Matthew 8:1-4

Matthew 8:1-4

"Cleansing a leper"

The best way to understand the fear surrounding leprosy is the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The World shut down, humans across the globe were quarantined inside their homes. Not since the black plagues of the Middle Ages have Humans gone so far out of their way to distance themselves from other humans. The resulting troubles related to the pandemic were felt across all sectors of human existence. The eventual physical, economic, and social troubles were felt by billions of humans across the globe. It was this type of fear that caused ancient humans to look at leprosy as a curse from GOD, and thus any person who had leprosy was shunned by mankind. At the time it was an incurable disease. Other than the intervention of GOD Himself, no one was ever cured. So when Jesus came along and started healing people, you can imagine the joy so many would experience.

1. Matthew 8:1 Multitudes followed Jesus as He come down hill

1. Jesus had just finished preaching to the crowds, which now followed Him as He continued on His journey

1. The crowds were everywhere

2. It was easy to be lost in the crowd

3. If you wanted to get Jesus' attention you would’ve have had a difficult time getting through the throngs

2. Many religions make it seem difficult to reach their God

1. You must do something to get the attention of their God

2. Even some Christian denominations try to say you need works for God to hear you

3. In a world of 6 billion people, it makes one wonder how God can take notice of us

4. Often times people think God us unreachable and find it hard to believe He hears them

1. In larger churches people can feel their relationship to God is an impersonal one

2. In their minds God seems so far away, almost unreachable

3. In our church we have upwards to almost 1500 people attend services some weekends

4. They have taught over 1000 children during their summer Bible school session

5. I am sure some at our church feel lost in the crowd like some did would as they followed Jesus

6. Usually it’s the ones who have not given their everything to Him who feel that way

3. It’s important to remember, in large crowds we can have a personal relationship with God if we want

1. All we need is to know we all need Him, He will find us just as He found the woman at the well

2. Because He sees our hearts, not the crowds

3. If we just listen, we will hear Him knocking at the door of our heart

4. That’s why the encounter Jesus is about to have is so impressive

2. Matthew 8:2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, 

"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

1. Think about this, no one would have found it more difficult to reach Jesus then this leper

1. Leprosy was the most feared and loathsome disease known to man, there was no cure

1. It begins in the cells of your body and is undetectable to the eyes at first

2. As it progresses, it destroys the nerve cells and soon the body tissue swells as it gradually rots away

3. The first visual signs begin in the extremities of the body, or even on the face or the head

4. Gradually it rots away the swelled tissue and gives off a horrible odor that is very repulsive

5. Because the leprosy kills the nerve cells, they feel no pain

1. A person with leprosy can be severely burned without even knowing it’s until too late

2. Bad hygiene lead to infections or even rats smelling food on them at night would eat their fingers

3. When it was cold they get too close to fires and get severely burned losing limbs

4. They would be unaware of what was happening because they felt no pain from nerve damage

2. Leprosy is incurable, drugs can give now give a person with leprosy a fairly normal life

1. Now called Hansen's disease after Dr. Hansen who isolated and identify the leprosy bacteria

2. In Carville La. There is a leprosarium where people can go and be treated for leprosy

3. In Jesus day lepers were outcasts of society

1. Their rights were legally stripped from them

2. They could not enter the Temple

3. They could not touch others and others would not touch them

4. They had to live in leper colonies away from society

5. By law they were to cry out loud "UNCLEAN " when approaching people

6. If they failed to warn people of their approach they could be stoned and killed

7. Their families usually turned from them some even refusing to acknowledge them as relatives

8. So a leper could lose more than just their fingers, toes, and limbs, they usually lost everything

9. Eventually they would die as lonely as they were forced to live

4. It was considered a curse from GOD for sins so terrible the infected would not talk about them

1. Miriam struck by GOD with leprosy for challenging Moses authority Numbers 12:1-16

2. Uzziah is struck with leprosy for entering Temple to burn incense 2 Chronicles 26:16-23

2. This leper knew his only chance at being cured was to get the attention of Jesus

1. This lonely man had faith enough in Jesus to take a chance at being stoned for approaching people

2. He moved through the crowd, came to Jesus and kneeled to worship before Him imploring 

"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

3. No demand. no presumption, only a steadfast acknowledgement of his faith in Christ

4. To him it was only a matter of willingness on the part of Jesus

5. He was expressing his faith in the power of Jesus

6. His knew his only hope was in GOD, because only GOD had ever healed a leper in Israel

1. Miriam was healed by GOD after Moses interceded for her

7. All Jesus wants from us is to have faith in Him and He will heal us

1. The woman in Mark who suffered from hemorrhaging was healed by her faith Mark 5:25-34

2. The woman who poured perfume on Jesus feet was healed by her faith in Luke chapter 7

3. The gospels and epistles have many, many examples of such faith

4. Jesus told Nicodemus John 3:16

3. Those who were humbled by suffering and pain did not find it hard to come to Christ, He offered them hope, acceptance, love, peace, real joy even in the midst of their pain and suffering

1. No wonder Jesus said it was difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God

2. o often it’s the weak and broken hearted who find Christ long before the strong and self satisfied

3. Many men have died in their sins with a proud heart that’s why Solomon said in Proverb 16:18

4. Jesus is deaf to the sinful proud hearts crying for their own way Proverb 16:5

5. He only hears the honest pleas of sinners who cry to Him in faith

3. Matthew 8:3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, 

"I am willing; be cleansed."

1. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed

2. The Greek word used here for touched is hapto which means to fasten to, or to lay hold of

1. So Jesus literally grabbed him and held on as everyone looking must have been shocked

1. From the Greek used here, we know his leprosy was very advanced and hideous to look upon

2. Mark tells us Jesus was moved with compassion, Mark 1:40-4

3. So Jesus tenderly embraced a person the rest of society was appalled to even look upon

3. In John’s Gospel we read that Jesus is the Word, and all things were made through Him John 1:1-3

1. In Genesis we read the words “God said” 8 times as He created the universe and man

1. Genesis 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:11, 1:14, 1:20, 1:24, & 1:26

2. Later we read that a Roman Centurion declared to Jesus, Matthew 8:5-13

"Master, just speak the word and my servant will be healed."

4. Now, just as His words created the universe instantaneously, so too is this man healed of his leprosy

5. Here is this man with this loathsome, incurable disease, kneeling at the feet of Jesus declaring, 

"If You are willing, You can make me clean."

1. It is interesting that you rarely read of a leper being healed, but of being cleansed

2. The disciples were commanded to heal the sick, and cleanse the leper

3. This goes back to what I said about leprosy being associated with sin, we are cleansed of sin

4. Matthew 8:4 And Jesus said to him, 

"See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, 

and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

1. Not since Miriam has an Israelite been healed of leprosy

2. The only other person healed was Naaman, and he was a Syrian

3. When Jesus told him to present himself to the priests, they should have known God was amongst them

4. The 1st leper healed by Jesus, is also the 1st Israelite healed since Miriam, Moses’ sister was healed

5. Only other person ever cleansed of leprosy was Naaman the Syrian

1. He was the captain of the Syrian Kings army and was healed by Elisha 2 Kings 5:1-27

5. Finally, Leprosy is analogous to sin in the way it destroys people's lives

1. Like leprosy sin begins inside usually undetectable by others

2. It is contagious, others can be affected by one's sins

3. It is progressive if left unchecked, one sin can lead to another often worse then the first

4. There is a sense of shame and disgrace associated with sin

5. In time a person's sin will isolate them from others, even loved ones may turn away from them

6. Soon they question whether or not God can or even wants to help them

7. Left unchecked they seem to lose their senses, showing no pain or remorse for their horrible deeds

8. Some even slip so far that society rejects them because they are a danger to society, so they get locked up

9. Like leprosy, only God can cure them of their sickness, and wash away their sin. The following Gospel song says it perfect, 

Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

For my pardon, this I see,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

For my cleansing this my plea,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

Naught of good that I have done,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Now by this I’ll overcome—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

Now by this I’ll reach my home—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.