Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy

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Here is your host, Randy Black.

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

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 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.

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 worshipped 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, 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

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 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.

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 chapter five, verses twelve through 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, 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.

In these passages, we encounter a man suffering from leprosy, a disease that not only inflicted physical pain, but also caused deep social and emotional isolation.

Under the law of Moses, lepers were considered unclean and 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' 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' 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 scriptures today.

Our first is about faith and humility.

The leper approached Jesus with faith and humility.

He recognized Jesus' 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 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 repo 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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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 do whatever is necessary to answer those prayers.

As we do with every episode, we're going to 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 requests that our audience members may have to you.

You know what those needs are, what those requests are.

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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 going to 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

Verses one through ten minutes.

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