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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*
Here we have one of the clearest and most powerful revelations of the heart of Jesus toward the sick, the unclean, and the rejected. The central issue in this passage is not the power of God. The leper never doubted that. His struggle was with the will of God: *“Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”*
That is where many believers live today. They do not question that God is able. They are troubled by whether God is willing—especially in their case, with their failure, their uncleanness, their long-standing condition.
In this short encounter we see:
This incident is not just a story. It is a revelation of the unchanging nature of Jesus. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). What He was to that leper, He is to you now.
Matthew 8 comes immediately after the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus has just given one of the greatest statements of Kingdom ethics and righteousness. When He *comes down from the mountain*, He moves from teaching to demonstration. The Kingdom is not merely words; it is power (1 Corinthians 4:20).
### The People Involved
1. Jesus – The Messiah of Israel, the anointed King, just revealed as the authoritative interpreter of the Law and the prophets. His words in Matthew 7:28–29 astonish the crowds because He teaches “as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
2. The Multitudes – Great crowds follow Him. They have heard His teaching; soon they will witness His power. Many of them are sick, oppressed, poor, or marginalized.
3. The Leper – Under the Law of Moses, a leper was:
Leprosy was not only a physical disease. It carried social, emotional, and religious stigma. The leper was the picture of the outcast—one who could not come near others, let alone near God.
### The Setting
Jesus is surrounded by multitudes, yet Matthew zooms in on *one man*—a leper—who breaks through the barrier of shame, law, and fear to approach Jesus. This was a bold and dangerous act. He could have been driven away, stoned, or rebuked.
Instead, he is received, touched, and cleansed.
The context is also significant for another reason: Matthew is deliberately showing Jesus as the One who:
The command to go to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded aligns Jesus with the Law, not against it. He is the fulfiller, not the destroyer, of God’s righteous requirements.
There are two key expressions here that unlock the heart of this passage: *“make me clean”* and *“I want to”*.
### 1. “Make Me Clean” – καθαρίζω (katharizō)
The leper says, “you can make me clean” (καθαρίσαι με, *katharisai me*). The verb *katharizō* means:
From this word we get the English term *catharsis*—a purging, a cleansing. In the Old Testament, in the Greek translation (Septuagint), *katharizō* is used for purification rituals, especially related to leprosy and defilement (see Leviticus 14).
Notice: the leper does not simply ask, “Heal me” (Greek: *iaomai*). He asks, “Cleanse me.” Leprosy made a man unclean, not just unwell. It excluded him from the presence of God in the temple and from the community of God’s people.
The man’s deepest cry is not only for physical relief, but for restoration of relationship—back into fellowship, worship, and community.
This matches the work of Jesus:
### 2. “I Want To” – θέλω (thelō)
Jesus answers with a word that deals with the question of God’s will: “I want to. Be made clean.” The verb is θέλω (*thelō*), meaning:
This is not a reluctant concession. It is a clear statement of desire. Jesus is not merely saying, “I consent.” He is saying, “It is my will, my desire, my pleasure that you be cleansed.”
When we put the two ideas together, the sentence means:
This directly addresses the deepest struggle in many hearts: *“Is it really God’s will to heal, restore, and cleanse me?”* The answer in this passage is unambiguous: *“I want to.”*
This also shapes how we understand the lyrics of this narrative text: the touch of Jesus is not a mechanical act of power. It is the outward expression of His inner will. The hand that touches reveals the heart that desires.
We will break the passage into key movements and examine the spiritual realities in each.
### A. “When he came down from the mountain” – The Word, Then the Works
Jesus comes down from the mountain where He has proclaimed the standards of the Kingdom (Matthew 5–7). Immediately, He begins to demonstrate the Kingdom through healing, deliverance, and authority over nature (Matthew 8–9).
This is a pattern: biblical teaching that does not lead to demonstration is incomplete. Jesus showed that His Kingdom is not theological theory but practical reality.
### B. “A leper came to him and worshipped him”
The leper does two remarkable things:
1. He came to Him
According to the Law, he should have stayed away. Leviticus 13–14 isolates him. But grace draws him.
This is a picture of conviction produced by the Spirit. When Jesus is revealed, even the most defiled soul is drawn, not driven away.
2. He worshipped Him
The Greek word for “worshipped” is προσκυνέω (*proskyneō*)—to bow, to prostrate oneself, to fall down in reverence. The leper approaches Jesus not as a mere healer, but as Lord.
He addresses Him: “Lord” (Κύριε, *Kyrie*). This indicates:
This is crucial: true approach to Jesus for healing begins with worship and submission. Many want healing without yielding. The leper first bows, then asks.
This corresponds with Psalm 100:4: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.” Worship is the proper way to approach God.
### C. “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean”
Here we see faith and uncertainty side by side:
Faith, in its mature form, includes both the belief that God is able and the confidence that He is willing, according to His Word. This man has half the equation.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” The leper believes the first part (that Jesus *is* able); he is not sure about the second (that Jesus is a *rewarder*).
Many believers live in that same tension. They can boldly affirm:
But they hesitate with:
This short prayer of the leper exposes the heart cry of many: *“Lord, if I only knew Your will in this matter…”*
### D. “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him”
This is shocking if we understand the Law. Under Leviticus, anyone who touched a leper became unclean (Leviticus 5:3; Numbers 5:2). Touch meant contamination.
Yet Jesus does something a religious Jew would avoid at all costs: He *stretches out* His hand toward the outcast and touches him.
Two vital truths emerge:
1. Jesus deliberately crosses the barrier
He does not heal him from a distance, although He could. Later in the same chapter He will heal the centurion’s servant by a word spoken at a distance (Matthew 8:5–13). In this case, He chooses to touch.
This tells us that Jesus is not afraid of human uncleanness. His holiness is not fragile. It is aggressive. Instead of being contaminated, He communicates purity. Instead of being defiled by the leper, He overwhelms the leprosy with His life.
This is the nature of the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, uncleanness spread by contact. In the New Covenant, the life of Christ spreads by contact.
2. The touch reaches deeper than the skin
The leper was not only sick; he was untouchable. Likely for years, no one had touched him with affection or acceptance. Jesus’ hand proclaims to his emotions and his identity what His words will proclaim to his body: *“You are not rejected. You are received.”*
For many today, the deepest wound is not physical sickness, but rejection, shame, and isolation. The touch of Jesus addresses all those dimensions at once.
### E. “I want to. Be made clean.”
Here comes the central revelation: the will of Jesus concerning the unclean.
1. His Will – “I want to.”
This forever settles the question of willingness in this category of need. The Scripture shows us not an argument, but a clear statement: “I will. It is my desire.” In Greek the verb is present and personal.
This aligns with many other passages:
Healing and cleansing are not marginal to God’s will. They are expressions of His nature as a compassionate Redeemer.
2. His Command – “Be made clean.”
The Greek is an imperative: καθαρίσθητι (*katharisthēti*)—“Be cleansed.” The word of Jesus is a command that creates what it commands. As in creation, God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), and there was light.
The Word of Christ carries creative authority. When He says, “Be cleansed,” His Word does the cleansing.
### F. “Immediately his leprosy was cleansed”
The cleansing is:
We must not build a doctrine of healing on our experience, but on the Word of God. The Word here shows that instant, complete healing is well within the norm of Jesus’ ministry.
However, note the emphasis on cleansing, not just relief from symptoms. The man is now able to re-enter the life of worship and community.
### G. “See that you tell nobody; but go, show yourself to the priest…”
Jesus adds an important instruction:
1. “Tell nobody” – Jesus is not seeking sensationalism or popularity. He is not building a movement on spectacle. He is operating in obedience to the Father’s timing and purpose.
2. “Show yourself to the priest” – Under the Law (Leviticus 14), a cleansed leper had to be examined by a priest and declared clean. Jesus respects and fulfills this requirement.
3. “Offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” –
This is important for our theology of healing: Jesus’ ministry never contradicts Scripture. It fulfills Scripture. Genuine healing should lead to obedience, order, and testimony, not spiritual independence or rebellion.
The pattern in this passage is not just historical; it is a template for how we may approach Jesus for healing, cleansing, and restoration today. I will outline four steps and then give practical proclamations.
### Step 1: Come to Jesus as You Are, Not as You Think You Should Be
The leper did not wait until he was less unclean to approach Jesus. He came in his uncleanness.
Hebrews 4:16 says: “Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.” Boldness does not mean arrogance. It means confidence in Christ’s mercy.
Proclamation 1:
“Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am, with all my uncleanness, all my need, and all my weakness. I do not hide. I come to You.”
### Step 2: Approach Him in Worship and Submission
The leper’s first action was to worship. He bowed and called Jesus “Lord.” Before he asked for cleansing, he recognized authority.
Romans 12:1 speaks of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God—that is our spiritual worship.
Proclamation 2:
“Jesus, You are my Lord. I bow before You. I submit my body, my mind, my emotions, and my situation to Your authority. Your will be done, not mine.”
### Step 3: Affirm His Ability, Then Receive His Willingness
The leper believed Jesus *could* cleanse him. Jesus answered by revealing that He *would*.
We need both sides:
Do not base your view of God’s will on your past disappointments. Base it on Scripture. In the ministry of Jesus, not once did He say to a sick person who came in faith, “It is not My will to heal you.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For however many are the promises of God, in Him is the ‘Yes.’ Therefore also through Him is the ‘Amen,’ to the glory of God through us.”
Proclamation 3:
“Lord Jesus, I believe You are able to heal, cleanse, and restore me completely. According to Your Word, I receive the revelation that You are willing. In You, the promises of God are Yes and Amen for me.”
### Step 4: Receive His Touch and Obey His Instruction
Jesus not only declared; He touched. Then He gave an instruction: go to the priest and offer the gift.
For us today:
John 14:21 says, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, that one is he who loves me… and I will reveal myself to him.” Jesus reveals Himself more fully to those who respond in obedience.
Proclamation 4:
“Lord Jesus, by faith I open my life to Your touch. Holy Spirit, make real to me the cleansing, healing power of Jesus. I choose to obey the instructions You give me, and to bear testimony to what You have done.”
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, carefully and deliberately, in the presence of God:
“I proclaim that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is my Lord, my Healer, and my Cleanser.
As the leper came to Jesus, I come to Him now. I worship Him and call Him Lord. I believe that He is able to make me clean. According to Matthew 8:3, He says to me, ‘I want to. Be made clean.’
In the name of Jesus, I receive His willing heart toward me. I receive His touch. I receive His Word: ‘Be made clean.’ I affirm that His blood cleanses me from all sin, and His power heals my diseases. I choose to walk in obedience and to bear testimony to what He has done in my life. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ,
I thank You that Your Word reveals Your heart toward the unclean, the rejected, and the sick. You did not turn the leper away. You touched him. You declared Your will. You cleansed him immediately.
I bring before You now my uncleanness, my sickness, my bondage, my shame. I stand where that leper stood. I say to You: ‘Lord, if You want to, You can make me clean.’ And I receive Your answer from Scripture: ‘I want to. Be made clean.’
Stretch out Your hand to me now by the Holy Spirit. Touch my body. Touch my mind. Touch my emotions. Touch the deepest places of rejection and defilement. Let Your cleansing power flow through me—spirit, soul, and body.
Where there has been leprosy of the soul—bitterness, uncleanness, fear—cleanse me. Where there has been sickness and oppression, heal me. Restore me to full fellowship with You and with Your people. Show me any steps of obedience I must take, and give me grace to walk in them.
I choose to honor You as Lord, to submit to Your Word, and to testify to Your goodness. I receive Your touch of healing now, in Your mighty name, Jesus. Amen.”
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