Mark 1:40 (ASV)

Passage

And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Nearby Context

Mark 1:38 And he saith unto them, Let us go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for to this end came I forth.

Mark 1:39 And he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.

Mark 1:40 And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Mark 1:41 And being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou made clean.

Mark 1:42 And straightway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cometh", "leper", "beseeching", "kneeling", "down", "saying", "thou", and "wilt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cometh" and "leper", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And he went into their synagogues throughout..." into verse 41's "And being moved with compassion he stretched...", so "cometh" and "leper" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "cometh" and "leper" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.