Luke 5:12-16 Jesus Cleanses a Leper
“And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 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 a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”
Consider the plight of those cursed with leprosy. As soon as leprosy is discovered, the sufferer becomes a social outcast, forced to live at the margin of town, cut off from family and friends. Even when the case is quite mild, a leper remains isolated unless there are other lepers with whom he or she can associate. Leprosy affects the nerves carrying pain impulses; the wounds of leprosy come because the leper hurts himself and cannot perceive pain, so neglects wounds until they become open sores and the flesh is rotting.
As Jesus travels around preaching and teaching, he comes to a “certain city” where a wretched man has a body wracked with leprosy. Gathering his courage, this poor man somehow forces his way through the crowds to fall at Jesus’ feet. Under normal circumstances, this man would grasp Jesus’ feet; however, as a leper, he realizes that he is forbidden to touch anyone.
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” The leper gasps out this plea, hoping with everything inside him that Jesus will not spurn him or drive him away. But Jesus has pity on the man. “Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” The crowd gasps as the man’s face, arms, legs, hands, and feet all become clean and new.
How do we know that this is what has happened in this case? J. John, a British-based evangelist, has a short video in which he describes a Gospel meeting in India to which he was invited. After speaking to the main group, J. John was told that there was a special group that requested prayers for healing. J. John walked to a separate tent to find a huge group of lepers anxiously awaiting him. At that point, J. John seriously asked God if God couldn’t send someone else, but God remained silent. Feeling like a complete fraud, J. John ascended the platform in front of the group of lepers and prayed a very simple prayer. Suddenly, there were cries from the audience, and J. John saw what appeared to be false layers of skin falling from the bodies of the lepers! The Holy Spirit moved, and God healed every leper in the place!
These healings did not come because J. John had so much faith, because he argued with God before he prayed for the lepers. But these poor people suffering from leprosy came with the same plea as the man who came to Jesus. “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” God was willing and healed every one of those lepers. It was the faith of the lepers and the prayers of other believers, not the faith of the evangelist, that led to the mass healing.
Jesus orders the man to follow the rules laid down by Moses, showing himself to the priests and making the necessary sacrifices. One wonders if the priests go into shock when this man presents himself, for it’s unlikely that any leper has presented for examination since Moses first gave that edict.
This public miracle naturally enhances Jesus’ reputation, causing the crowds that are following to swell to record proportions. During the day, there’s no time for Jesus to withdraw quietly for private prayer. Only at night when the crowds go home can Jesus have time to pray, and even then he must go off into the wilderness to escape the crowds.
One of our missionary friends has quoted her late father, also a missionary, as having said, “I feel like a Coca-Cola and everybody has a straw!” No matter how strong you are or how resilient, remain in ministry long enough and the needs of those around you will drain you dry…unless you are regularly receiving new strength and new hope from God.
How can you spiritually refuel? Copy Jesus. Get away from the crowds to a quiet place where you can sit and give God time to speak to you. Although there are times when the Holy Spirit has spoken in a thunderous voice, generally He speaks in a still small voice. Noisy prayer meetings where people are screaming may appear impressive; however, it’s quite difficult to hear the Holy Spirit if you are making too much noise. Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. We must give the Holy Spirit time and space in which to speak.
What does Jesus pray when he retreats to the wilderness at night? We don’t know, but certainly, he thanks God the Father for everything He has done through Jesus that day and asks Him for more strength, more grace, more love, and more power to carry out the Father’s will. We also may pray for these things, as long as our goal is to accomplish the Will of God and not to enhance our own reputations.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that by ourselves, we have no resources to carry out Your perfect Will. Please give us Your strength, Your grace, Your love, and Your power, so that we may touch all those around us, fulfilling Your Will for their lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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