Unconditional Love

Sam Held uses Mark 1:40-45 - the story of Jesus healing a leper to explore uncondional love He writes,"The willingness to give freely is a positive characteristic in a person, and we might add, a necessity for a follower of Christ. There is a lot to be said for giving, it is normally a source of pleasure and thankfulness for the receiver, which in turn can make us feel good too. If the gift is not well-received, then we may allow ourselves just a little righteous indignation about the lack of due thanks. That can make us feel a bit better about ourselves because we would never be so rude would we? Giving is seldom completely free of all conditions or expectations; more often it’s not so much a gift as an exchange; a sort of ‘give and gain’. Jesus gives even though he knows it will be to his disadvantage. In healing a leper he adds another miracle to his reputation, each one making him more famous, more in-demand for his healing, and more and more at odds with the Pharisees and scribes. He can’t go anywhere anonymously; there is no peace for him, no respite. Yet he chooses to make the leper clean. This is truly unconditional love. "