More than willing

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord! (Luke 5:8)

I found Peter’s words above interesting. He spoke almost like a leper.

Lepers were required by God’s law to say to anyone who came near them, “Go away from me. I’m unclean.” (Leviticus 13:45-46)

But in Luke 5, a leper actually drew near to Jesus and said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was willing and cleansed the leper of his disease.

More significantly, by his grace, he cleansed Peter and the paralytic of their sins.

And in Matthew’s case, Jesus was not only willing, he actually went chasing after Matthew.

In the same way, Jesus chased after us. Though we had gone our own way, treating Jesus like a zero, he went to the cross for us, paying the price for our rebellion.

Now when we come to him asking for mercy, as with the leper, Jesus says to us, “I am willing. Be clean.”

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)