Thoughts on next Sunday's sermon

Mark 1:40-45 seems to be a fairly straight forward story of Jesus healing a leper. But there is much more here than meets the eye. Much about who Jesus is is revealed in these few verses, showing in his presence in the countryside or wilderness, and his willingness to touch a leper and thus become unclean himself. In addition, there are ancient copies of Mark's gospel where Jesus is described as "angry" rather than "moved with pity" following the leper's request for healing. Exploring why Jesus might be angry may further reveal just who this Jesus is. And as questions about Jesus' identity are answered, deeper insights into our identities as his followers emerge.