Matthew 8:1-4 Jesus Cleanses a Leper

For the purposes of this series, I am skipping Jesus’ discourses. While I am not giving space to the discourses in the series, it does not mean that they are not valuable. It only means that I am not focusing on them here, but they are part of the context to understand the narratives. The first discourse is in chapters 5-7 and it is what we know as the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus explains how his followers ought to live their lives as part of the Kingdom of God. The ethical standards that Jesus lays out in this discourse are very high. Some people get confused with Jesus’ moral teachings and the Law. It is important to note that the Law is not equivalent to morality. While God’s laws are moral, they don’t define the extent of all morality. Sometimes laws define just a minimum moral requirement, but Jesus speaks of the full moral value of life in the kingdom and he taught it with authority.

Right after preaching this sermon, a leper comes to Jesus as he is walking down the mount and asks to be healed. Leprosy was a term used to describe a wide range of skin diseases that made a person “ceremonially unclean.” To be unclean meant that the person had to live outside the community until the leprosy healed and the priest had to approve his/her reentry into the community after examining and certifying that (s)he had healed. Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah that was prophesied by Isaiah, a healing Messiah. Actually, the healings were a sign to the people that God was at work in their midst. But I want to highlight the leper as a follower in contrast with the crowds that “followed” Jesus.

Like many others, the leper had a need. But in contrast with the crowds, the leper came to Jesus, knelt before him, called him Lord, and asked to be cleansed. The leper shows the attitudes of a true follower: he got closer, he worshiped, he believed. The way in which the leper asks shows that he had no doubt that Jesus could, but he pleaded that he would. Lepers were outcasts of society in those days, but Jesus does not hesitate to stretch out his hand and touch him to heal him. Jesus shows his compassion and takes action by showing mercy. In the same way, Jesus touches us when we come to him to be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1Jn.1:9).

Lord, cleanse me from all unrighteousness. May I get closer and acknowledge you as my Lord. Help me believe that you have the power to cleanse me from my uncleanness.