Jesus coming to cleanse the leper

What do you do when you are walking at the waterfront, and you see a homeless person there. He has not washed in what seems like years. He seems alone, gaunt, and his clothes are in rags. The emptiness in his eyes betray the hopelessness of his soul. Most will completely ignore him or avoid him by walking on the other side of the path. Now normally they don’t allow people to be begging at the waterfront. If there is someone like that there it would show their desperation.

Today we find Jesus’ walking down a busy street in one of the busy towns and he sees such a person, a person that is now supposed to be there. A person who everyone avoids, because he is covered in leprosy. Let’s see what Jesus does.

Jesus coming to cleanse the leper

1. Reflects Our condition
2. Shows Jesus compassion
3. leads to a reaction
4. The Source of Christ healing

Our Condition

While he was in one of the cities, Jesus wasn’t an armchair theologian, in the office his whole life. He was on the streets among the people.  Walking among the people in Bellville, Cape flats, cape town. The church which is the body of Jesus ought to be visible in the world. Confronting the pain, sin and misery of the world head on.  

And while he is walking there came a man full of leprosy. You can see him coming from a long way away, calling out, Unclean! Unclean! According to the law.  Everyone was avoiding him, walking on the other side of the road. No one wanted to touch him, be close to him, or even pretend that they would know him.  It was obvious he had leprosy. The text says he was full of leprosy.

Being diagnosed with leprosy was a death sentence, physically, socially, economically, and spiritually. In fact, rabbinic tradition, “held that curing leprosy was as difficult as raising the dead, perhaps because they saw the disease as the physical manifestation of sin’s consequences.” They were living dead people.

A leper was completely shunned from normal activities of community life and banned from inclusion in worship in the temple or any synagogue. The leper couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t live in a home with non-lepers (including his or her own family), No hugs from his kids or wife. No church, no morning coffee shop, he couldn’t shop in a market, couldn’t own property, Nothing. The leper’s only option was begging for scraps, isolation, and waiting to physically deteriorate and die.

This is what sin does. This is what sin is. It isolates. Isolates us from all relationships. Family, friends, social, religious. It is the death sentence. It will kill you. Isolate you. Especially from holiness. This exclusion connects to Peters comments in 5:8, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Peter understood that his sin basically had the same effect as this mans leprosy. But what the leper knew and what peter would learn, it is exactly because we are sinners, that we need his touch.

“And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Imagine this leper as he sees Jesus. He was not supposed to be here. In a busy street. He was supposed to be isolated. But when he sees Jesus he knows there is his only hope. His faith is a desperate one, and his desperation joins with conviction and produces a recklessness, that cares not what people think – but simply wants to get to Jesus to pray! He knows his need, he knows there is only one hope.

He comes humbly. Not with an air of Jesus owing him anything. He falls before Jesus and implores him!  He calls him Lord as well. He knows he comes to one who has power. How do you and I come to him. How we come to him, shows us whether we understand our condition or not.

How you come to Jesus makes all the difference beloved. He is an addendum to your life? Do you see your need? Or is Jesus there just to get you out of tight situations, not to raise you from the dead. Are you and I in just a little trouble or do you see yourself as having nothing, crying out isolated, alone, without hope. In darkness. Then suddenly the sight of Jesus will change everything.

I don’t care who you are, where you find yourself. Maybe you came in here with rhe leprosy of the soul, full of sin, a slave, maybe you came in isolated in your relationships, filling shunned, and shunning others. Come to him. He is there. For you.

“Lord if you will you can make me clean.”   He knows Jesus can reverse his condition and give him life and heal him. But the question is focused not on his ability but is he willing? God is all pwerful to save, but the question remains, is he willing to save.

Do you really believe that he can heal you change you? Are you confident that he can change you. That he has the power to do it. That he can make you whole today? That he is able to wash away you sins, to take away you guilt and shame. Look at the faith of this man, he risked shame, ridicule, public humiliation to get to Jesus, why? Because he knows where his salvation lies. Again it is interesting isn’t that he does not say you can heal me, but cleanse me. The grace of Christ and mercy is the sole ground for the leper’s cry. He knows Jesus owes him nothing, and he comes with literally nothing.

Jesus’ compassion

And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…I love how that is phrased, you can almost see it “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.” You can see his disciples there, thinking no, no, no! You are going to make yourself unclean!

The OT law clearly stated that whoever touched a leper would be unclean. Leviticus 5:3 says , “[if a man] touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty.” NO One touches a leper, especially a rabbi!  Jesus could have easily just spoken a word to heal but he didn’t. He touched him.

The leper had probably had not felt the touch of a human hand in years. For the first time there was contact. Human contact, and relationship. Here was the touch of compassion, of fearlessness, or power. Here was the touch of restoration. Here is the touch of care and comparison. Love is the fulfilment of the law. Is he willing !? If course, as the song goes,

Come, ye sinners, poor, and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready stands to save you
Full of pity, love, and power

Jesus says, “I will be Clean…” Jesus is willing. He does not hesitate. He does not ask questions. He does not tell the man off for coming where he was not supposed to come. All he seeks is a living desire of faith – and he says, “I will be clean!” Jesus is willing, mighty and ready, He can redeem you, pardon and heal you, Jesus is strong and able to save.

“And immediately the leprosy left him…” IMMEIDIATAELY! Not antibiotics, no surgery. Not visits. Its gones! This is the power of creation! Of resurrection! There is nothing that he will not heal.

And it is not like the leprosy left him and spread to someone else. Normally sin and sickness infects and spreads to those who are healthy. The effects of sin spread have spread from Adam all the way down. But here is someone that comes in contact with sickness and sin, and does not get infected, but rather cleans the man, undoing creations curse. The curse of uncleanness is undone!   What does this mean? For the leper, life and hope, and a future. Joy, and relationships with others, and above all with the Lord Jesus Christ.

BUT!! And this is big. In a sense Jesus did take the lepers or at least what it meant on himself. In order to heal Jesus knows that he will have to take the curse upon himself. he takes the castigation of the sinner. What this leper experienced he would experience a thousand-fold on behalf of all the dead, and broken rejects of the world, He would experience for you and for me.

Now the question is are we willing to go to the places of the outcast, and the rejects and touch them with Gods love and the gospel of hope. The rejects, the ostracized, the loast area the ones that come to Jesus, and he heals them. This is the gospel. Grace always flows down hill. If we are on the top and think we are ok, we are out of reach of the grace of God.

Leads to a reaction

We read in verse 14, “Jesus charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as moses commanded as proof to them.”  Jesus now charges him – or commands him not to tell anyone. Notice again the authority of our Lord.. Those whom he has saved he is also Lord over. You cannot have him as saviour without having him as Lord.

Until he went to the priests silence was appropriate. Although he was clean, he was not welcome back into society until he was also pronounced clean by the priest. Such a silence would also prevent undue excitement over Jesus’ miracles. Jesus often tries to restrain the speaking of the message about miracles. The miracles were there to support the word. It was not about the miracles; it was about the word!

Then he tells them to go to the priest and make an offering. It was wonderful to be cleaned, but there was also paperwork involved. It is all spelled to in Leviticus 14. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but fulfil it. It was a weeklong process. We are saved in a moment but then called to re-enter community life in joy and thanksgiving to God.  and He cannot be part of the people of God until he is pronounced healed. After that he could go to the temple! He can worship again! He can be pronounced clean! And welcomed back into the presence of God.

Once we have been saved it is time to enter back into the community as a new person. And by doing so this man would be a witness of Gods power to the priest. As our text says, “As proof to them.” This man would be a testimony to the power of the Lord Jesus to heal, cleanse and restore. That the kingdom of God had arrived!

But the news cannot be held in. we read But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities The mission of 4:44 is being fulfilled. The report about him went abroad. The effects of the curse are being undone. Is this the seed of the woman that was promised? Could it be? Let’s go see! Let’s check it out. You can hear the “report about him” everywhere. Even though Jesus instructs him to be quiet, the news of His power spreads, and people are drawn to Him.

Great crowds gathered to hear him. They were not just hungry for the miracles but for his word! They had heard the report, and they wanted to see for themselves. Maybe you have heard about Jesus but wanted to know what it was all about! Well hear him! Hear his word. He has not changed. In fact, the report about him and his work was to be proclaimed to all nations!

Also not, speaking the word comes first - the healing of infirmities follows the hearing of the word! It was the powerful word of Jesus that drew people. As what kind of people does it draw. The sick the wounded. Those who need that word. Why are you here? Do you need the word of grace?   

The Source of Christ Strength

Now when the crowds get bigger the average pastor seeks to grab the moment. Make the most of the opportunity while they are there. There are great crowds, hearing the word, and it seems like they are on the cusp of revival! Preach, spend time with them we would say, but what does Jesus do?

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. In the face of all this scurry and stir he withdraws to a desolate place to pray! So much for carpe diem – seizing the day and the moment. At least this is the way we see it. We have no time to pray when we get busy – Jesus prays more. Even in the midst of His powerful ministry, Jesus prioritizes prayer and communion with the Father. We see here own absolute dependence on the father. He does not need the praise of men, he is seeking the glory of the Father.

 Jesus care more about seeking time with God rather than fanning his fame.

Allow me dear broken sinner to end this sermon with a short encouragement to follow Jesus example. But if you read the passage carefully it is not just Jesus example, but the lepers example of prayer. There are always more opportunities than hours in the day. Always more people to see, more needs to meet, more work to do. It’s easy to identify with Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring: “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

No. and we feel that way because we are trying to do it all on our own, and we see not our need for the bread of life. For Communion with God! He is willing and able! There is rest. There is peace in the fathers harms.

Dear church go to Jesus. Dear child of God go to the father.
There is healing, there is rest.
Be alone with him today, and be refreshed for the week.

Amen.