Strange Things Series

A few years ago, there was a series release on streaming services called “Stranger Things.” The series took place in a small town where strange events were happening - supernatural encounters, weird creatures, fissures into things that seemed like a mirror image of our world. It was truly filled with strange things.

I bring that up because at the end of the passage that we’re considering today, Luke summarizes the events and the response by noting:

Luke 5:26 NKJV

And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

Now, the strange things that they saw were not from the imagination of creative writers or film makers - these strange things happened in order to cause people to pay attention to Jesus, in order to demonstrate that He is worthy of worship! It seems like the theme of this passage is that…

Theme: Jesus has the ability and authority to cleanse, heal, and forgive inspiring awe among those who will pay attention.

Open your Bibles to Luke 5. We’ll be looking at verses 12-26 today.

Last week, we found Jesus teaching near the Sea of Galilee. During that time of teaching, he took the opportunity to get Simon’s attention by blessing him with a HUGE catch of fish and then calling him to be one of Jesus’ disciples.

As we look at these next couple of pericopes, we find that Jesus is ministering in some towns, likely there in the region of Galilee, though Luke doesn’t provide any names.

Let’s consider the first pericope.

Luke 5:12–16 ESV

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

In this first pericope, Jesus demonstrates:

The ability to cleanse (12-16)

So, here we find this man who has leprosy or a skin disease. This was a very uncomfortable condition and was likely contagious. Because of this, lepers were ostracized from society. They often had to live on the outskirts of town and had to stay away from people so that their disease did not spread.

However, as if the pain and social seclusion of this condition was not enough, Lepers were considered ceremonially unclean. This uncleanness meant that lepers could not attend the synagogue or the temple. The book of Leviticus outlines a variety things that are clean or unclean. Certain animals were considered unclean for eating. Certain natural body functions left people unclean for a time. People with skin diseases were not only in need of healing, but they were unclean as well - which meant they could not come to the synagogue or the temple to worship until they had been confirmed as clean.

While ALL of this may seem a bit strange to us, there were some strange things for them. First of all…

The leper is in a strange location

Did you notice where he was? He was “in one of the cities.” Now, Jesus was there, that’s not strange. What is strange is that the man with leprosy is in the city. Luke notes that this man was “full of leprosy” which suggests that it wasn’t isolated to one part of his body - it was all over. And yet we find him in a place where he shouldn’t be.

And yet he’s there because he has likely heard things about Jesus. He came to make a bold request - “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” (12) But why that kind of request? Why not just say “Lord, if you will, you can heal me”? After all, he needed to be healed. But this request for cleansing carried with it healing and renewed fellowship.

He was likely in a helpless place - alone, in pain, shunned, with out medical hope, AND spiritually in exile.

So he risked going where he should not be in order to hopefully receive what only Jesus could provide.

Secondly, we get to observe that…

Jesus takes a strange course of action - touching the untouchable

Darrell Bock notes that Jesus “aids those who sense they have need.” This man certainly had a need. Jesus has the ability. He risked his own uncleanness in order to bring this cleansing as He stretched out his hand and touched the man - declaring “I will; be clean.”