Jesus Cleanses a Leper (Matthew 8:1-4)
Encounters with Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today we start a new series titled “Encounters with Jesus”
And I encourage you,
that as we go through this series,
and unpack these encounters people had with Jesus.
That we go into these passages with a posture,
to learn how Jesus has revealed himself to us.
Which means that there might be things we believe about Jesus,
that actually are not biblical.
Hermeneutics.… Book How to think Theologically...
(humility)
Matthew 8:1-4...
Before I read out text I want to give you some context of what has just happened.
Matthew has just recorded,
Jesus giving his famous sermon on the mount.
In this famous sermon Jesus covers many topics such as...
the beatitudes.
the importance of being salt and light,
anger,
adultery,
the topic of divorce,
loving your enemies,
judgement,
giving ,
prayer,
fasting,
fruit of people’s lives,
true discipleship,
having a solid foundation,
Jesus unpacks a 2 to 3 month sermon series with his sermon on the mount.
(He is bringing it)
When Jesus was done with his sermon,
this is how the people responded.
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
There is a big difference between man’s authority,
and Kingdom authority.
What I have learned is that man can create an image of authority that will be followed,
but it is out of a fear of man.
Whereas Kingdom authority does not come from man at all,
but it is rather God given.
Therefore,
We must understand that Jesus carried Kingdom authority that was not from man but was rather of God,
and when Jesus finished speaking people were amazed,
because they have never seen this kind of authority...
The authority that they had saw from Jewish teachers was powerless because it was of man,
but the authority they saw when Jesus spoke with was powerful because it was of God.
After Jesus finishes with the sermon on the mount,
and people recognize that Jesus is very different from what they had previously known,
Matthew records what happens next.
1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Here in Matthew’s Gospel account of Jesus,
he begins these dialogues of miracle’s that Jesus performs.
And the first miracle that Matthew records,
is Jesus healing a man with leprosy.
In Bible times,
once someone contracted this disease,
your life was essentially done.
There was no medicine to take,
no essential oil to rub to have the disease be removed,
so it was essential a death sentence.
D. A. Carson, Craig Blomberg, and Craig Keener all communicate in their commentaries,
that being healed of leprosy was as difficult as being raised from the dead. (Expositors Mathew P198 & NAC P138)
Therefore, having this disease,
it was only a matter of time before it took your life.
What made this disease so painful both emotionally and physically,
was the fact that you would never see your family or friends again.
Once you found out you were unclean,
you would immediately be removed from family and friends,
and doomed to either live alone,
or if you were lucky find a community of others who also had leprosy.
Once you were deemed a leper,
your life would never be the same,
as you would live as an outcast in society.
It did not matter how important you once were,
once you found out you had leprosy,
you were then identified as a leper…
A reality that you would have to except as a leper,
is that you would never experience an affection of an embrace ever again.
You would never experienced an embracing hug or kiss form a spouse,
never again be able to hold your son or daughter,
you would never experience any level of touch ever again.
There are many studies done today of the importance of physical touch,
and how much it effects both the physical and mental health of an individual.
So,
the mental stress alone would have been devastating for the one with the disease.
Of course the reason for being removed from society,
is because leprosy was believed to be so contagious and deadly,
no one was allowed to ever touch you or even be near your presence.
So not only would you have a death sentence,
but you would have to deal with it without any support of friends and family.
Leprosy,
ment your final days would be emotionally devastating.
Of course leprosy was not just emotionally devastating,
but the physical damage was very destructive to one’s body.
The end result of leprosy,
was that your body would essentially rote away.
(Talk about a terrible way to die)
But before the end result of death would occur,
the first thing that would happen to the physical body with leprosy,
is you would lose the ability to feel…
Addiction… lose the ability to feel…
don’t know what kind of damage is taking place...
Also, our viewpoint gets skewed. (in a state of being numb we don’t see God clearly)
Leper says…
2b“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
2b “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
Willing…
Sometimes when we are numb from sin,
we are not even sure if God is willing to cleans us..
(We know he can but not sure if he is willing)
[so deep into sin does God even want to touch me]
Jesus responds to the man who is unclean...
3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Hear me when I say this...
it does not matter how far you have strayed,
how much of a mess you have created,
how unclean you have become,
you are never to far from Jesus touching your life and making you clean.
YOU ARE NEVER TO FAR GONE.…
Prodigal son… shame to his fathers name
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When Jesus touches our lives,
he cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
When God cleanses us from our unrighteousness,
that means there is nothing missing.
He removes all our filth,
all our toxicity,
all our stains of guilt,
all our shame
Jesus removes it all,
in order that we can walk in freedom.
An important reality to remember,
is that when Jesus touches you,
He does not just bring partial freedom.
Jesus said…
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and confessed your sin to him,
if you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior of your life,
then the Son has set you free!
Not just partially,
no,
when the Son sets you free,
you are free indeed. Amen!
When Jesus touched the man who was dying of disease,
it says he was immediately cleansed.
It was at the touch of Jesus,
his life was forever changed.
The man with leprosy,
went from a destiny of darkness and despair,
to a life filled with a future and a hope.
The unclean man only needed a touch from Jesus.
Theologian Douglas Mangum writes,
“Jesus touching the leper “is significant because of the unclean state that lepers were in. They avoided public and touching others so as not to spread uncleanness to others. Jesus reverses the flow: instead of uncleanness spreading from the leper to others, it is Jesus’ cleanness that spreads to the leper.”
Jesus was not effected by the disease,
but rather the disease was effected by Jesus.
There is a important principle of the Kingdom,
that Jesus is displaying.
And that is...
Jesus was not transformed by the culture around him,
Rather Jesus walked in a level of authority that he brought transformation to those around HIM....
We as people of the Kingdom,
need to start walking in this level of authority.
We as the people the Kingdom,
we need to stop being transformed by culture,
but rather our lives need to transform culture. (Are you hearing me?)
Because how many know that when light enters a dark room,
darkness does not overcome light,
light overcomes darkness.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The light of the Gospel has more power,
than the darkness of this age.
We as believers need to stop being afraid of culture,
because as Jesus had authority over sickness and disease,
so we have authority over darkness of this age.
Here is the thing to understand,
that when we walk in the authority of the kingdom,
people will recognise it.
When people see Kingdom living and Kingdom authority,
it calls them into a level of response.
(Positive or negative)
The man with leprosy,
recognized Jesus authority,
and his response was to kneel before the Lord in worship.
What is interesting,
Is that though Matthew records Jesus being worshiped as an infant,
this unclean man is the first person to worship Jesus as an adult.
I love this reality,
that it was a man who was unclean who first knelt before Jesus as an adult in worship.
The reason I love this reality.
is because the man knew he was unclean,
but he also knew that Jesus was the only one to make him clean…
The unclean leper,
did not wait to be made whole before he knelt before the Lord.
Even though he understood he was not worthy and was unclean,
he still knelt before the Lord in a posture of humility.
Sometimes we get hung up and think,
I cant worship freely because I am a mess.
I can’t raise my hands because I am unclean.
But maybe in your mess you need to respond to Jesus in worship,
in order that you can receive a touch to make you clean.
It was after the leper knelt before the Lord that he recieved his touch,
maybe the Lord is waiting for you to respond to him in worship before you receive your touch....
How many know a touch from the Lord has the great power??....
Touch brings… healing… breaks chains… bring hope… brings life...
When the leper recieved his touch,
he was made clean by the power of God.
After the unclean man was cleansed...
Jesus sent him away with some special instructions.
4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Jesus was telling the man who was now clean,
to not say anything yet,
but rather go and prove that you are now clean.
Jesus was telling the man,
give evidence of what has happen to you as proof,
that you are now clean.
Go show your healing to the priest,
so that they will know that the kingdom of God is at hand,
and the Messiah that Israel has long to see is here.
(Christ, anointed one, cleansing of this leper is proof)
In Matthew 11,
John is in prison and sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him,
are you the Christ... (Messiah)
(Jesus answered… Tell John what you see...)
(Youth group James… faith with action)
Close with this…
When Jesus cleansed the leper,
Jesus sent him on a mission to give evidence of the Gospel.
We who have been cleansed,
are also sent an the very same mission that the cleansed leper was sent on.
And that is a mission to give proof,
that we have been cleansed.
A mission to prove to the world,
that Jesus has the power to cleanse those who are unclean.
One of our pillars as a church is to live on mission.…
intentionally and purposefully live out God’s mission.
