Matthew 8:3, commentary and pictures

Jesus drew near to an exiled sufferer of the worst, incurable, whole-body leprosy and laid His hand on him without becoming unclean Himself. He answered his plea with His own authoritative declaration of willingness and command to be clean. At His word and touch the disease left at once and the body became wholly sound like a child's. The act reveals Him as the compassionate great Physician who turns away none who come asking, however loathsome, and cleanses body and soul together. As leprosy symbolized deep-rooted, deadly sin beyond human cure, His undefiled touch shows He can cleanse sinners who seek Him in faith and grant them peace and holy life.

Setting and Background

The sufferer was afflicted with severe leprosy that had spread through his whole body and had been judged by priestly examination to be the worst, incurable form of the disease. That judgment forced him into exile from home, family and former society, a living death for one once held in high distinction, and he had lost all hope of recovery. Jesus was at that time teaching by the lake outside the city with many gathered, laying hands on the sick and restoring the lame, the blind, the paralytic and the dying by His word. The leper had heard of those mighty works and became convinced that this great Physician was the promised Saviour, sent with God's authority and power to set even him free from an incurable infirmity and give him life and health.

Forgetting the restrictions placed upon lepers, the danger to others, and the horror with which people regarded his loathsome, decaying body, he pressed through the frightened multitude that fell back to avoid him. Even the disciples were afraid and wanted to keep him from approaching and touching Jesus. His isolation and required warning cry of unclean gave way to an imploring appeal when he recognized Jesus as the Mighty Healer, and seeing only the Son of God and hearing only the voice giving health and happiness to the suffering, he prostrated himself before Him with few words expressing great need and faith that He could make him clean. Under the law of Moses touching a leper made the one who touched unclean, which explains the fear of the crowd, the leper's isolation, and why Jesus' calm, fearless drawing near to touch him appeared unlawful to onlookers.

Touch and Immediate Healing

Instead of shrinking back, Jesus drew near to the supplicant and laid His hand upon him with calm fearlessness, compassion and tenderness, though the people fell back and even the disciples were afraid and would have kept the man from touching Him. He did not keep away for fear of contamination from loathsome disease and from the isolation, exclusion and uncleanness belonging to leprosy. His touch was a healing touch that gave life and healing and refused no leper, and it did not make Him unclean or defiled.

He answered with a declaration of willingness and a command to be made clean, showing Himself willing and able to cleanse. His words expressed both His power and His willingness to heal suffering people, and they stand as a model for asking Him for healing of body and soul. He spoke with power and authority belonging to Himself, and the cleansing was wrought by His own power and for His own glory, so that He accepted the honor given for the miracle. In this His working differed from that of the apostles, who performed miracles only in His name and refused honor for themselves.

At His word and touch the disease departed at once, and the cure was complete and immediate. The rough, scaly, corrupt, dying body became sound, healthy flesh, free from infectious disease, however severe and hopeless it had appeared. The diseased surface was taken away, the blood, nerves and muscles were made healthy with sensitive nerves and firm muscle and pure blood, and the skin became soft and healthy like that of a child.

Christ Revealed

Matthew 8:3 shows Jesus both willing and able to make the leper clean, touching him and cleansing him immediately at His command to be clean. The cure was complete and at once, restoring corrupt flesh to sound health with healthy blood, sensitive nerves, firm muscle, and soft skin like a child's. The same willingness extends to all who come to Him asking to be made clean with the leper's prayer, for His touch brings cleansing of heart and mind and He turns away no poor, wretched or loathsome applicant who seeks relief. The cleansed man was then to follow the prescribed conditions and show himself to the priests and present the commanded offering as a testimony to them. He laid His hand on the isolated man despite fear of contact, and the leprosy disappeared immediately.

He met the man from humility, tenderness, care, compassion and love for the erring and needy who require sympathy, not keeping away for fear of contamination but touching him and commanding the disease to depart. He answered the plea for cleansing with willingness and without reproach or censure, revealing the love and power of God and bringing healing to body and soul. The leper's isolation and warning cry of Unclean gave way to an imploring appeal when he recognized Jesus as the Mighty Healer, and no poor or wretched applicant was denied what he sought. Because He still bears with wicked and sinful people deformed by sin who have not honored God's cause, they are to be borne with in the same way. The story gives encouragement and lessons of faith and hope.

His healing work reveals Him as the great Physician, Mighty Healer and Lifegiver who gives health to the body and peace to the soul, using relief from physical suffering to draw people to Himself and, for many, to eternal life. The leper's faith had laid hold of Him as the promised Saviour of the world to whom all things are possible and who was authorized of God, having heard of His mighty works by the lake outside the city in laying hands on the sick and restoring the lame, blind, paralytic and dying by His word, and became convinced this great Physician could free even him and give life and health. Forgetting restrictions, safety, and horror at his loathsome decaying body, he pressed through the frightened multitude that fell back to avoid him, saw only the Son of God, heard only the voice giving health and happiness to the suffering, and prostrated himself with few words expressing great need. He heals thousands by His word of willingness to make whole, bringing healing to soul and body together as the representation of true medical missionary work, and the healings revealed His glory so plainly that demons were pained and when compelled to cease tormenting human beings confessed Him to be the Holy One of God. As He cleansed physical leprosy He can cure the leprosy of the soul, giving the wonderful comfort and blessed hope of the gospel to sin-sick souls and filling the heart with a joy that works miraculously, and those who labor to remove suffering and disease of the body are to present Him so that hearts are softened and reached. This proves Him the tabernacle of witness, the Word made flesh pitching His tent in the human encampment among the erring and sinful to make His character known.

He spoke with power and authority belonging to Himself, and the cleansing was wrought by His own power and for His own glory, and He accepted the honor given for His miracles. His way differs from the apostles, who performed miracles only in His name and refused honor for themselves. His healing touch was never withheld from those suffering from leprosy, and His words, I will; be thou clean, answered the leper's plea for relief, so that His presence and healing ministry meant relief and hope to the world. After His death the sick and dying who had come hoping for His healing were left without Him and longed for the Healer whose touch had brought relief, while people with suspected leprosy again faced examination, exclusion from home and loved ones, and the cry Unclean.

Testimony to Priests and Law

Immediately after the cleansing Jesus charged the man to tell no one, but to go to the same priests who had examined and banished him, show himself to them, and present the cleansing offering commanded by Moses as a testimony to them, following the prescribed conditions. His healing work in this act revealed Him as the great Physician, using relief from physical suffering to draw people to Himself and, for many, to eternal life. The direction to follow the Mosaic requirement showed that during His life He upheld the law requiring offerings.

The priests could not accept an offering from a leper without first thoroughly examining him and publicly declaring him entirely free from disease and safe to rejoin family and friends, and however unwilling to credit Jesus they could not evade the examination. That required examination and public certification proved His divine power to the priests and displayed His power to heal and His love and respect for God's law. It refuted the charge that His teaching opposed the law of Moses and exalted Himself, and it gave even prejudiced leaders an opportunity to recognize the truth, though they still refused Him as Messiah. When the man was pronounced clean and free to return, the watching multitude was greatly excited, for such a cure had never before been known.

The ceremonial types connected with those offerings met their fulfillment in His death. The same Saviour who willingly cleansed this leper later removed the leprosy that had struck Miriam after intercession was made for her and Moses prayed for her.

Leprosy and Sin

The cleansing of the leper illustrates cleansing from sin, of which leprosy was the symbol as deep-rooted, deadly, loathsome, and beyond all human power to remove. No human effort or strength can remove that defilement, for sin clings as deeply and fatally as the disease that had spread through the whole body of the man. As Jesus laid His hand upon the leper without becoming defiled or unclean, so He can cleanse sinners without being polluted by them. His touch imparted life and healing instead of receiving contamination.

Whoever comes to Him in faith with the leper's prayer asking to be made clean receives His willing answer and cleansing. His power removes the leprosy of sin from heart and mind when people seek help from Him rather than relying on human strength. The words spoken to the leper become the plea for Christ to cleanse the soul from sin and doubt, bringing cleansing of heart and mind to everyone who comes. That cleansing brings peace, joy, and hope as the soul is freed from sin and doubt. Unlike requests for earthly blessings, a request in faith for deliverance from sin is granted according to God's will. He forgives, cleanses, receives the repentant as His children, and enables them to live holy lives.

Pattern for Ministry and Faith

Christ's joining of healing touch with spoken word is the example for combining ministry of the Word with ministry to the diseased body. He touched the leper, willed his cleansing, and the leprosy was immediately removed, bringing healing to soul and body together as the representation of true medical missionary work. That work makes His character known, for He is the tabernacle of witness, the Word made flesh pitching His tent in the human encampment among the erring and sinful. His glory was so plainly manifested in healing thousands by His word of willingness to make whole that demons were pained and, when compelled to cease tormenting human beings, confessed Him to be the Holy One of God.

Because He still bears in humility and tenderness and care with wicked and sinful people deformed by sin who have not honored the cause of God, His servants must bear with them in the same way. He is willing to make clean those with the deformity of sin, and as the great Physician, Mighty Healer and Lifegiver He gives health to the body and peace to the soul, cleansing physical leprosy and likewise curing the leprosy of the soul. Those who minister to the needs of the diseased body by working to remove suffering and disease are to present Him to sufferers as cleanser of soul and body and lead sinners to Him. So presented, He gives to sin-sick souls the wonderful comfort and blessed hope of the gospel and fills the heart with a joy that works miraculously, so that hearts are softened and reached.

His words expressing power and willingness to heal suffering people and to make whole are the model for asking Him for healing of both body and soul. They are a plea to use in prayer for cleansing of the soul from sin and doubt, just as He cleansed the leper, with healing following His willing response. The story gives encouragement and lessons of faith and hope, for He turns no one away and even loathsome lepers isolated by disease found access to His presence and were healed. That willingness shows helpless sufferers may be relieved if brought under His notice, which gave even the paralytic's friends reason to hope He could relieve him too.