BE THOU CLEAN by G.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 29, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 44.

“BE THOU CLEAN.”

By G.

“AND, behold, there came a leper and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matt. 8: 2, 3.

The ordinary man will hardly dare to touch a leper. Persons afflicted with infectious or contagious diseases are usually isolated, and precautions are taken to prevent others coming in contact with them. In the contact of diseased persons with others, the disease—such as leprosy, smallpox, plague, etc.—is generally supposed to have the greater influence, and to infect those who have not been previously subjected to its effects. For this reason, lepers are not permitted to reside, or to mingle in any way, with other people. In olden times, they were compelled to remain away even from their friends, and, on the approach of any one not so afflicted, they were to give the warning, by crying, “Unclean, unclean.”

But when the perfect One, the pure and holy One, touches the unclean, the influence is just the reverse. That which is unclean, imperfect, must yield. When Christ touched the afflicted, no matter of what disease, there was no danger to Him; on the contrary, there was healing to the afflicted person. Even the dead were restored to life by the divine touch. He came to earth, where the leprosy of sin was epidemic, where every part was impregnated with sin. He received sinners, and ate with them, put His hands upon them, and allowed them to embrace Him. Yet He proved to be immune from the terrible curse. No environment, however corrupt, could inoculate Him. Neither mind nor body could be corrupted. He overcame the world.

And such is the province of the disciple of Christ. He has nothing to fear, for his Master overcame the world. It is possible to overcome by the same power by which Christ overcame. The psalmist says: “Tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me.” Christ overcame because the law of God was in His heart, and consequently there was no guile in His mouth. It was by this means that He could wield the stronger influence in any conflict with sin or its consequences. So the disciples of Christ are set in the world not to be overcome, but to be overcomers; to wield the greater influence in every environment where duty calls. “Ye are the light of the world,” says the Master, and light always dispels darkness. “Ye are the salt of the earth,” He adds, and the virtue of salt is to preserve from corruption.

No one need to go through the world afflicted with the leprosy of sin, no matter of however long standing; for if he will apply to the great Physician, who never lost a case implicitly entrusted to Him, the leprosy will surely be healed. His ever-ready answer to the cry of faith is, “I will; be thou clean.” “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in nowise cast out.”