Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 1:44

"and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." — Mark 1:44 (ASV)

“Sent him away” is from a word often used of driving out demons, and “with a strong warning” originally meant “to snort like a horse.” In other words, an element of anger or indignation is contained in Jesus’ warning. Why? Because Jesus knew that the man would disobey him. Jesus did not want to gain the reputation of just being another “miracle-worker,” for this would thwart the essential spiritual purpose of his ministry by touching off a messianic insurrection. Instead, he instructed the leper to go to those whose job it was to rule whether he was clean or not and to offer sacrifices required by the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 14:2–31). “As a testimony to them” likely means as a testimony to the priest and the people of the reality of the cure.