#37 The Leper Healed

#37 The Leper Healed

Please first read: Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke: 12-16

After the Sermon on the Mount Jesus comes down from the mountain with “great multitudes following.” The next event recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke is the healing of a leper. Their language is interesting: the leper worshipped him; the leper kneeled down to him, beseeching him; fell on his face and besought him. All three accounts read: “if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” There is no question as to the Lord being able to do this, only the implied question,” wilt thou do it?” A degree of faith seems to be in evidence here. The Lord touches the leper and he is immediately healed.

To know and understand the impact on the people when this occurs we must see the disease of leprosy through the eyes of the Jews of that day. Leprosy was the foulest, most loathsome disease imaginable. There was no cure or treatment. It was a living death. The body slowly decays away, pieces come off, it disintegrates itself. It was possible for a body to heal itself, but rare. The cause was considered to be the result of sin against God by the bearer. To be touched by a leper made the receiver ceremonially unclean. Lepers must reside outside the city and were banned from all society except fellow lepers. If healing did occur, only one with priestly authority could declare the leper now clean. Upon the approach of others the leper must call out “unclean, unclean.”

In keeping with the Levitical law, Jesus told the one cleansed to go show themselves to the priest, make the required offerings and receive a legal certificate showing he is now clean. Jesus is showing here that he has not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Part of the demands of the Mosaic Law in isolating the leper was an object lesson showing spiritual uncleanness (sin) on the part of the afflicted.

Jesus directs the one healed to go, leave, and tell no one. “Straitly charged him and forth with sent him away.” (JST Mark 1:4) The Greek language here implies extreme earnestness, that Jesus literally pushed or drove him away. Instead the event was highly publicized. “Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places.” (JST Mark 1:45) The multitudes seemed to give little concern to this change as they continued to come “from every quarter” to Jesus in the desert places. There might also be other reasons why the Lord would instruct to “tell no one:”

1. To avoid the recipient having a spirit of boastfulness.
2. This is a personal gift from God, sins have been forgiven, and thanks be to God.
3. Jesus is trying to avoid being thought of as a wonder worker.
4. By touching or being touched by a leper Jesus has become technically “unclean” under the Levitical law and is now “unclean” to be, himself, in society.

Regarding the leper:

• The Jews never considered the possibility of a cure from leprosy through human efforts.
• Not just contact with a leper caused “uncleanness,” but his entrance into a habitation would defile everything therein.
• This disease meant exclusion from God himself; the opposite of what the Law of Moses was designed to do.
• The Talmud said, “these four are counted as dead: the blind, the leper, the poor, the childless."   
• The leper was morally dead, cursed of God, his disease was a symbol of sin and uncleanness.
• Sin was spiritual death.
• No Jew was allowed to offer greeting to the leper.
• Common practice was to throw stones at them and run from them.
• They were forbidden to enter any walled city.
• A man being healed from leprosy would be a sign of his true repentance from God. After examination and finding the leper clean the priest would have to accept his gift offering and under the law that would testify he had been cured.
• Against Jewish laws, Jesus touched the leper and instead of being defiled himself his touch imparted cleansing … showing superiority to the Law of Moses.     

There are several occasions in the Bible where God used leprosy to punish those who sinned against him.

Glenn R. McGettigan   

March 2015

References:

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” Volume 2. McConkie   

“Miracles of Jesus the Messiah.” Howick  

“Life of Christ.” Farrar

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage 

“Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.” Volume 1. Edersheim 

“Studies in Scripture.” The Gospels. Volume 5. Jackson & Millet 

“Bible Dictionary” Dummelow 

“Deseret Church News.” December 7, 1986