Matthew 8:1-4 1And after he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2And behold, a leper, after coming to him, knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3And after Jesus stretched out his hand, he touched him, saying, “I will, be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
The first story after Jesus preached his sermon on the mountainside illustrates his power and ministry. The sermon shows the power of his words. This miracle shows his power over disease. People were amazed at his teaching and wanted to hear more. Jesus now gives a message through action. The crowds would have witnessed this miracle and been amazed just as much with the sermon.
The leper who sought out Jesus was in a desperate situation. Leprosy was a sad situation for people of that time with no cure. Lepers were isolated from others and considered ceremonially unclean. It is possible that this leper had heard of Jesus’ miracle working (4:23-24) and so sought him out as soon as possible. The faith of the leper is evident in the social risk he took to find Jesus and kneel before him. Kneeling was a sign of deep respect. In this case, it also indicated the person’s faith.
The leper’s plea indicates faith and respect. He knew Jesus could heal him but was unsure of his willingness to do so. As a leper, this person may have be ostracized by family, friends, and community, with poor self-esteem and full of desperation. Jesus sees the leper’s faith and heals him. The significant part of the healing is Jesus’ touch, since lepers would considered unclean. This touch would have made Jesus also ceremonial unclean, but the man’s healing was more important than religious practices. The laws about leprosy were meant to stop the spread of disease, not to shut people out.
The odd part about this story is Jesus’ instructions in verse 4 about not telling anyone about the miracle. Someone who had been healed from a debilitating and incurable sickness like leprosy would have shouted in celebration and run home to see his loved ones whom he may not have seen for a while. However, it was important for him to show his purity in an official way that would open the door for him to the public sphere. His healing would also have been a powerful witness about Jesus Messiah. Jesus did not reject the law but how the Jewish leaders were using the law to separate people and keep them from heart worship. Jesus brings healing at multiple levels: spiritually, physically, and socially.
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