Luke 5:12-16 - He is Willing
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
There are two groups of people that struggle to come to Christ. One group is prideful and denies their need for Him. Oftentimes they even deny His existence despite the proof that is all around them. This group seems to grow by the day.
But the other group is in just as bad of a situation. The other group oftentimes doesn’t respond to Christ’s offer of salvation because they view themselves as too bad to deserve anything good. They see the bad things they have thought and done as too bad for them to be saved. Like the leper in today’s account, they are too unclean to come into the camp. I cannot tell you how often I’ve heard someone say that they are so bad that the church walls would fall down if they came in.
Sadly, this second group has chosen to believe a lie. They have chosen to believe that they are too far gone to be saved. They are too unclean for Christ to ever wash their sin away.
This seemingly false humility is nothing more than a veiled spit in the face to Christ. It screams that His crucifixion on the cross and payment for sins was not enough. It screams that Christ is not omnipotent (or all powerful). It places a limit on the power of God and views man’s sin as greater than Christ’s power and love.
Today we are going to see an account regarding a man who was considered unclean. He was a man that was untouchable - literally. No one was to go around him. He even had to scream out how unclean he was when people came around in order to keep his uncleanness from being spread.
But despite the affliction and uncleanness of this man, Jesus touches Him and lets him know that He is willing to make him clean.
My friends, Jesus is always willing and ready to touch unclean sinners and make them whole.
Join me as we read today’s Scripture.
Read Full Scripture:
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.
Prayer
Today we will discuss three ways Jesus is willing to minister to sinners. First,
I. Jesus is Willing to Heed Sinners (12)
I. Jesus is Willing to Heed Sinners (12)
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.”
The word heed means to pay attention to and consider. Jesus considers sinners. He pays attention to sinners. He came to save sinners. And here we see one such unclean man approach Jesus. As we mentioned before, this man’s sin was not necessarily greater than any else’s. Yet he was afflicted by a physical unclean skin disease and was a sinner both.
We are not told exactly where Jesus was in Luke’s Gospel. Matthew tells us that He came down from the mountain. Matthew’s parallel account proceeds the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in Matthew’s Gospel.
Yet, we are just told in Luke’s Gospel that He was in one of the cities. And while He was there a man full of leprosy came to Him.
This word ‘full’ used here in Greek is plērēs (play-rays) and means full or complete. It shows us that this was a man who had very advanced leprosy. This wasn’t just a mild case. He was completely covered with it.
Although leprosy could be used to refer to a host of different skin conditions, the word here may very well refer to true leprosy as we know it today. This account appears to speak of one who had true leprosy because of the extent in which it afflicted the individual.
Leprosy, or Hanson’s disease as it is also known by, is an infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. Cases of Hanson’s disease date back to the ancient Egyptians where mummies have been found to have had this dreadful condition.
It affects the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose. The damage to the nerves can cause people to lose the ability to sense touch or feel pain and can even eventually lead to paralysis of the hands and feet. One may even become blind from the disease over time.
I considered showing some pictures of the disease, but it can be somewhat disturbing to those not in the medical profession. So you can search those out on your own if you would like to understand the disease more.
Just know that this is a highly disfiguring disease.
Today, we do now have treatment for this dreadful condition but there was no cure during the time of Jesus.
This man who is completely, fully, and severely afflicted by this horrible - and at the time - hopeless condition falls on his face before Jesus and begs Him to heal him. This approach to Jesus echos Peter’s response to the glory of Christ in our last account (Luke 5:8). Peter’s response to the miraculous catch of fish we discussed last week was to fall to his face in humble submission to Christ.
Listen to his faith. If you will, you can make me clean. The man doesn’t ask Jesus if He can heal him. He asserts that he believes that Jesus can do it - if He wills. We can learn a lot about faith from this leprous man. All of our prayers should be as such. We should never ask God the question - if you can. Because God can do anything! Even the impossible is possible is possible with God.
As we discussed at the start of this sermon, Christ can save and heal anyone at anytime. His power is unlimited.
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
He can save to the uttermost - or completely save - those who draw near to God through Him. This gift of complete salvation is available to all as the Lord draws man to Himself. Yet, this free gift must be accepted in faith and humility. As we have mentioned time and time again, repentance and humility are necessary for one to truly come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
One cannot deny that this leper comes with faith and humility.
Let’s move forward to see how Christ responds to this man…
Christ not only heeds sinners, but He…
Scripture References: Matthew 5-7, Luke 5:8, Hebrews 7:25
II. Jesus is Willing to Heal Sinners (13)
II. Jesus is Willing to Heal Sinners (13)
And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
Verse 13 starts off with something way out of left field for the people during this time period. The Bible is clear that all lepers should be isolated outside the camp. Look at Leviticus 13:45-46:
“The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
These verses are clear that there was a boundary line for those with leprosy. They were to wear torn clothes and yell unclean with others were around them. They were to live outside the camp in leper colonies.
We are not sure how this man got to Jesus. Whether he disobeyed the rules of going into the city or whether Christ was on the outskirts of one of the cities - we do not necessarily know. But we do see that this man approach Jesus and fall down on his face in verse 12.
And Jesus’ response to this man’s broken humility is as counter-cultural as can be. He stretches out his hand and touches the untouchable.
My friends, you might think that you are too bad to be saved. You are untouchable. If only everyone knew what you had done in the past then they would understand why you are ‘unsaveable.’ If only everyone knew what thoughts you had, then they would understand why you ‘know’ that Christ could never love you. You are unclean, unlovable, and untouchable.
Brothers and sisters, if that is you, pay attention to this account. Here is a man who was unclean, unlovable, and untouchable. And Jesus’ response is to touch the untouchable. Jesus is not afraid to get His hands dirty my friends.
He will come to you just as you are and take you where He wants you to be.
This man didn’t work really hard to straighten up his life before coming to Christ. He came with all his uncleanness and baggage. He came with his hurts and fears and struggles and fell at Jesus’ feet. And Jesus response wasn’t a charge for him to go and work for healing or salvation. His response was to reach out and touch this man.
And the touch of Christ is amazing touch my friends. The touch of Christ leads to healing! This man experienced physical healing which was wonderful. But the touch of Christ on the unclean leads to so much better than that, church. The touch of Christ leads to salvation.
When we come to Him in broken humility and repentance, He is willing to make us clean. He is willing to save us.
And just like this leprosy that is gone in a moment - Luke uses the word immediately to describe the leprosy being removed - just like that your sins can be removed from you. And they are cast as far as the east is from the west.
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
How amazing is our Lord and Savior? His touch is one of compassion, love, and sympathy. He understands our struggles and difficulties. The author of Hebrews spells this out well for us:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Today, we know that Christ took on the curse for us.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
He took our punishment and curse on the cross for us. He reached out and touched the world by His sacrifice for our sins. The wrath of God was placed upon Him instead of us. He took what we deserved and has given us His righteousness.
Todd Friel, a Christian radio host and evangelist, often says the following:
He took our rap sheet and gave us His righteousness.
Todd Friel
How beautiful is that understanding. When God looks upon us - once we have placed our faith in Christ and repented of our sins - He sees the righteousness of His Son! He doesn’t see our uncleanness. That uncleanness and sin has been paid for by the cross.
If you have not placed your faith and trust in the Savior, I pray that you do that now. No one is too dirty to be made clean by our all-powerful Savior.
Jesus is willing to heed, to heal, and Jesus is…
Scripture References: Leviticus 13:45-46, Psalm 103:12, Hebrews 4:15
III. Jesus is Willing to Help Sinners (14-16)
III. Jesus is Willing to Help Sinners (14-16)
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.”
Jesus charges this man with an interesting command after miraculously healing him. He tells him to go and tell no one. Why He says this is debated by some theologians.
We know that Jesus sought to slowly increase His public ministry. Jesus also wanted to make His ministry about the Gospel - forgiveness of sins and repentance and belief in the Messiah. He did not want His ministry to be all about miracles. The miracles He did were only to confirm His power and authority. They were not the main thrust of why He was on earth. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Temporary healing is good, but eternal salvation is far greater!
We also see here that Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.
As we mentioned before, Leviticus 13 discusses the role of the priest in the diagnosis and management of a person with suspected leprosy. The priest was the one who was to examine someone who had a skin condition. They would have to pronounce them clean or unclean.
Then the following chapter, namely Leviticus 14:1-8, we see the command of an offering to be given for those who are healed of leprosy. There was a specific offering and timeline that was given for a person healed of this condition.
And Jesus, fulfilling the law, sends the man to the priest to be declared clean and make the necessary and required offerings.
Jesus came to fulfill the law and not abolish it. The law was set in place by God and Jesus kept the law. What Jesus didn’t keep was the additional rules and religious regulations instituted by man.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Some falsely teach that none of the law applies to us today. One such modern pastor went so far as to say that Christ broke the law. These ideas and teachings are blatantly false and anti-Biblical.
It is correct to understand that after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the laws regarding sacrifices and cleansing were fulfilled. They weren’t abolished. Instead they were fulfilled.
But the moral law of the Old Testament is still in place. The Ten Commandments are still just as applicable to us today as they were to Israel.
Moving forward we see the result of this healing…
But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.
Luke focuses in on the positive angle. The report about Jesus continues to go out and crowds come to hear Him and to be healed. Mark, however, lets us know that this quick spread did have some negative consequences as well.
But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
The disobedience of this leper led to some difficulty for the ministry of Jesus. One can understand that the leper would have had a very difficult time not rejoicing and telling others about what had happened. He was unclean and now he was clean!
I love what pastor and theologian Warren Wiersbe once said,
Jesus instructed the man not to reveal who had healed him, but the cleansed leper became an enthusiastic witness for the Lord. Jesus commands us to tell everybody, and we keep quiet. - Warren Wiersbe
I pray that we are obedient to Christ and are telling everybody about the Gospel! May we, like this cleansed leper, be so enthusiastic about Christ that we cannot help but tell everyone what Christ has done for us.
However, there are consequences to disobedience to Christ. We should obey Him in all things. In fact, we show our love for Christ in our obedience to Him. See John 14:15:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Yet, one other thing must be understood from this encounter. Jesus sovereignly knew that this leper would disobey His command and go and tell others about what had happened. And Jesus healed him anyway.
Jesus was willing to heal despite the cost to Himself.
You know what else He was willing to do?
Jesus was willing to come and save your soul despite the cost to Himself.
My friends, Jesus knows you are going to sin against Him. He knows that even after you come to a saving knowledge of Him that you are going to blow it time and time again. And praise God that He is willing to save you anyway! If only you will repent and turn from your sins and turn toward Him.
For those of you who are saved, know that Christ isn’t surprised by your lack of perfection on this side of eternity. He knows you are going to fail Him. What He asks is that you continue to strive and persevere - through the Holy Spirit given to you as a guarantee of salvation - to obey and follow Him.
As we come to our last verse for today, we see an intimate side of Jesus with His Father.
But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
After seeing this amazing interaction and healing, we see that Jesus needed time with His Heavenly Father. Luke asserts that Jesus would withdraw to desolate places and pray. The tense of this verb indicates that this was a regular practice of Jesus. He did this often.
If Jesus, being fully God and fully man, needed to have quiet time with the Father, how much more do we as well!
We can learn much from Jesus here. We also need to be sure to regularly be in communion with God.
We need to have regularly scheduled times with just the Lord in prayer and meditation. We need time to recharge as we read His Word, pray, and have quiet time with Christ.
This regular time with His Father is what kept Christ plugged into His Father’s will. If we want to be in the will of the Father, we must be regularly plugged into Him as well.
The great reformer Martin Luther once said:
“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” - Martin Luther
Obviously, we should not make a legalistic rule here and follow Luther’s quote as some Pharisaical rule. But the principle here is so important for us to acknowledge. The more that we are responsible for, the more that we need to be sure to be in the will of the Father.
Busyness should not drive us away from prayer - but to prayer.
In our busyness, we should sense the need to pray the most. May we follow the way of our Lord Jesus as we make prayer and time with God our top priority.
Scripture References: Luke 19:10, Leviticus 13, Leviticus 14:1-8, Matthew 5:17-18, Mark 1:45, John 14:15, Romans 2:4b
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we have seen Jesus miraculous work of healing a leper. But even moreso, we have seen the application of how Jesus heeds sinners - or pays attention to them. We have seen how Jesus heals sinners - albeit not always physically - but He does offer spiritual healing through salvation in Him to all. And we have seen how Jesus helps sinners despite the cost to Himself.
My friends, I pray that you have seen the kindness of our Savior today.
Romans 2:4b (ESV)
… not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
His loving kindness should lead and draw us to repentance. When we see just how good and loving and kind that He is, how can we not respond with appreciation, repentance and faith in Him.
Brothers and sisters, if you have not put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, please do that today. There is no more important decision you can make.
If you have done so but have not followed in believer’s baptism - being baptized after receiving the free gift of salvation - I would love to help you follow Christ in obedience to this first commandment after salvation.
And for those who have been saved and baptized - I pray that you see the wonderful work of salvation that Christ has done in you and that you walk in obedience and constant communion with your Savior through prayer. Our Lord is worthy of all honor and praise and glory.
Prayer