Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16 (The cleansing of the leper)

Rachel Workman:

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
8 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” If you are willing, this man already knew Jesus was capable but was he willing? 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. This gave me chills. I can almost imagine Jesus looking at this man with pity and saying I am willing. Once again instant healing.  4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” There is the question here as to why Jesus told the man not to tell anyone he had healed him but instead go to the priests. I believe Jesus healed this man out of love and I believe he sent this man to the priests out of love also.  You see, 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.” I think Jesus was showing them the error of their ways, and I believe he was forewarning them knowing they would be the ones to crucify him. It was a testimony that Jesus came for all people and not just Jew as the Jews believed.  Or it could be as simple as Jesus wanted to obey the law which was required to declare the man clean. He knew that if the man told the priest he had healed him they would reject declaring him clean.	40 A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” I love how Mark says he was moved with compassion. That's exactly how I envisioned it. 42 Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. 43 Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: 44 “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” 45 But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.	12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” If Jesus is willing he can make each and every one of us clean. The good news is he is willing. He has every bit as much compassion for us as he did this man with leprosy.  The question is are we willing to believe in him? Are we willing to repent of our sins? 13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” 15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. I love how Luke says that Jesus often withdrew in the wilderness to pray. I think it's more important for us in today's time to remember to withdraw and pray than ever before. He have distractions sitting on every table.

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John Burnett: 

Mark 8:1-4

8 When ^[a]Jesus came down from the mountain, ^[b]large crowds followed Him. ² And a leper came to Him and ^[c]bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” ³ Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus *said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the ^[d]offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Mark 1:40-45

⁴⁰ And a leper *came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and *said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, ⁴⁴ and He *said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that ^[a]Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but ^[b]stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.

Luke 5:12-16

¹² While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man ^[a]covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” ¹³ And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ¹⁵ But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus Himself would often slip away ^[b]to the ^[c]wilderness and pray.  Willing to cure and being able to cure are two completely different things.  Jesus is always able to cure or do whatever he wants.  He is not always willing because it may not be part of the plan.  I find it interesting that Jesus gave the man the order not to tell anyone when he knew that the guy was going to tell everyone about the best thing that ever happened to him.  These passages should act as a reminder that our sin is just like this man’s leprosy and Jesus is the only one able and thankfully willing to pay the consequences in our place.  Just like the man in the parable, we are not deserving of being healed, but when we put our trust in Jesus, that he can make us clean, he cleanses us of all unrighteousness.  My Sin is my leprosy and His grace has cured me.

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Mike Grimm: 

Mark 1:40-45

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy

⁴⁰ A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.

⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” ⁴² Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. ⁴³ Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: ⁴⁴ “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

⁴⁵ But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.

Luke 5:12-16

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy

¹² In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

¹³ Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. ¹⁴ Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

¹⁵ But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

I’m amazed how the leper actually appears to beg Jesus to heal him. It had to have made Christ wonder if this man was either uncertain of Jesus’ healing ability, or if Christ would be unwilling to cure him. Maybe the leper was just showing respect.

In all three Gospels Jesus sent the leper away at once with a strong warning: 'See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.'

Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Jesus told the man to show the local Jewish priest evidence of his healing, because the priest had the authority in that society to officially declare the man religiously clean, which would then make it possible for the man to engage in normal social relationships again. Jesus wanted the man to experience the full benefits of his healing, including no more isolation from others (lepers were ostracized because their condition was highly contagious and considered ceremonially unclean). However, Jesus didn't want the man to spread the news about his miraculous healing indiscriminately, since people didn't yet have the full context in which to understand who Jesus was and why he was performing miracles. Still, the man found it hard to keep the news private, telling others about it.