The Cleansing of the
Leper
A Dramatized
Reading of Mark 1:40-45 NIV
This scene, coming early in
Mark’s presentation of the gospel is a real and vivid metaphor for Jesus’
outreach to the outcast. Leprosy is an
illustration of the alienating and isolating effects of sin. The leper’s hesitant approach to Jesus
portrays our repentant yet hesitant approach to a holy God. We are deeply infected by sin, but his
willingness to reach out, embrace, and associate with us, and in that
association to cleanse and heal us, is all the more astonishing and effective.
[Jesus is sitting, teaching
a small crowd of disciples, who are sitting or standing around him. A leper, wearing a filthy sheet over his
regular clothes, slowly approaches from offstage. The narration begins:]
Narrator: 40 A man with leprosy came to Jesus. [The leper hesitantly approaches Jesus. As draws closer the disciples closest to him begin to edge away,
murmuring and displaying signs of distaste and disdain. They all eventually move to behind Jesus,
who rises to his feet in anticipation as the leper sinks to his knees in front
of Jesus, looks into Jesus’ eyes, then lowers his own eyes and head].
The man begged him on his knees:
Leper:
[In
a clear voice, yet communicating his uncertainty about what kind of reception
he will receive from Jesus, he says:] “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Narrator:
41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out
his hand [Slight
pause: Jesus reaches out his hand in a
warm and wholehearted gesture, and smiling, firmly grips the man’s shoulder] and touched the man.
Jesus:
“I am willing. Be clean!”
Narrator:
42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he
was cured [The
man rises to his feet stripping off his filthy garment, speechless, while the
disciples gasp and exclaim their astonishment]. 43
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:
Jesus:
44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone.
But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses
commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them” [The
man shows his bare arm to the disciples, exclaiming, “I’m clean … I’m
free!” He turns and leaves the
sanctuary, but can still be heard, somewhere in the back, shouting, “Hey! Ev’rybody!
Look at me! I’m clean. I’m free!”
The other disciples talk excitedly among themselves, as the narrator
continues].
Narrator:
45 Instead he went out and began to talk
freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town
openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him
from everywhere. [1]
[Players exit quietly].