A CURE FOR THE UNCLEAN
Taken from “Handfuls on Purpose”
Vol I, pg 246 in Seed Thoughts
SONG: “He Touched Me”
Bill Gaither wrote a wonderful song in 1963 entitled, "He Touched Me." Listen to the words:
Verse #1
Shackled by a heavy burden
neath a load of guilt and shame
then the hand of Jesus touched me
And now I am no longer the same.
Verse #2
Since I met this blessed Savior
Since he cleansed and made me whole
I will never cease to praise him
I'll shout it while eternity rolls.
Chorus
He touched me, O, he touched me,
And, O, the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole.
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 8:1-3
(v. 1) “When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.”
(v. 2) “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
(v. 3) “And Jesus put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Mark 1:40-42
(v. 40) “And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
(v. 41) “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth [his] hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.”
(v. 42) “And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.”
Luke 5:12 -13
(v. 12) “And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on [his] face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
(v. 13) “And he put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.”
INTRODUCTION:
Lepers, Gentiles, and women were considered outcasts by many Jewish people, especially the Pharisees. Many Pharisees would pray each morning, “I give thanks that I am a man and not a woman, a Jew and not a Gentile, a free-man and not a slave.” W.W.W.
Notice the acts of Jesus in Matthew 8. There is the cleansing of a leper, the healing of the centurion’s servant [Gentile], and the healing Peter’s mother-in-law.
This is fitly recorded with the first of Christ’s miracles, 1. Because the leprosy was looked upon, among the Jews, as a particular mark of God’s displeasure: hence we find Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah, smitten with leprosy for some one particular sin; and therefore Christ, to show that he came to turn away the wrath of God, by taking away sin, began with the cure of a leper. 2. Because this disease, as it was supposed to come immediately from the hand of God, so also it was supposed to be removed immediately by his hand, and therefore it was not attempted to be cured by physicians, but was put under the inspection of the priests, the Lord’s ministers, who waited to see what God would do. M. H.
I. WHO HE WAS --> “A leper”
A. Diseased, not sound
1. William Barclay describes what a leper looks like:
The whole appearance of the face is changed, till the man loses his human appearance and looks, as the ancients said, "like a lion or a satyr". The nodules grow larger and larger. They ulcerate. become staring. The voice becomes hoarse, and the breath wheezes because of the ulceration of the vocal chords. The hands and the feet always ulcerate. Slowly the sufferer becomes a mass of ulcerated growths. The average course of the disease is nine years, and it ends in mental decay, coma, and ultimately death. The sufferer becomes utterly repulsive -- both to himself and to others.
2. Ron Ritchie (Peninsula Bible Church) describes leprosy thus:
"The disease which we today call leprosy generally begins with pain in certain areas of the body. Numbness follows. Soon the skin in such spots loses its original color. It gets to be thick, glossy, and scaly. It fact, the affliction is called leprosy because it makes the skin scaly (the Greek word lepos, meaning scale). As the sickness progresses, the thickened spots become dirty sores and ulcers due to poor blood supply. The skin, especially around the eyes and ears, begins to bunch, with deep furrows between the swellings, so that the face of the afflicted individual begins to resemble that of a lion. Fingers drop off or are absorbed. Toes are affected similarly. Eyebrows and eyelashes drop off. By this time one can see that the person in this pitiable condition is a leper."
3. Leprosy in its advanced stages is not a pretty sight. Nodules in a leper’s skin swell & ulcerate. And from those ulcers come a foul-smelling odor. Nerve deterioration often results in loss of fingers & toes, even ears & noses. All of the hair falls off around the eyes, leaving the leper with a perpetual stare. Various parts of the body can swell so much that the leper looks malformed.
4. By modern medical definition, "leprosy" refers to infection by Mycobacterium leprae a bacillus identified by the Norwegian doctor, Gerhard Hansen in 1873, hence the modern name "Hansen's Disease."
5. Leprosy itself is regarded as the least catching of all infectious diseases and takes
anything from two to ten years from initial contact to onset of the disease. Since the
late 1940's, antibiotic drugs have been developed which cure leprosy. Mild cases need treatment with two drugs for six months. More severe cases take treatment with three drugs for twelve months. Leprosy attacks the nervous system and causes, not just paralysis, but loss of sensation. "Loss of sensation in hands, feet and eyes means that everyday activities are fraught with danger - burns go unrecognized, wounds unattended, stones in shoes and grit in the eyes are both undetected and untreated. The end result can be loss of sight, fingers and feet"
B. Unclean, polluting
Lev. 13:46 “All the days wherein the plague [shall be] in him he shall be defiled; he [is] unclean: . . . ”
Rabbis would brag about how badly they would treat lepers; one bragged that he would refuse to buy an egg on a street where he saw a leper, another boasted that he would throw rocks at lepers when he saw them. David Guzik
C. Separated, shut out from fellowship and privilege
Lev. 13:46 “All the days wherein the plague [shall be] in him he shall be defiled; he [is] unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp [shall] his habitation [be].”
Lepers were universally scorned by society and religion; they were especially despised by the Rabbis, who saw their state as the particular judgment of God. David Guzik
D. Incurable, beyond all human skill
The condition of leprosy is a model of sin and its effects; it is a contagious, debilitating disease that corrupts a man and makes him essentially dead while alive. David Guzik
II. WHAT HE DID
A. He came to Jesus, the fountain of living waters.
1. Perhaps this leper was within ear-shot of the sermon on the mount, considering that Matthew writes chronological here, and hearing the Word produced faith in him
to be healed.
2. This leper wants more than healing; he wants cleansing, not only from the leprosy, but from all its debilitating effects on his life and psyche. David Guzik
B. He came in the presence of the crowd, not ashamed.
The leper’s presence probably caused people to scream “Unclean” and flee the scene. Yet, Jesus stood still.
C. He came worshipping Him, in deep, unfeigned reverence.
1. Matt. 8:1 “worshipped him”
4352 proskuneo {pros-koo-neh'-o} from 4314 and a probable derivative of 2965
(meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); TDNT- 6:758,948; v
AV- worship 60; 60
1) to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
2) among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the
ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence
3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance,
whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
3a) used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
3a1) to the Jewish high priests
3a2) to God
3a3) to Christ
3a4) to heavenly beings
3a5) to demons
2. Mark 1:40 “kneeling down to him”
3. Luke 5:12 “fell on [his] face, and besought him”
D. He came confessing his need, “Make me clean;” he acknowledged his real condition.
“I am unclean.”
E. He came believing, “If thou wilt,”
III. WHAT HE RECEIVED
A. The touch of Jesus, identification.
1. No doubt this was the first loving touch this leper had felt in a long time. W.W.W.
2. Jesus' assurance that I am willing simply answers the man's question, and gives us a starting point for the times we wonder if Jesus is willing to heal: we should
assume He is, unless He communicates differently to us. David Guzik
3. Mrk 1:41 “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth [his] hand, and touched
him” This is a bold and compassionate touch from Jesus; it was against the ceremonial law to touch a leper, which made the touch all the more valued to the afflicted man. Of course, as soon as Jesus touched him, he was no longer a leper. D. Guzik
4. Jesus can touch the untouchable.
Leviticus 5:3 “Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness [it be] that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth [of it], then he shall be guilty.”
B. The word of Jesus, illumination
Nature works gradually, but the God of nature works immediately; he speaks it, it is
done; and yet he works effectually; he commands, and it stands fast. M.H.
C. The power of Jesus, salvation
“If thou wilt, Thou canst [1410].”
1410 dunamai {doo'-nam-ahee} of uncertain affinity; TDNT - 2:284,186; v
AV - can (could) 100, cannot + 3756 45, be able 37, may (might) 18, able 3, misc 7; 210
1) to be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law orcustom
2) to be able to do something
3) to be capable, strong and powerful
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power [1411], after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
1411 dunamis {doo'-nam-is} from 1410; TDNT- 2:284,186; n f
AV- power 77, mighty work 11, strength 7, miracle 7, might 4, virtue 3, mighty 2, misc 9; 120
1) strength power, ability
1a) inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
1b) power for performing miracles
1c) moral power and excellence of soul
1d) the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
1e) power and resources arising from numbers
1f) power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts
For Synonyms see entry 5820
IV. WHAT WE UNDERSTAND
A. Significance in Scripture
1. There had not been a cleansing of a leper since the time of the prophet Elisha, nearly 800 years before. And the man who was cleansed then was not a Jew who was required to offer sacrifices, but a Gentile by the name of Naaman.
2. So the priests would have had to go back & search the O.T. scrolls to find out just what to do. And in their reading they would have discovered that the cleansing
of a leper is a sign of the Messiah’s presence.
For the prophets proclaimed that when the Messiah comes blind eyes will see, dumb tongues will speak, lame bodies will leap for joy, & the leper will be cleansed. Jesus had sent this man to be a testimony to the priests.
Melvin Newland from Sermon Central.com
3. A sign to the disciples
Matt. 10:7 “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matt. 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”
4. A sign to John the Baptist
Matt. 11: 4-5
(v. 4) “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:”
(v. 5) “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
B. Significance in Our Lives
1. Sin is the leprosy of the soul; it shuts us out from communion with God, to which that we maybe restored, it is necessary that we be cleansed from this leprosy, and this ought to be our great concern. M. H.
2. Leprosy is an illustration of sin (Isa. 1:5-6). The instructions given to the priests in Leviticus 13 help us to understand the nature of sin: W.W.W.
a. Sin is deeper than the skin
Lev. 13:3 “And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.”
b. Sin spreads
Lev. 13:8 “And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin,
then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.”
c. Sin defiles and isolates
Lev. 13:45 “And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and
his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.”
Lev. 13:46 “All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.”
d. Sin is fit only for the fire.
Lev. 13:52 “He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.”
Lev. 13:57 “And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the
woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.”
