such a thing. Not one of them tried to explain themselves, make promises to live perfectly for Jesus as repayment, nor were any of them even recorded asking questions of what to do if they became sick, paralyzed, or rejected again. Instead, they openly received the love and mercy of God and went on testifying His goodness.

After Levi started following Jesus, he threw a big banquet at his house. Among the invited were not pharisees and saint’s, but tax collector’s and other sinners. Though that may make our hearts tender to think about, it made the pharisees all the more mad. But again, Jesus defended His love for us as He said in verse 31-32, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

I can only imagine the amount of humility it took to be at that party. The people knew they needed Jesus and were willing to be open to His love, even though they knew they could never repay Him.

May we learn to put aside our worries, doubts, feelings of inadequacy, and any other wall that might block our hearts from giving Jesus full access. He loves because He chooses to. And my dear friend, He is indeed willing to make you new if you let Him in. You may not be fully healed or freed from the things you want in the way you want to, but He will surely work things for your ultimate good and for His glory in His perfect timing.

The life of Jesus was lived out so that we could have a path to salvation, yes, but also for God’s heart to be displayed in front of us, as He stepped out of heaven to be in flesh like us. Delight for He is a sweet savior and thank goodness our circumstances nor brokenness change that truth.

Go ahead, leave those grave clothes where Jesus found you and go on dancing for you have been made new.