jesus heals

The Authority Over Leprosy

8:1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. ² And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

³ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

⁴ And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

—Matthew 8:1–4

This miracle introduces the first group of three miracles showing the special compassion and authority by which Jesus was guided. Lepers were regarded as unclean, Gentiles were considered outside the people of God, and women were second-class persons in Jewish society. We could consequently title these three stories (1) “The Untouchable Leper,” (2) “The Unacceptable Gentile,” and (3) “The Unprofitable Woman”! But Jesus had the authority to transcend the bias of society and minister to each with compassion.

After Jesus came down from the mountain where he had delivered His sermon, Matthew says that great crowds followed Him and became witnesses to His deeds. Henry Alford says, “I conceive it highly probable that St. Matthew was himself a hearer of the Sermon, and one of those who followed our Lord at this time.” Matthew injects vividly the scene of a leper coming through the crowd and worshiping Jesus. One can almost see the crowd drop back, opening the way for the leper as people cried, “Unclean, unclean!” (see Mark 1:40–45 and Luke 5:12–16). In verse 2 we see (1) the manner of approach: the leper worshiped in faith, affirming his belief that Jesus could, if willing, cleanse him. In verse 3 we see (2) the man of compassion, for Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” In verse 4 we see (3) a man faithful to the Law while going beyond it, for He asked the leper to go to the priest and fulfill the requirements of the Law, “as a testimony to them.” Jesus sought to avoid undue publicity, saying, “Tell no one.”

Matthew says that Jesus reached out and touched the leper, defying the practice concerning lepers, for the Law had forbidden the touching of any such one (Lev. 13:45–46). Jesus acted with authority, not fearing the disease nor hesitating to be of service. Authority is not dominance, but is the deepest sense of security in truth and in relationship. A suggested outline for this passage is as follows: (1) the interchange of faith, vv. 1–2, (2) the interaction of compassion, v. 3, and (3) the interface with the Law, v. 4.

¹

The first of the miracles, the healing of the leper, with its reference to the priests in 8:4, is a reminder to us of the priestly function of the Messiah. In the Old Testament, it was the priest who dealt with skin diseases such as leprosy (see Lev. 13–14). So Jesus fulfils kingly, prophetic and priestly functions. The healing of the leper is an immediate act of Jesus, a response to a passionate plea.²

JESUS HEALS A LEPER

And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean [Matt. 8:2].

Notice that Jesus came from the heights to the very depths. Leprosy, symbolic of sin in the Bible, was considered incurable; leprosy was the most loathsome disease. And when this leper came to Jesus, he did not ask, “Will You make me clean?” or “Are You able to make me clean?” This leper had faith. He recognized the lordship of Christ, and on that basis said, “If You will, You can make me clean.” What we ask is not always the Lord’s will, friend. But if it is His will, He can do it. It is most important that the will of God comes first. It may be easy for you, but it is difficult for me to put the will of God first. I put it like this, “Lord, will You do this because I want You to do it?” But the leper says, “I know You can, but will You?” That is, is it according to Your will?

this, “Lord, will You do this because I want You to do it?” But the leper says, “I know You can, but will You?” That is, is it according to Your will?

This is a little different from what we hear folk pray today when they demand that the Lord do certain things. May I say to you, friend, let Him decide—and that’s the way it is going to be done anyway.

And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed [Matt. 8:3].

“Jesus put forth his hand and touched him.” If I had touched a leper, what would have happened? Well, I might have contracted his disease, and I would not have healed him. But notice what happens. First of all, He did touch him.

Have you ever stopped to think that this man not only had the physical disease of leprosy but that he had a psychological hang–up that was terrible? I do not know this man’s background, but I imagine that one day he noticed a breaking out on his hand. Perhaps he had been out plowing, came in, showed his wife, and she put some ointment on it. The next morning it was just as red as it could be, and he went out and plowed again. This went on for about a week, and his wife started getting uneasy. She suggested he visit the priest. He went to the priest who isolated him for fourteen days. At the end of this period of time the disease had spread. The priest told him he had leprosy.

The man asked the priest if he could go and tell his wife and children and say good–bye. The priest said, “I’m sorry, you cannot tell them good–bye. You cannot put your arm around your wife again or hold your children in your arms anymore. When anyone comes near you, you must cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’” He saw his children grow up from a distance. They would leave food in a certain place, and he would come and get it after they withdrew. He could not touch them. In fact, he had been able to touch no one, and no one had been able to touch him. Then one day he came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” And what did the Lord Jesus do? He touched him. May I say to you that the touch of Jesus was one of the most wonderful things that ever had happened to the man. It not only cleansed his leprosy, but it brought him back into the family of mankind and into the family of God. “Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

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 [Matt. 8:4].

In Mark’s record we find that this man was so overjoyed—and you can’t blame him—that he went out and told everybody he met. He “blazed it abroad!” Consequently, the crowds pushed in on our Lord, and He was forced to retire from the city and stay in desert places³

Lepers, Gentiles, and women were considered outcasts by many Jewish people, especially the Pharisees. Many Pharisees would pray each morning, “I give thanks that I am a man and not a woman, a Jew and not a Gentile, a free-man and not a slave.”

Cleansing the leper (vv. 1–4). There were a number of afflictions that our Bible categorizes as leprosy. This dreaded infection forced the victim to live apart from others and to cry, “Unclean! Unclean!” when others approached, so they would not be defiled. That the leper ran up to Jesus and violated the code is evidence of his great faith that Jesus would heal him.

Leprosy is an illustration of sin (Isa. 1:5–6). The instructions given to the priests in Leviticus 13 help us understand the nature of sin: Sin is deeper than the skin (Lev. 13:3); it spreads (Lev. 13:8); it defiles and isolates (Lev. 13:45–46); and it is fit only for the fire (Lev. 13:52, 57).

When Jesus touched the leper, He contracted the leper’s defilement; but He also conveyed His health! Is this not what He did for us on the cross when He was made sin for us? (2 Cor. 5:21) The leper did not question His ability to heal; he only wondered if He were willing. Certainly God is willing to save! He is “God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:3–4). God is “not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9).

Jesus commanded the man not to tell others but to go to the priests and have them declare him restored and fit for society. This ceremony is described in Leviticus 14 and is another beautiful picture of Christ’s work for sinners. The bird slain pictures the death of Christ; the bird released pictures His resurrection. Putting the bird into the jar pictures the Incarnation, when Christ took a human body that He might die for us. The application of the blood to the ear, thumb, and toe illustrates the need for personal faith in His death. The oil on the blood reminds us of the Spirit of God, who enters the person when he trusts the Saviour.

The man did not obey Christ; he told everybody what the Lord had done! (Christ tells us to tell everybody, and we keep quiet!) Mark 1:45 tells us that the healed leper’s witness forced Jesus to avoid the city; and yet the crowds came to Him.⁴

8:1 In Matt. 8:1—9:38 ten miracles are recorded in rapid order. The logical connection to the Sermon on the Mount is obvious. The King, having presented His platform—the Manifesto of the Kingdom—now demonstrates His power to perform what He has said. Often we hear grand, swelling promises from potential political powers but we wonder, “Can he produce?” Christ the King is now going to demonstrate His ability to produce the projected program. The miracles are divided into three groups by two discussions regarding discipleship. All of the miraculous works authenticate the Lord Jesus as Messiah and King. The first three are miracles of healing (8:1–17). Healing a leper was a dramatic place to begin for there was no record of an Israelite leper being healed in the entire history of the nation except for Miriam (Num. 12:10–15).

8:2, 3 Before this miracle, the only record of an Israelite being healed of leprosy was the case of Miriam in Num. 12:10–15. The phrase if You are willing is important because it indicates genuine faith. It does not necessarily mean that if one simply believes, God will do something. But that He can do it (Dan. 3:17, 18). Normally, touching a leper would result in ceremonial defilement (Lev. 14:45, 46; Num. 5:2, 3; Deut. 24:8). In this case Jesus touched the leper and the leper became clean.

8:4 See that you tell no one: Perhaps Jesus gave this command so that the healed person would first obey the law before he became preoccupied with telling others about his healing. Jesus’ command show yourself to the priest involved no small undertaking for the cleansed leper. He would need to make the journey from near the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem and there offer the sacrifice required by Moses (Lev. 14:4–32). The purpose of Christ’s command was not only to obey the Law of Moses, but also to be a testimony to the religious authorities in Jerusalem that the Messiah had arrived. Jesus also commanded the man to keep quiet because He did not want the Jewish people to act hastily on preconceived, erroneous ideas of the Messiah and His kingdom (John 6:14, 15).⁵

CLEANSING OF THE LEPER

Matthew 8:1–4

I have talked to many people who have set out to read the Bible. Very often, they relate experiences such as this: “I started well. I read through the whole book of Genesis, and it was somewhat familiar to me and interesting reading, like a novel. Then I moved on to the book of Exodus, and it was like a Cecil B. DeMille spectacle, and that also kept my interest. But when I got to Leviticus and all of those details about the requirements for worship and the laws that are recorded there, they were so unfamiliar and boring that I lost my interest.”

Maybe that’s been your experience. Maybe you were stopped in your efforts to read through the Bible when you encountered passages like this:

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean. But if the bright spot is white on the skin of the body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days. Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore has faded, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the scab should at all spread over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again.” (Lev. 13:1–7)

This goes on for three chapters. I admit, it is difficult for us to get excited about this kind of biblical material because it seems so alien to our experience. I doubt anyone reading this book, upon waking up in the morning and finding a rash on his or her body, has wondered whether it might be leprous.

On the other hand, if you or a loved one have ever had a biopsy done for one reason or another, and then had to wait for the results, you know the anxiety that can provoke in your heart. A few years ago, my son was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was caught in the early stages, but he still went through the full sequence of treatments of chemotherapy. However, the doctors did not go with radiation because they pronounced him completely free of cancer. More recently, he called and said that he had discovered a new lump, and they had to do a biopsy on that. But he was not the least bit concerned. He said: “Dad, I trust the Lord in these things. I’m not worried about it.” I thought, “Well, good for you, but I’m worried.” I was a nervous wreck for three weeks waiting for the outcome of that biopsy. By the grace of God it was completely clean. The feeling of relief you have when you get a good report on a biopsy is wonderful.

For an ancient Israelite, waking up with a strange mark on his skin and having to go through all of the prescribed examinations by the priest was an exercise in terror, because the worst disease that he could ever contract was leprosy. In fact, it was the only disease in Israel that involved not only a medical judgment but also an ecclesiastical one. There was no cure for leprosy and no medicine that could even alleviate the symptoms, so the classic treatment for leprosy in Israel at that time was quarantine. Once the scab had been determined to be leprous, the person was removed from his family, from his village, and from all interaction with other human beings, except other lepers. The leper was pronounced to be unclean, which meant he was no longer able to participate in the religious community of the Israelites. To get that diagnosis was a dreadful thing indeed.

A Leper with Faith

That brings me to Matthew 8. In this chapter, Matthew presents accounts of several miracles Jesus performed. The first of these involved the healing of a leper, which, at that time in history, was as astounding as raising someone from the dead.

Matthew writes, When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him (v. 1). The Sermon on the Mount only increased Jesus’ following; He was basically mobbed when He continued His ministry. Matthew then notes, And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (v. 2). The word that is translated “worshiped” here is not clear in the Greek. It could simply mean that the man showed obeisance to Jesus, such as one might show to a king or to some other person who is worthy of great respect.

In any case, the leper bowed before Jesus and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” What an amazing statement of faith this was. This leper clearly had heard of Jesus. I do not know how he could have received any kind of news from the grapevine, given how isolated lepers were from the mainstream of life. Yet, somehow the word that had gone through the whole land about this remarkable healer had found its way to the lepers, and this man was convinced. So, he bowed before Jesus and confessed, “I don’t know whether You will, but I know that You are able to make me clean.”

When I’m on my knees before God about whatever matter is concerning me, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He can handle anything I bring before Him. But I also know enough about the sovereignty of God to understand that quite often when I ask God to do things, He hears me but He answers no. In other words, He is not always willing to do what I ask Him to do. When we hear that answer from God, we have to be able to carry on in our Christian lives, saying, “God, if that is not what pleases You, if it is not Your will, that’s OK; Your will be done, not mine.” That is what Jesus taught us to pray (Matt. 6:10) and that is what He Himself did, when He wrestled with the Father in the garden of Gethsemane, saying, “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39). The leper seems to have understood this, for he expressed confidence that Jesus could heal him, if it were His will to do so.

How did Jesus respond? The first thing He did was astonishing: Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him (v. 3a). He put His hand upon the loathsome body of a leper. This violated all the principles of the society of His day. Then He said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed (v. 3b). Jesus made this miserable creature whole. This man who could do nothing to cleanse himself was made clean by the touch of Jesus. Jesus did for this man what no one else in the world could do for him.

Matthew then writes, And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one” (v. 4a). Jesus did not want everyone flocking to Him for healing and missing the point of His ministry. Instead, He told the man, “but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (v. 4b). He instructed the man to do what the law of God in Leviticus required. He needed to go back to the priest and let the priest examine him. The priest could then declare that he was clean and allow him to go back to his village and his family.

What did Jesus mean by saying, “offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them”? The law of God in the Old Testament required lepers who were cured to make a sacrifice. They had to bring a gift. However, these were poor people. What kind of productivity, what kind of enterprise or commerce could a leper have in antiquity? In fact, because the poverty of lepers was often so severe, the law of God made special provisions. If a leper who was cured was particularly poor, he was allowed to give a lesser sacrificial gift than what was required of the general population.

A Reaction of Gratitude

So, in this story we see wonderful demonstrations of Jesus’ compassion (in touching a leper and being willing to heal him) and His power (to heal the man of a deadly disease). But there is another application here we dare not miss.

If you are regenerate by the power of the Holy Spirit, if you are a converted person, you have been cleansed from something far more deadly than leprosy. You have been made clean from all of your sins. When, by the Spirit’s call, you came to Christ and humbly asked for His deliverance from the guilt and shame of your sin, He said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” So, you now can stand before God cleansed of sin and clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ. But if Jesus commanded the leper to make a gift in response to His healing, what should be our response?

When Jesus saved us, He bought us at a great price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). We do not own ourselves. In fact, we do not own anything. He owns us and all we have. But He has given us the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:46). In return, He asks us for a simple affirmation of gratitude: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse” (Mal. 3:10a). He asks us to give a tenth of all our increase. Yes, this can be hard to do, but He expects it. It is not a cliché that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. He loves it when a person comes with his gifts and says: “Here, Lord, is my gift. I can’t wait to give it. I am delighted to have the opportunity to give it to You, because I give You only what You have given me.”

I cannot imagine the leper saying to Jesus: “Thank you for making me whole. I’m happy to go and show myself to the priest, and I want the priest to give me that certificate that I can take home to my family and my village and say: ‘Here I am. I’m cured. I don’t have to cry, “Unclean! Unclean!” when I see you coming.’ But please don’t ask me for a gift. You really don’t expect me to make a sacrifice after what You have done for me, do You?” I can only imagine the leper was delighted to give his gift, for he must have been grateful beyond all words. Therefore, we who have been cleansed of far worse than leprosy should be willing to give the gift our gracious healer requires.⁶

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy / 8:1–4 / 38

Matthew arranged the following accounts topically, not chronologically. Mark and Luke recorded some of the following events, but placed them in different locations, probably in the chronological sequence of events. The following section features a series of miracles that demonstrated the power of the Kingdom in action. This first miracle involved a man who had been estranged from the Jews because of a dreaded disease.

8:1 Whenever we see Jesus, we usually see large crowds following him. The people were astonished at Jesus’ authority in his teaching (7:28–29), so they followed him to see and hear more.

8:2 Leprosy, like AIDS today, was a terrifying disease because there was no known cure. In Jesus’ day, the Greek word for “leprosy” was used for a variety of similar skin diseases, and some forms were contagious. If a person contracted the contagious type, a priest declared him a leper and banished him from his home and city. This also excluded him from participating in any social or religious activities (according to the law in Leviticus 13–14). The leper went to live in a community with other lepers until he either got better or died. This was the only way the people knew to contain the spread of the contagious forms of leprosy.

This man took a great risk when he approached Jesus. His kneeling reveals his desperation, humility, and recognition of Jesus’ authority. His words to Jesus reveal his faith. If his disease were to disappear, a priest could declare him well, but only Jesus could make him well. The words “if you want to” reveal the man’s faith in Jesus’ authority in this matter of healing; Jesus’ ability was never in question. This man wanted to be clean—a huge request. The man wanted to become a person again, to be reunited with his family and community. He knew Jesus could do it.

8:3 Matthew revealed Jesus’ heart of compassion. All people shunned lepers, but Jesus touched this man covered with a dreaded, contagious disease. That Jesus’ touch precedes his pronouncement of healing indicates his sovereignty over the Jewish law not to touch a leper (Leviticus 5:3; 13:1–46; Numbers 5:2). In touching the leper, Jesus became “unclean.” He did not worry about becoming ritually unclean when there was a genuine need.

When Jesus answered the man, “I want to,” he showed his willingness and ability to meet this social outcast’s most basic need. With the words “Be healed” the leprosy immediately disappeared. The words and the touch were simple but effective, thereby revealing Jesus’ divine authority over sickness.

8:4 The law required a priest to examine a healed leper (Leviticus 14). Then the healed leper was to give an offering at the Temple. Jesus adhered to these laws by sending the man to the priest, thereby demonstrating high regard for the law of Moses. Jesus also told him, “Don’t talk to anyone along the way.” The warning was an earnest and forceful admonition. Jesus’ mission was to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God, and he did not want the crowds descending on him to see miracles or to benefit from his power. Such people would not be receptive to hear and to respond to the gospel.

Some think that the word anyone refers to the priests. Jesus would show the religious authorities that he was not anti-law, but the only one who could truly fulfill the law. If the priest declared that the healing had taken place but refused to accept the person and power of Christ who had done it, that priest would be condemned by the evidence. However, Jesus may have intended the testimony to be a positive one to the people who witnessed the healing. Mark records that the man disobeyed Jesus’ warning (see Mark 1:45).⁷

1 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

2 Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (pp. 55–56). Leominster: Day One Publications.

3 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 115–116). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

4 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 33). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

5 Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Mt 8:1–4). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

6 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 219–223). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

7 Barton, B., Comfort, P., Osborne, G., Taylor, L. K., & Veerman, D. (2001). Life Application New Testament Commentary (p. 38). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.