✨ Healing 1: The Leper Cleansed
📖 Matthew 8:2–4
(Also found in Mark 1:40–45; Luke 5:12–16)
🔍 Before the Healing:
Jesus had just finished preaching the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), where He taught with great authority. As He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Then comes a man desperate and full of faith.
📖 Verse 2
“And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
💡 Meaning & Insight:
- “Behold” draws attention—this is something important!
- The leper approached Jesus, despite being ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 13:45-46). This act shows desperate boldness and courage.
- He worshiped—showing respect, humility, and recognition of Jesus’ authority.
- His words, “if You are willing”, show faith in Jesus’ power, but submission to His will.
- He asked not just for healing, but to be made clean—both physically and spiritually.
📖 Verse 3
“Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
💡 Meaning & Insight:
- Jesus touched the man—something no one else would do. According to the law, this made someone unclean. But instead, Jesus made him clean.
- Jesus could have healed with a word, but the touch showed compassion and personal love.
- “I am willing” – shows God’s heart toward the suffering.
- The result: “Immediately” healed. No delay. Christ’s word is powerful and effective.
📖 Verse 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.’”
💡 Meaning & Insight:
- Jesus often told people not to publicise miracles early on, likely to avoid stirring the crowds into a political frenzy.
- Show yourself to the priest – according to Leviticus 14, this was part of being officially declared clean. Jesus honors the Law.
- “As a testimony to them” – This miracle wasn’t just for the leper, but a witness to the priests and others that the Messiah had come, fulfilling prophecy (Isaiah 53:4).
🙏 Reflection & Personal Growth — Letting Jesus In
Let’s take a moment to reflect deeply and apply what we’ve learned to your personal walk with Christ.
Ask yourself honestly:
- Do I approach Jesus with both faith and humility?
- Am I willing to bring my “unclean” areas—those hidden struggles, wounds, or shame—to Him, trusting that He is not only powerful, but deeply compassionate?
Remember, Jesus doesn’t just heal the body—He restores dignity, welcomes the outcast, and makes people clean and whole again. He sees past the surface. He reaches into the places we often hide.
This is your moment to come to Him as you are. Let this not just be a Bible study, but a turning point in how you trust, receive, and walk with Him.
- Are you following Doctrine-or the Jesus Who Heals?