“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.” (Luke 5:12-13)
Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) Throughout the Gospels we constantly see Him being moved with compassion. He never backed down when facing some of the most difficult and challenging problems. Whatever He faced, He demonstrated that faith in God our Father would free suffering humanity and cause us to overcome.
One of the most challenging conditions to overcome during His time of ministry in Israel was leprosy. Mycobacterium leprae, the infectious bacterial agent of leprosy, is a debilitating disease.
Leprosy literally terrified humanity. It did not kill, but neither did it seem to end. Instead, it lingered for years, causing the tissues to degenerate, deforming the body.
Individuals with leprosy experience disfigurement of the skin and bones, the twisting of the limbs, and curling of the fingers. Facial changes happened as well; including thickening of the outer ear and collapsing of the nose.
Tumor-like growths called lepromas formed on the skin and in the respiratory tract, and the optic nerve located in the back of the eye would deteriorate. The largest number of deformities would develop from loss of pain sensation due to extensive nerve damage.
From the moment leprosy was pronounced upon a person, it was their death sentence. There was no natural remedy for the leper.
In the Old Testament God had given the Israelite's specific instructions on how to deal with leprosy and other kinds of skin infections (Leviticus 13). Anyone suspected of having this disease had to go to a priest for examination (Leviticus 13:2-3). If the person was found to be infected then he ;
“..shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:45-46).The person who had leprosy was considered utterly unclean—physically and spiritually.
Incurable by man, many believed the curse of leprosy came upon that person for the sins he committed. In fact, those with leprosy were so despised and loathed that they were not allowed to live in any community with their own people (Numbers 5:2).
Among the Jewish laws, leprosy was second only to a dead body. A leper wasn’t allowed to come within six feet of any other human, including his own family. The disease was considered so revolting that the leper wasn’t permitted to come within 150 feet of anyone when the wind was blowing. They were utterly separated and banished!
Biblical leprosy is a powerful symbol reminding us of sin’s infectious spread and its horrible consequences. Like leprosy, sin is an infection which enters the heart. It starts out small, a simple thought which contradicts the Word of God, but then spreads into our minds, our bodies, and our relationships. It leads to other sins, causing great damage, separating us from God our Father, our family, and our friends.
In Matthew 8:1-4, and Luke 5:12-16 we read the account of the first Leper who choose to approach Jesus. Here was a man utterly helpless, with the seal of death upon him. But yet he heard of Jesus. Was there hope? Could Jesus help him? Could he be cleansed of this defilement? Could he get his life back? If only he could get to Jesus.
The difficulty of this quest was enormous. He would be breaking the laws of the land. He would have to go through the embarrassment of being seen in this condition, and yelling out to everyone “Unclean, Unclean.”
He had heard of Jesus. What he heard, he believed. He believed that Jesus had the power to heal him, but would He? It didn’t matter, for his faith created hope, which caused him to act, to leave his place of banishment and run to Jesus. Despising the shame and anxiety of being a leper, he pressed on.
Listen, even though the difficulty of your situation may be tremendous, when your faith lays hold on the promise of God, it will cause you to act with hope and expectancy. When you act in faith those impossibilities must yield to His Word!
Early that morning while waiting for the appearing of Jesus crowds gathered at the foot of a mountain in anticipation. They were so taken up with watching for Jesus that they did not notice the leper there among them.
The thought of seeing Jesus so filled their hearts and minds; they were too focused on the life Giver to notice the unclean person that was among them. As the leper stayed close, hiding in the shadows and in the midst of the crowd, his eyes were seeking the Lord as well.
Then as Jesus appeared, walking towards them from His place of prayer, the crowd through shear excitement begins to press in closer to the foot of the mountain. The leper in his weakened condition is now being pushed and squeezed back from being able to reach Jesus. The reality of his condition is now taking its toll. He is finding out that his attempt at hiding is hurting him more and more with each passing moment. He knew that he was not supposed to be near these people, let alone be shoulder to shoulder with them. And now he is being blocked from reaching Jesus. What could he do? He has come so far.
He quickly realized he would either have to reveal himself by confessing who he was or he would be forced to stay in this dreadful painful condition. He would have to risk it all. He would have to shout out those embarrassing words that would expose his condition. He would have to shout “Unclean, unclean”. What would the people do? What would Jesus do?
Time is running out. He makes his decision,… he is risking it all. Just as Jesus approaches the crowd he begins shouting: “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”. The crowd suddenly and chaotically scatters in fear, leaving him alone, exposed and vulnerable.
He has to act quickly before the shock of his presence wares off. Then he realizes that there is one still standing there. There is one who didn’t run. There is one that didn’t judge. It is Jesus! It is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, just standing there looking at him in love. He isn’t moved by his condition. He doesn’t seem angry or afraid. In fact it is as if He is waiting for him to come to Him.
With no one blocking his path, he makes his move as fast as he can. No one can stop a man, whose heart is set on reaching Jesus! He runs and falls on his face before Jesus beseeching Him saying: “…Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean.” (Luke 5: 12)
What a risk this man took. It could have meant his life. But what kind of life did he have anyway? He was in bondage, suffering, isolated and alone.
Through a lack of self -esteem and self worth he may have been thinking maybe this was Gods will for him, or maybe he did something to deserve this. Who knows exactly what he was thinking, but we do know that he didn’t know if it was the Lords will to heal him.
Many today are wondering the same thing. Is it Gods will to heal me? Is this disease or sickness Gods way of teaching me something? Am I worthy or important enough to be healed by the Lord?
The answer the Lord gives this man should answer like questions others have had concerning the Lords will in forgiveness and healing.
“And he (Jesus) put forth his hand and touched him…” (Luke 5:13)
This is important. The first thing Jesus did was to reach out and touch the man. He was not supposed to do this, after all this disease is very contagious. Didn’t Jesus know that by touching him, He was putting Himself at risk to contract this disease? Of course He did, but it didn’t matter. Jesus had other priorities that directed His life.
First of all He said in John 5:19 that He only did what He saw his Father do, and in John 8:26 He said that He only says what He hears His Father say. So when Jesus reached out and touched this man in his condition, it literally was the Father reaching out and touching him with His unconditional love.
By touching this man, Jesus was showing him his value. He was communicating to him that he was important to the Father, and that he mattered. This should reassure us that the Father is not afraid to touch us in our uncleanness, in our sin. Even if we are rejected by man, and an outcast in society, He is always ready through Jesus Christ to reach out and embrace us with His love.
Secondly Jesus went on to say in Luke 5:13; “... I will, be thou clean.” This should forever silence the critics that say it’s not Gods will to heal.
When Jesus said “I will”, it was literally God the Father saying “I will”.
THE FATHERS WILL IS HEALING!
IT IS RECONCILIATION.
IT IS RECONCILIATION.
HE WANTS US FREE!
He knows exactly what Word you need to hear to believe! This man believed Jesus could, but he didn’t believe He would. When Jesus spoke those words “I will, be thou clean”, faith was formed in this man’s heart. As a result this man received his healing! Echoing the words of His Father, and through His loving touch, Jesus was able to reach this man’s heart and cleanse him from his condition.
It happened immediately. He didn’t have to wait for it. He didn’t have to beg for it. He didn’t have to earn it. It was instantaneous.
This is such a loving powerful picture of the Father’s will in action toward His children through Jesus Christ.
Whatever sin you are in bondage too, whatever sickness, addiction, or crises you are experiencing, our Fathers will is for you to be free. Your condition does not repulse Him! He does not reject you! Through His Word and through His loving touch He will cleanse you and make you right!
The central truth here is God the Father, through Jesus Christ, not only can heal, but will heal all those that seek Him. He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness making us right with His righteousness.
Instead of running from the Father, we should run to Him, allowing Him to do what only He can do, and that is to heal our hearts, and make us whole.
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