Wherever Jesus went He always found occasion for the exercise of His infinite compassion and power to heal. He never ignored the cries of despair or calls for help from anyone, as is seen in our incident today. If we look in chapter 8 of Matthew’s Gospel verses 1 to 4. We find a leper coming to Jesus falling at His feet and worshiping Him and saying ‘Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.’
Leprosy was a horrible disease, thought by the Jews to be God’s judgement on the individual for sins committed by himself or his family. Therefore leprosy could only be healed by God.
The laws written in the book of Leviticus told the leper how they were and how they would remain unless they were healed ……by God.
They were to dwell outside the city, not in.
They were outcasts.
They were unclean and must tell all who approached them that they were unclean.
They were cut off from family and friends.
They could not enjoy their inheritance.
They were stood afar off from the synagogue unless healed.
To many they were already dead.
The condition and position of the leper is of course the picture of the lost sinner before God.
He is outside the camp.
He’s an outcast.
He’s unclean.
He is out of fellowship.
There is no communion with God.
They cannot obtain their inheritance.
They are dead in tresspasses and sins.
Their only hope, their only help is God the Son, Jesus. He is the one who can cleanse away the horrible stench of death that clings to every sinner. The leper in our text worshipped Jesus and asked to be made clean. Verse 3 says ‘and Jesus put forth His hand and touched him saying, I will be thou clean’. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Have you asked, have you been touched by Jesus. Have you been cleansed by God?
God Bless
Michael Whitehouse