Mark 1:44 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."

NIV: "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."

NASB: and He *said to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.'

CSB: telling him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

NLT: Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.'

KJV: And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

NKJV: and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Jesus heals a man of leprosy then commands the man to stay quiet about the healing until he can go to the priests and finish the ceremonial laws outlined in Leviticus 14. Jesus never broke the Mosaic Law, although He had no problem ignoring the addendums Jewish scholars had added. The man is physically clean, and Jesus has declared him ceremonially clean, but that clean-ness needs to be observed and validated by the priests.

Jesus taught in synagogues (Mark 1:21) and at the temple (Matthew 21:23). He quoted Hebrew Scripture (Matthew 4:7) and observed Jewish feasts (Matthew 26:17). And He never backed down from teaching in the presence of Jewish scholars (Matthew 15:1–9). His intent was not to undermine the Jewish religious leaders, but to reach them. If the man with leprosy had presented himself to the priests and explained what had happened, the priests might have seen Jesus was not trying to destroy them. In fact, Jesus was asking the priests to validate His work. Unfortunately, the man with leprosy fell into the same temptation that we often do. He valued the physical and social blessings more than the spiritual, and he drew the attention away from Jesus' teaching and onto His miracles. This was the first temptation that Jesus triumphed over in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–4).

Jesus healed "many lepers" (Matthew 11:5), but only one other time is specifically recorded. In Luke 17:11–19, Jesus heals ten men at once in Samaria. The man in Mark 1:40–45 is representative of the many people Jesus healed throughout His public ministry. Some have suggested the leper in Mark 1:40–45 man is Simon in Mark 14:3, although this is unknown. The only healings of leprosy in the Old Testament are Miriam (Numbers 12:10–15) and Naaman (2 Kings 5).

Mark 1:21–45 opens a longer section describing the healing and preaching ministry of Jesus Christ. In this segment, Jesus impresses onlookers with His mastery of the Scriptures. He also amazes people with His authoritative style. During this teaching, Jesus heals a man afflicted with demonic possession. The resulting publicity brings a massive crowd to the home of Simon Peter, where Jesus is staying. Jesus heals Peters' mother-in-law of a fever, and cures a leper, before leaving the region to continue His ministry.

John the Baptist is introduced as a figure preparing the world for the arrival of the Messiah. John's baptism teaches people about their need for repentance. When Jesus arrives, and is baptized, it signals the coming of God's fulfillment and the need of people to recognize their Savior. Mark briefly notes Jesus' baptism, desert temptation, and the calling of the first four disciples. After this, Jesus begins teaching in the synagogue and performs miraculous healings which spread His fame around the region.

The first chapter of the Gospel of Mark sets the tone for the rest of the story. Mark's writing is concise, action-packed, and short on details. Within a few verses, Mark establishes the transition from the wilderness ministry of John the Baptist to the healing and preaching of Jesus Christ. This first chapter includes the calling of Jesus' earliest disciples, His early miracles, and His early teaching. This establishes the pattern shown throughout the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus mingles His teaching with miraculous signs.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.