Matthew 8: 1 – 4 (NLT)
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
8 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
Matthew recorded Jesus’ sermon in chapters 5 through 7, and in the next two chapters he will record various miracles done by Jesus. The first miracle is the healing of a man with leprosy. Leprosy was considered the worst disease possible in that day, and lepers were banned from living near the general population for fear of spreading the disease. We got a small taste of that during the Covid pandemic, especially in the early part of the pandemic when medical specialists didn’t know for sure how to protect people fom getting it, or even how to treat serious cases of Covid. We were asked to stay home, and not spend time even with family and friends. It was hard to stay isolated, but we knew there would be an end to it.
Lepers were isolated for life. There were also skin infections that looked something like leprosy which would be cured, but leprosy led to worsening conditions, even blindness, deafness, and paralysis.That is likely why lepers who thought they were healed had to go to the priests for verification. If it was truly leprosy, there was no cure. If you are interested to know what the restrictions were for lepers and what they had to go through to be considered clean, you can read it in Leviticus 14: 1 – 32. It was quite an ordeal.
Jesus had just finished the sermon on the mount. At the end of chapter 7, it said, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching for he taught with real authority – quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” Now he had come down from the mountain, and people were crowding around him.
Can you imagine their horror when a man with leprosy made his way through the crowd? I’m sure they were making a wide path for him to walk. And then when the man spoke to Jesus, Jesus “reached out and touched him”. (v. 3) Can you hear the gasp from the crowd?
One of the things that struck me was the leper’s respect for Jesus. He knelt in front of Jesus before he began saying his request. That gesture is definitely one of respect for another person, even today. Then there is his request – “Lord, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” He left the healing completely up to Jesus. That was not an expression of unbelief; he wasn’t questioning whether Jesus could heal him or not. It was an acknowledgement that it was Jesus’ decision to make, not his.
This reminds me of the Lord’s Prayer – “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. When we pray, we can ask (Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock), but we must also recognize that the answer to our prayer is God’s will, not ours. Sometimes that is very hard to do. We want God to answer our prayers with the solution we see as the greatest. Jesus reassures us that God loves us as a father loves his children, so we aren’t to assume that God will be mean or cruel to us. God will answer in the way He considers best for us.
Another thing that spoke to me was Jesus’ willingness to interact with someone no one else wanted to be near. I think of the times I’ve avoided someone because their appearance somehow made me think I should stay away from them. Or they come from a culture that is very different from mine, so it’s just easier to smile but not stop or talk to them. Jesus’ love is for absolutely everyone. Who do I care for? Who do I love?
Our song for today is Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Hillsong Worship.