2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Genesis 23:1-24:51 ESV, Matthew 8:1-17 ESV, Psalm 9:13-20 ESV, Proverbs 3:1-6 ESV
Daily Verse: “And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2 ESV)
KATHARIZO (2511): “Make clean, to cleanse physical stains and dirt. In a moral sense, from the defilement of sin.” [i]
Jesus cleanses
My husband has put spot cleaner in my stocking at Christmas for the past two years. Last year, I received Shout wipes and an Oxy Clean spot pen. Added to the collection this year, a wine spot cleaning pen. Inevitably, if I drink a glass of wine, red my favorite, I manage to spill it on my shirt. My ability to miss my mouth has become a joke between us. I can erase the spot as if it never existed with a simple application.
Jesus does the same for us. When we present our “spots” to Him, He cleanses us. Erasing our sins, we’re made white as snow. In the leper’s case, a societal outcast, Jesus healed him of a physical ailment. Today, medical intervention can heal leprosy, but during Jesus’ day, it was uncurable, causing the person permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eye.
Become clean with Jesus.
“And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”(Matthew 8:3 ESV)
Jesus’s healing comes in many ways. Like the spot pen removes my mishaps, Jesus cleanses our blemishes. Placing our faith in Jesus means believing He can rescue us from our troubles. When the leper approached Jesus, he already believed, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Without faith, healing can’t occur.
Whatever mess you need Jesus to clean for you today, approach Him with faith. Know, God’s Son has the answer you need. When we give the Lord our sins, He washes them away.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 ESV)
Become white as snow; let Jesus clean your crimson stains. No blemish can withstand God’s grace and mercy. All things are new when we place our faith in Jesus.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The NewStrong’ss expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. (p. 124) Thomas Nelson
