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Matthew 8: 1-4:
1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Mark 1: 40-45:
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

Luke 5: 12-14:
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Key Takeaways from this Scripture

• Faith and Humility: The leper approached Jesus with faith and humility, recognizing Jesus' authority over his condition. Faith is key in our relationship with God.
• Jesus’ Compassion: Jesus demonstrates deep compassion by touching the untouchable. He is willing to reach out to anyone, no matter their condition.
• Healing and Restoration: Jesus not only heals the body but also restores individuals to their community and their place in society. His healing is holistic.
• Obedience to God's Law: Jesus honors the Law of Moses by instructing the man to show himself to the priest, demonstrating that He came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it.
• The Power of Jesus’ Word: The immediate healing of the leper underscores the power of Jesus’ word and authority over sickness and sin.

Value 4 Value:
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To learn more about the Value 4 Value model and how we apply it to this show, head over to our website and read up on it at https://bible-bytes.com/v4v.

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Theme Music:
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This podcast may use AI generated content and voices.   For more information, check out our disclosure page on our website,   bible bytes.com/disclosures.   Welcome to Bible Bytes, your virtual Sunday school. Inspiring faith 1 bite at a time.   Each episode breaks down the timeless wisdom of the Bible into digestible insights,   perfect for those unable to attend services in person.   Whether you're seeking spiritual growth or encouragement,   Bible Bites offers fresh, engaging perspectives that fit into your busy schedule.   Here is your host, Randy Black.  



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In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find the story of Jesus healing a man with   leprosy. This miracle   demonstrates not only Jesus' power   over the physical ailments of individuals,   but also his deep compassion   for those who are marginalized   and are suffering.   The story reveals   the willingness of Jesus   to touch and heal the untouchable   and reminds us of his ability   to cleanse   not only the body,   but also   the soul.   As we do with our lessons each week,   let's open up things   with a prayer.   Heavenly father, we thank you for your word   and the the ability it has to reveal   your love and your power to us.  

As we study this miracle   of Jesus   healing the man with leprosy,   open up our hearts to understand   the depth of your compassion   and your grace.   Help us to recognize that   no one is beyond your reach,   and teach us to reflect   your mercy   in our own daily lives.   In Jesus' name, we pray.   Amen.  

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Matthew chapter 8 verses 1 through 4.   When he was come down from the mountain,   great multitudes   followed him. And behold,   there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt,   thou canst make me clean.   And Jesus put forth his hand and touched him,   saying,   I will be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.   And Jesus saith unto him,  

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See thou tell no man,   but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Mark, chapter 1, verses 40 through 45.  

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And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him,   'If thou wilt   thou canst make me clean.'   And Jesus,   moved with compassion,   put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken,   immediately   the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed,   and he straightly charged him, and forthwith sent him away,   and saith unto  

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him. See thou say nothing to any man, but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. But he went out and began to publish it much,  

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and to blaze abroad the matter,   insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city,   but was without in desert places.   And they came to him from every quarter. Luke   5 12-fourteen   And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy,   who, seeing Jesus, fell on his face, and besought him, saying,   'Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.'   And he put forth his hand and touched him, saying,  

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I will   be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to Tell no man, but go and show thyself to the priest,   and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.  

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In these passages,   we encounter a man suffering from leprosy,   a disease that not only inflicted physical pain,   but also cause deep social and emotional isolation.   Under the law of Moses,   lepers were considered unclean   and require were required to then live apart   from the rest of the community.   The man who approaches Jesus   does so with faith.   Acknowledging   both Jesus' power   and his authority when he says,   lord, if thou wilt,   thou canst make me clean.   What stands out is Jesus' response.   He doesn't hesitate to touch the leper,   which at this time was a shocking act   given the cultural   and the religious rules about uncleanliness.  

By doing so,   Jesus affirms   his willingness   to heal this man and restore anyone,   even those who are considered untouchable.   The healing is immediate.   It is complete   and showing   the power of Jesus's word.   However,   Jesus also instructs the man to follow the law of Moses by going to the priest   to confirm this cleansing.   This ensures that the man's reintegration   into society   will happen.   As only the priest could officially declare him to be clean.   Jesus's instructions not to tell anyone about the miracle highlights his desire   for the focus   to be on the spiritual transformation   rather than just the physical   healing.  

Nevertheless,   the man's joy is so great   that he spreads the news   widely,   causing Jesus to then have to withdraw   and head to more secluded places   due to the overwhelming attention   it placed on him.   We have a couple key takeaways from these these scriptures today.   Our first is about faith and humility.   The leper approached Jesus with faith and humility.   He recognized   Jesus's authority   over his condition.   Faith is key   in our relationship with God.   Another takeaway here is about Jesus' compassion.   Jesus demonstrates   deep compassion   by touching   the untouchable.  

He is willing to reach out to anyone,   no matter   their condition.   We have a a takeaway dealing with healing and with restoration.   Jesus not only heals the body,   but also restores the individuals back to their community and to their place in society.   His healing then is holistic.   We have a takeaway   looking at obedience to god's law.   Jesus   honors   the law of Moses   by instructing the man to show himself to the priest,   demonstrating that he came to fulfill the law,   not   to abolish it.   And our final takeaway is the power of Jesus' word.   The immediate   healing of the leper   underscores   the power of Jesus' word and authority over sickness   and especially   over sin.  

Take a moment to   reflect on areas in your life   where you need healing.   Whether that be physically,   emotionally,   or spiritually.   Consider how Jesus' willingness to touch the leper   might encourage you to approach him with your own needs.   Also, think about how you can extend the compassion of Christ   to those who are marginalized or isolated in your own community.   Have you ever felt like an outsider   or experienced isolation?   How did you handle it?   What does this passage teach you about Jesus' character   and his repower approach   to those who are in need?  

How can you show Christ like compassion to someone   in your life   who may be, quote, unquote,   untouchable   by society standards?   As we do each week, as we finish up our discussion of the scripture,   let's close in a prayer.   Dear lord,   thank you for the example of your compassion   and love   in the healing of the leper.   We ask that you help us   to have the same faith   and humility as the leper,   trusting in your power to heal and to restore.   Teach us to reach out to those in need with your grace,   and help us to reflect your love to those who are suffering   and isolated.  

May we always seek to bring glory to you in our words   and in our actions.   In Jesus' name,   amen.  

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This podcast supports podcasting 2.0,   so feel free to send us a boost if you are listening on a new podcast app. Find your new app now at podcasting2.org/apps.   That's podcasting2.org/apps.  

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This podcast operates under what's called the value for value model, and we hope that we are providing you value through the work we're doing in preparing and recording   and publishing   these episodes each week, and that you would then, in turn, provide value back to us. And that can come in 3 simple forms, in the form of time, in the form of talent, in the form of treasure.   If you wanna learn about the value for value model and how we apply it to this show, head over to our website and read up on it. You can do that at bible dash bytes.com/v4v.   Again, bible dash Bytes with a y,   bytes.com/v4v.  

If you have a prayer request, please   go to our website,   reach out with the contact forms that are there so that we can share that with the audience and we can lift that up,   so we can work together   to   pray and raise up the names of those individuals in need to the lord so that he can treat them and touch them and and do whatever is necessary to answer those prayers.   As we do with every episode, we're gonna close out with one more prayer. So let us pray.   Heavenly father,   we thank you for the chance to again come together   and learn from your word.  

We come together to lift up   the unspoken request that our audience members may have to you. You know what those needs are, what those requests are,   and we pray that you will touch them in a way that you see fit.   You are the one who holds   all the answers to our prayers,   And we trust you and your wisdom in meeting those requests with the answers   that you provide.   It is in your name that we work   each day and strive   to share you with the world.   In hopes   that those who are lost might accept your son, Jesus,   as their savior.   And then spend eternity in heaven with you   and Jesus   and all of those who are saved.  

In Jesus name, we pray.   Amen.   On our next episode, we're gonna continue in our series of the miracles of Jesus by looking at when Jesus   heals the servant of a centurion who's been paralyzed   in the city of Capernaum.   You can find that in Matthew   chapter 8 verses 5 through 13,   and Luke chapter   7   verses 1 through 10.  

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Thank you for joining us for Bible Bites, your virtual Sunday school.   Please head over to our website   atbibledashbytes.com   to learn how to follow, support, or share the show with others. Be sure to listen in next week for more of Bible Bites, inspiring faith one bite at a time.   This podcast was produced by Johns Creek Studios,   a full service podcast production planning and management provider based in Milton, West Virginia.   To learn more, head over to johnscreekstudios.com.   Johns Creek Studios,   where podcast dreams come to life.