NO MEANS NO

Mark 1:40-45

                A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be clean.” The leprosy left him immediately and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.

                Have you ever heard of the saying ‘Loose lips sink ships?’ What part of keep this quiet, or don’t tell anyone, don’t we as a people not get? Why are some secrets so juicy we can’t keep them to ourselves? Why do we have the need to be the first to tell something to show everyone how smart we are?

                I felt sorry for the leper in this passage until he had to open his big mouth and tell everyone. Especially after Jesus specifically told him not to. Then Jesus had to stay out in the desert in the cold because of big mouth.

                What comes out of your mouth matters. I know in the leper’s case he could be excused for going overboard because he had been stricken with leprosy, which was a death sentence back then. Who wouldn’t want to yell it from the rooftops!

                But Jesus said no. And no means no.

                “See that you tell no one anything but go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof enough for them.”

                Less is more. Just tell those that I told you to tell, but not everybody in Judea, okay?

                I do it. You do it. We all do it. We all say things that end up hurting others. This gospel was just a reminder that every time we say something we shouldn’t, we throw Jesus out in the desert where He can’t get warm or preach or heal. It hurts others, but hurts Jesus more. There is a truckload of misinformation out there already. Why add to the garbage pile?

                For today I’m going to try to zip that lip, shut my trap and speak peace. It’s a rare commodity.

                Thank you, Jesus, my confidant, my friend. Let me speak only truth and peace.

HOLD FAST

Keith Thompson