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“When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. Behold, a leper came to him and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.’ Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I want to. Be made clean.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell nobody; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
(Matthew 8:1–4)
This incident is brief, but it contains the whole gospel in seed form. It reveals:
The song lyrics simply echo the inspired text. They draw our attention to a decisive moment when a man, condemned by religion and rejected by society, is touched by grace. And grace, in Scripture, is never just a feeling. It is God’s active power at work in human weakness.
This passage confronts us with a vital question:
Do we believe Jesus is not only able but also willing to cleanse, restore, and transform?
Matthew places this incident immediately after the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus has just declared the standards of the kingdom of heaven. Then He comes down from the mountain and demonstrates that kingdom in action.
### The setting
### The leper’s world
Leprosy in the Bible is not merely a physical disease. It is a condition that affected:
Leviticus 13–14 gives detailed laws on leprosy. The leper was to cry out, “Unclean, unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45). He was a visible sign of defilement; a living parable of sin’s effect.
To touch a leper, from a Jewish perspective, meant:
Yet this man breaks through all barriers. He approaches Jesus in public, kneels (the word can mean “worshipped”), and makes a statement that is both faith-filled and incomplete:
> “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
He is persuaded of Christ’s power (“you can”), but uncertain of His will (“if you want to”).
Many believers live there. They do not doubt that God is powerful. Their real inner question is: “Will He do it for me?”
### Jesus’ response
Jesus does two things:
1. He stretches out His hand and touches the leper.
2. He speaks a clear, authoritative word: “I want to. Be made clean.”
Then He adds a command rooted in the Law of Moses:
> “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus is not a rebel against God’s law. He is its fulfiller. He honors the system God set up, yet introduces a higher authority: the presence and power of the Messiah, who cleanses instantly what the law could only diagnose and regulate.
So we have:
To understand this passage more deeply, we will focus on two key terms in the Greek text.
### 1. “Clean” / “Be made clean” – καθαρίζω (katharizō)
The word translated “make clean” or “be made clean” is katharizō.
In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), katharizō is used frequently in Leviticus regarding:
So when the leper says, “You can make me clean,” he is not only asking for healing. He is asking for restoration:
This is crucial. Many come to Jesus only for relief from suffering. But biblical cleansing goes deeper – it touches our standing before God and our place among His people.
### 2. “Touched” – ἅπτομαι (haptomai)
The verb for “touched” is haptomai.
Under the law, the unclean contaminates the clean. But here, for the first time in human history, we see a different spiritual law in operation:
This is a revelation of the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, defilement spreads outward. In the New Covenant, holiness spreads outward from the person of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
So the lyrics—“Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him”—are not sentimental. They are a declaration of a new kingdom reality: the undefiled purity and power of Jesus over sin, sickness, and shame.
Now we walk through the narrative as expressed in the lyrics, line by line, and see its wider biblical connections.
### “When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.”
This reminds us that Jesus does not remain in the place of pure doctrine. He comes down to where human need is.
Romans 14:17 says:
> “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The presence of the multitudes shows us:
Yet, in all the crowd, one man steps out in desperate faith. Crowds do not receive miracles; individuals who come on God’s terms do.
### “Behold, a leper came to him and worshipped him…”
This is the first key step. The leper’s approach is:
Worship, in Scripture, is never mere music or emotion. It is surrender. It is recognition of the rightful authority of Jesus.
Compare with Psalm 95:6:
> “Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
> Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
The leper’s posture and words show that he recognizes in Jesus more than a healer. He sees Him as Lord. Many seek benefits from Christ without submitting to His lordship. That is not biblical faith.
### “…saying, ‘Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.’”
Here is the man’s theology:
This uncertainty has plagued God’s people through the ages. Satan’s first attack in the garden was not against God’s power, but against God’s character: “Has God indeed said…?” (Genesis 3:1).
Unbelief often takes this form:
“I know God is able, but I am not sure He is willing toward me.”
Yet Scripture continually affirms both aspects:
This man brings his honest doubt to Jesus. Notice, Jesus does not rebuke him for his incomplete understanding. He responds by correcting it with both touch and word.
### “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…”
This is grace in action.
Under the law, the leper must keep his distance. Religion says, “Stay away.” Grace in Christ says, “Come near.”
The touch of Jesus addresses not only:
For years, perhaps decades, no one has touched this man in love or acceptance. He has been an object of fear and disgust.
The touch of Jesus says:
Hebrews 4:15 confirms this aspect of Christ’s character:
> “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
He is holy, yet not distant. Pure, yet not aloof.
In spiritual warfare, one of Satan’s main weapons is isolation. He tells believers, “You are too dirty, too broken, too failed to come to Jesus.” This passage answers that lie: Jesus’ touch begins where human rejection ends.
### “…saying, ‘I want to. Be made clean.’”
Here Jesus deals directly with the man’s doubt.
He does not merely perform a silent healing. He speaks to the very question that torments the leper’s mind: “Are you willing?”
“I want to” (Greek: thelō) means:
This reveals the heart of Jesus not only to that man, but to all who read these words. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). What He was, He is, and will be.
So we can form an important conclusion:
> The will of Jesus toward the unclean, the outcast, the broken who come in worship and faith is: “I am willing. Be clean.”
His second phrase, “Be made clean,” is a word of authority. He does not request; He commands. In the spiritual realm, uncleanness is not persuaded to leave; it is driven out by the authoritative word of Christ.
Compare with Mark 1:27, where people say:
> “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
Whether the uncleanness is physical, moral, or demonic, the pattern is the same: the authoritative word of Jesus brings release.
### “Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
There is no process described here. No gradual fading. The text says, “Immediately.”
When Christ’s authority is received without resistance, the result can be instant and complete.
Two things are emphasized:
1. His leprosy – the very thing that defined his identity for years.
2. Was cleansed – the same katharizō we studied. Not just relieved, but removed.
Notice the order:
This is a pattern of spiritual transaction—heaven’s reality entering a human situation.
### “Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell nobody; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
Here we see another important side to grace: discipline and order.
Jesus does not say, “You are healed; now do whatever you please.” He gives specific instructions.
1. “Tell nobody.”
At that moment, Jesus is avoiding superficial fame and crowd manipulation. He is not building a ministry brand; He is doing the Father’s will.
2. “Go, show yourself to the priest…”
Under the law, only the priest could declare a leper officially clean (Leviticus 14). Jesus honors that.
3. “…and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Notice, “testimony to them” – to the priests. The religious leaders who knew the law now had to confront undeniable evidence:
This miracle became a witness to the religious establishment that:
Theologically, this shows us that grace:
Titus 2:11–12 says:
> “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
> we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”
Healing and cleansing are not the end. They are the doorway into a life of obedience and testimony.
This passage is not just a beautiful story. It gives us a pattern for coming to Jesus and walking in His grace. I will outline four clear steps.
### First, we must come out of hiding and approach Jesus as we are.
The leper came publicly, visibly, risking rejection. He did not wait until he felt better. He did not try to hide his condition.
Psalm 32:3–5 shows the danger of hiding:
> “When I kept silent, my bones grew old
> Through my groaning all the day long…
> I acknowledged my sin to You…
> And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
Whether your “leprosy” is:
You must come to Jesus as you are. Grace meets honesty, not pretense.
Practical step:
Say out loud to the Lord, in specific terms, what your “uncleanness” is. Name it before Him. Bring it into the light.
### Second, we must come in worship, acknowledging Jesus as Lord.
The leper did not begin with a complaint; he began with worship.
Worship is the right entrance into grace:
Philippians 2:10–11 declares:
> “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”
Practical step:
Bow your heart, and if possible your body. Say to Jesus, “You are Lord over my life, my body, my past, my shame, my future.” Place your situation under His lordship consciously.
### Third, we must align our confession with the truth of God’s power and will.
The leper said, “You can make me clean,” but he was unsure of Jesus’ willingness. Jesus corrected that.
Today, Scripture has already revealed the will of God in Christ:
Biblical faith is not vague hope. It is agreement with what God has said about Himself.
Practical step:
Renounce inner phrases such as “Maybe God doesn’t want to help me,” “I am beyond hope,” “This is my permanent identity.” Replace them with declarations built on Scripture, such as:
### Fourth, we must obey the Lord’s instructions and bear testimony.
After the miracle, Jesus directs the man:
Obedience is the seal of true grace-encounters. Disobedience quickly reopens doors to bondage.
James 1:22 commands:
> “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Practical step:
Ask the Lord, “What do You require of me now?” It may include:
Grace restores us not only to God, but to His people and His order.
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
“I come to Jesus as I am.
I acknowledge Him as my Lord and my only Savior.
Like the leper, I say: ‘Lord, You are able to make me clean.’
And I receive His answer from Scripture: ‘I am willing. Be clean.’
I believe that the touch of Jesus is stronger than my uncleanness,
stronger than my shame, stronger than my sin, stronger than my past.
In His name, I renounce every lie that says I am beyond His mercy.
I submit myself to His Word, His will, and His ways.
I declare that by the authority of Jesus Christ,
uncleanness has no final claim over me.
I am cleansed by His blood, restored by His grace,
and set apart to be a testimony to the glory of God.
Amen.”
### Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
You did not turn away the leper, and You will not turn away those who come to You today.
I bring before You every form of “leprosy” in my life and in the lives of those reading this:
every sin that defiles, every habit that enslaves, every wound that isolates, every shame that hides in darkness.
Stretch out Your hand and touch, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Speak again Your word: “I am willing. Be made clean.”
Let Your holiness overcome all uncleanness.
Let Your compassion heal every place of rejection.
Let Your authority break every chain of bondage.
Teach us to walk in obedience, to live in Your order,
and to stand as a testimony to Your saving, cleansing, restoring grace.
We ask this in Your name, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
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