Title: Jesus the Healer (Matthew 8:1-4)
Contents
In Matthew 8 and 9, it is recorded that Jesus performed 10 miracles after finishing the Sermon on the Mount. At the beginning of chapter 8, three miracles of healing a leper, a centurion's servant, and Peter's mother-in-law are recorded, to show that Jesus' authority is being witnessed through the work of His power.
The powers that Jesus performed were not mere miracles, but to announce the beginning of the kingdom of God, driving away the forces of darkness and visibly testifying that Jesus Christ reigned as King.
Today, the first case of healing a leper is introduced. In verse 1, when Jesus came down from the mountain, a large crowd followed him, and at that time a leper came to Jesus.
Among the multitudes, Jesus took an interest in that one leper. Jesus met a man from the crowd. In fact, in today's world as well as in the church, we easily lose sight of the preciousness of one person and do not know how indifferent to each other's deep wounds and pains. But our Lord had eyes to see the needs and pains of one individual in the midst of a multitude. And he is merciful who does not forsake that “one man” and does not forsake his needs.
However, along with this attitude of Jesus, what we need to look at is the figure of the leper. “A leper came and bowed down…” (verse 2) The important thing here is that the leper “came to Jesus”. “Come to Jesus,” there is hope.
If you look at the world today, people do not come to Jesus even though they are suffering from many problems and living in despair. Even churchgoers draw their own conclusions about their problems and never come to the place of prayer with them. However, we must realize how serious human pride is in itself not to come to the Lord.
The leper who came to Jesus bowed and said, "If you are willing... You can make me clean" say that it has come And that faith was not in whether the Lord could cure this disease now, but in whether Jesus wanted to heal him. It was the belief that if Jesus wanted to, curing leprosy would be nothing.
So, how did Jesus respond to the leper's words, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean"? “Be cleansed, I will.” The important thing here is, "I am willing...", and we can read Jesus' strong desire for us. The Lord does not want us to be in pain, sin, or weakness. So, if anyone comes to Jesus and asks for it, He does not reject Him.
If you keep looking at the text, it says, "Jesus stretched out his hand and touched me...". After verse 5, when Jesus healed the centurion's servant, he did not even meet the servant, but said, "Go, let it be done according to your faith." In that hour, it is said that the servant was healed. But the leper here said that Jesus Himself reached out his hand and touched me to heal me. At that time, lepers lived a life of complete alienation from all people. They were in desperate loneliness, completely cut off from the joys of human relationships. However, before Jesus reached out to the leper and healed his body, He first comforted the aching heart that was created in his lonely and alienated life and stroked his broken heart. Therefore, we must realize that the evangelical life begins with embracing and comforting those who are rejected by others, those who have been rejected by all, and those who are marginalized from the community.
In the text, Jesus, who had been cured of leprosy, gave him some instructions when he sent him. First, he said, "Tell no one." It was because he was concerned that people would look at the miracles of Jesus from a secular point of view and follow him with political and material motives.
However, according to the Gospels of Mark and Luke, this leper did not follow Jesus' instructions, but went out and talked to the people, so that Jesus could not enter the city publicly, but he was outside in a secluded place. Because of the leper's false zeal, Jesus had to remain silent.
Second, He said, "Go to the high priest and show yourself." At that time, no matter how cured of leprosy, the priest had to officially acknowledge it to enter the community and lead a normal life.
Third, he said, "Give the gift that Moses commanded, and testify to them." This shows that Jesus came with the authority of a king, but he was obedient to the law of Moses. Therefore, even today we are living in the age of grace, but we must never ignore the law.
The leprosy recorded in today's text is taken seriously in the Bible, because it has many similarities to the nature of sin. Leprosy at first starts as just a small patch, then develops unknowingly, paralyzing the body and leading to death. In the same way, sin begins with little things, gradually paralyzes our senses, and eventually leads us to fall into it, unaware of our own death. The fear of sin is more than leprosy. So, like this leper, we too should be able to pray, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." At that time, our Lord will be happy to meet us and will know and provide for our greatest need. Anyone who comes to Jesus has hope. I hope that you will always come before the Lord by faith.