HEALING OF A LEPER

Image of a person suffering from Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy)

HEALING OF A LEPER

Matthew 8:2-4, 4:25; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

A Town in Galilee

And behold it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, there came a leper, a man full of leprosy who seeing Jesus fell on his faceand worshipped him, beseeching him and kneeling down to him, besought him sayingto him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

This would be a man in a desperate situation. Luke, the physician, says he was “full” of leprosy. The Greek word used is πλήρης (pleres), meaning “filled up” or “covered in every part”. He must have been hard to look at and certainly unable to hide his condition. He probably had suffered a long time with it as well for it to develop to the point it covered every part. Most likely he would not have lived much longer in this advanced state.

Notice the reverent approach of this man. He bows and kneels at Christ’s feet, He first worships him and then earnestly, urgently and fervently implores Jesus to cure him. There is both faith and respect in this request. He asks, but does not demand. He also recognized the decision is solely that of Jesus and he asks with the faith that Jesus can do it, if that be Jesus’ will.

This is certainly analogous to us. We are sinners, but even if we have long been sinning and are covered in every part, if we come to the Lord worshipping with faith and ask him to clean us of our sin, he will do so and make us pure in the sight of God.

And Jesus moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched him, saying unto him, “I will; be you clean.” And immediately the leprosy departed from him; his leprosy was cleansed.

Let’s be clear here, we most likely are talking in this passage about true leprosy, not just some skin condition. In these passages, the Greek λέπρα (lepra) is used which means leprosy. The disease was known at least 400 years before the birth of Christ. The organism Mycobacteriumleprae causes Hansen’s Disease (leprosy). Unlike many scare stories, it is not highly contagious. One must have fairly long contact with an afflicted person to get the disease. It is also a slow disease in development, which is another reason to assume this man had suffered long if he was fully covered. There are two forms called tuberculoid and lepromatous. Both forms cause skin sores, but lepromatous also forms severe and large lumps and bumps. Both forms also cause nerve damage and sensory loss. The stories of body parts falling off due to the disease are untrue; however, due to the loss of feeling people do lose use of limbs from injury or in some cases, scratch off skin because they can not feel the damage.

In Jesus time, this man would have been considered unclean and been shunned by others. He would have been banned from his places of worship and possibly his own home. For Jesus to touch him would have been considered reckless or foolish, but Jesus did indeed touch this man.

And immediately the leprosy departed from him;his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew and Mark inform us the leprosy was cleansed. It obviously means more than his lesions or sores disappeared. Luke, the physician, tells us the leprosy departed (ἀπέρχομαι – departing evils and sufferings). In other words, the man was completely cured of this infection and restored in appearance.

And Jesus strictly charged him saying to him, “See you say nothing, tell no man; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift for your cleansing that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

If you go to the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 14, you will read of what the cured man and the priest should do under the Law. It might be well to explain also the use of the word “leprosy” in Chapter 13 and 14 of Leviticus as well.

In this Old Testament text there are a number of Laws of what should be done for anyone having some sort of skin blemish. A number of times the word “leprosy” appears in the passages. A modern doctor looking at the passages would say that none of the conditions described fit the symptoms of leprosy, either here and in other portions of Old Testament Scripture, when it talks of the skin turning white. Examples of this would be Miriam turned white with leprosy in Numbers 12 or Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Whatever afflicted Miriam or Naaman was not Hansen’s Disease (leprosy).

So is the Scripture in error. No, of course not, but the translators are. The word translated as leprosy in the Old Testament is the Hebrew “צָרַעַת” (tsara’ath) and it means a malignant skin disease, which can include fungi infections, ringworm and such things as mildew and mold. Modern medicine has basically identified the various diseases described in Leviticus 13 by the descriptions in that chapter, which validates the Scripture. Under these rules even my psoriasis would have included.

By the time of Christ, true leprosy would have fallen under the Law in the eyes of the Rabbi’s and Jesus is sending this man to comply with the Law.

Jesus sent the man to the Priests, but told him not to speak to anyone about what had happened.

But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, so much the more went there a fame abroad of Jesus. And great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities,insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city. But he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayedand was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

 Now we have a forced change in Jesus’ behavior. Where before he could come and go easily enough, now he could not go freely into a town without gathering a crowd. If before people who knew he was nearby sought him out, now they flock in great multitudes. He is forced to withdraw more into wilderness places to be alone to rest or pray. Before this leper, he was a local attraction, now people are actually traveling from distant areas to see him. Not only does this interfere with his privacy, it is attracting the ears of the religious leaders and the authorities.