Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16[1]
40Now
a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If
You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41Then
Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be
cleansed.” 42As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left
him, and he was cleansed. 43And He strictly warned him and sent him
away at once, 44and said to him, “See that you say nothing to
anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing
those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
45However,
he went out and began to proclaim it
freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter
the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every
direction.
A
Little Background
We
read in Mark 1:38, that Jesus left Capernaum so that he could preach the good
news of the kingdom to other towns also. Matthew 4:25 tells us where he went:
Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan. As the news of his
teaching, and miracles went out, the crowds followed Him. This passage about
the leper shows us one of those incidents.
Leprosy,
now more commonly known as Hansen’s Disease, is almost unheard of here in the
United States. It comes from a bacteria. Wikipedia states that 95% of humans
are immune to leprosy. It is thought to be transmitted by nasal droplets. According
to the World Health Organization there were 180,000 known cases in 2012. Leprosy
is most common in countries with poor health conditions, India having the most
cases followed by Brazil and Myanmar.
The
Latin root “lepra” means scaly often giving the flesh a whitish appearance. Left
untreated it can cause blindness. “Secondary infections, in turn, can result in
tissue loss causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed, as
cartilage is absorbed into the body.”—Wikipedia. There are different strains of
leprosy. The leprosy in Bible was highly contagious.
Some
Explanation
The
result of sin is sickness and disease leading to death. Romans 5:12 tells us
that sin entered into the world because of the sin of one man—Adam, and with it
came death that spread to all men. Leprosy is an illustration of sin’s
pervasive nature. It is the disease mentioned most often in the Bible.[2]
According to Old Testament law, if a person became leprous, they would need to
leave the community to live among other lepers. A leper was required to keep a
distance of six feet from other healthy individuals. When others approached
him, he was to call out “Unclean! Unclean!” Leprosy was not only a horrific and
devastating disease, but it was also a social tragedy separating loved ones
from their families.
Observations
and Insights
Notice
that Jesus strictly warned the leper not to go out and tell what happened
to him. Why did Jesus forbid him to spread the news? First, He was to go to the
priest. Jesus wanted to obey the law and He wanted the spiritual leaders to recognize
Him. Secondly, the people were looking for their version of the promised Messiah—one
that would deliver them from Roman rule, and establish the power and glory that
Israel once had. Jesus was clear that this was not yet that time. He knew what
was in the peoples’ hearts and He understood mob mentality. And notice the
result: Jesus could not enter the cities openly because of the crowds. He had
to stay out in the deserted places. The leper’s disobedience hurt Jesus’
ministry.
Sometimes
we think that we are so sure of what God’s will is. We know that a loved one
needs to be saved. We know that another who is suffering in pain needs healing.
We’re sure that certain wrongs need to be made right. But we don’t know how God
is moving in each situation because God’s ways are higher than our ways. Jesus
told Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and
where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) May
our zeal and exuberance be tempered by our patience. We can do our part in
love, gentleness, and faithfulness, but we must learn in faith to let God do
the rest.
This incident of the leper touches me deeply. Mark 1:41 says that Jesus was moved by compassion by the leper who knelt at His feet. Modern self-esteem teachings deceive us into desiring that our "self" be affirmed and placated. We are lulled into believing in ourselves. But the truth is that there is no good thing in our flesh (Romans 7:18). Our hearts are deceitful above all and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). As I thought about this encounter, I realized the depth of what Jesus did. I include these
pictures of leprosy, not to be morbid, but to emphasize the devastation
that leprosy causes. Sin is like that. My heart is like that. Jesus
came into our world that is twisted by sin. He did not see it as robbery
to leave His glory in Heaven, take on disease-prone, corrupt flesh, and
live among the lowest of us. He lived just like us, and He stayed here.
When they nailed Him to the cross, He stayed there. When they put Him
in the tomb, He stayed there for three days. How can I not submit my
heart before Him and allow Him to rule when He is there at the Father's right
hand ever living to make intercession for me? My fellow sheep, how can
we not fix our entire attention on Jesus? http://justasimplesheep.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-messiah-problem.html
[1]
Note:
Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced together like a puzzle putting the
four Gospels together into one narrative. I am copying the order or format from
A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels,
George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001. However, I am using the New
King James rather than the HCSB. This order is from the research of Wright and
is open to discussion. Of course, you can also read the passages side by side
separately if you prefer.
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