Moreover, if one accepts that Jesus reached out and touched the leper because he saw the world through the eyes of a prophet, then it is also important to consider how the transfiguration scene influences our understanding of Jesus’ decision to touch the leper. When considering the Old Testament background, we find that Moses’ face becomes radiant when he sees God’s back with his eyes closed (Exodus 33-34). In the transfiguration scene Jesus’ “clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth can bleach them” (Mk 9:3). This seemingly happened because Jesus saw the face of God. Thus, Jesus in a sense becomes the face of God. If we now consider the leper scene and the fact that Jesus “stretched out his hand and touched” the leper (Mk 1:41), then God also touched the leper since Jesus is the face of God.
This has several implications on Jesus’ message to his followers. From the very beginning of Mark’s gospel Jesus’ message was about the arrival of the reign of God (Mk 1:15). Jesus defines the
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For instance, Jesus simply touched the leper “and immediately the leprosy left him” (Mk 1:42). This begs the question as to what was the meaning of these healing miracles. The cleansing of the leper and the other healing stories are not about Jesus, but are indications of God’s presence in the human world. For Mark, Jesus’ healing is in response to the person’s faith, which is evident when Jesus says, “your faith has made you well” (Mk 5:34) and “do not fear, only believe” (Mk 5:36). Thus, the healing stories are signs of the coming of a new reality, which is the coming of the reign of God. Jesus does not simply heal people because miracles are not meant to prove Jesus’ divinity or coerce them into believing. Mark seems to consider that a person’s faith must be an expression of