Luke 5:12-26
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
(Matt. 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45 )
12 ¶ And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 ¶ Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.
14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”
15 ¶ However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
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I wondered after processing through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, that it would be difficult to find something new in a story I have already heard two “other times, but different writers, different perspectives and it is so interesting. I read a book by these three ladies who I know and love one of them, Linda Reinhardt, so incredibly much, and they told the same story of three sisters from each of their perspectives. Such a beautiful story, it is called Like a Bird Wanders and the other two authors are Sharon Bernard Smith and Rosanne Croft. This is how I read the same story three times and get so much out of each telling.
Jesus has just called the first 4 of His 12 disciples and I put myself into the story as new disciples, following Him with a different mindset. Before they followed because they loved to hear Him teach, but now they are following Him because He told them He would make them fishers of men. So this first encounter is like going to discipleship school on the fly. No ink or scrolls to learn from, just an on the job training. Jesus goes from filling their boats with fish to healing a leper. It’s a kind of quick let Him learn as you go job and boy did they jump right into the deep water.
So as Jesus was in a certain city, the Word does not state which one, a man with leprosy fell down on his face and cried out for Jesus to make him clean. Leprosy was a horrible disease that was highly contagious and not able to be cured. . A person who had this disease was considered unclean and they had to cry out “Unclean, unclean” whenever people were around so they could run from him/her. Kind of like the last 2 years with the pandemic, avoiding people became the norm. It was a death sentence and it made this man desperate for help. He said to Jesus, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean”. This man had such desperation, but such faith. He didn’t ask if Jesus could heal him, he asked if He would be willing to. Jesus said, “I am willing”, and he touched the man and the leprosy left immediately. We all know from the Word so far Jesus could heal someone with a look, when he isn’t even with the person, and now, despite the absolute taboo for anyone touching a leper, Jesus touched this man. Such love, it might have been years since anyone showed him any love and Jesus touched him.
Jesus told the man to go to the priest and let him see that you are healed and then make an offering. Basically following the plans laid out in the Old Testament. He told him to tell no one, but I am not sure I could have done that because once you are in a putrid state where you are literally falling apart and then you are free from the incurable disease you believed was going to kill you so slowly and painfully. I am not sure that I wouldn’t just shout it from the rooftops as this man did. It isn’t that Jesus didn’t want anyone to know, He just knew that the crowds would grow exponentially after hearing this. When word got out of this healing, it became a mob scene with various infirmities brought to Jesus. When He became overwhelmed, He went to a deserted place to pray and find His strength.
It doesn’t have to be a disease that makes one feel lonely and unloved, with the pandemic there are so many people who are desperate for human contact. He is willing to put His arms around you and me and touch our souls to remind us we do matter to Him.
Randy’s appointment was very good, there is no more cancer than the prostate. ‘,
Now we meet with the oncologist to determine the best course of action.
It is funny how sometimes one of you will comment that it is awesome how these message are and I laugh remembering falling asleep and my hands still are on the iPad keyboard and awake to find all kinds of things I have written in my sleep. Because He can even bless me and others with these words despite me!
