Matthew 8:2-4 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Here we read about the miracle of Jesus cleansing the leper. Luke tells us that this man was full of leprosy, meaning that it was in its final stages (Luke 5:12). Dr. Luke also tells us that Jesus saw a man. Here is an image bearer of God, full of leprosy. Matthew tells us that he calls Him Lord, and falls on his face worshipping Him. He is desperate. He has been ostracized from society. We do not know his age or his marital status. But this much we do know; he was at his wits’ end and laid his pitiful condition at Jesus feet. Note that he said to Jesus, “If You will, you can make me clean.” He did not doubt Jesus’ power to heal Him; he questioned His willingness. Jesus, moved with compassion touched him, and said, “I will” or, “I am willing; be clean.” Immediately, the leprosy left him. Jesus then tells him to go and show himself to the priest and offer the gift that was described in Leviticus. From this we know he must have been a Jew.

In Scripture, leprosy is a type of sin. It begins beneath the skin, but it gradually surfaces with devastating and debilitating effects of numbness and loss of feeling. That is what sin does to us, beloved. There are many kinds of lepers today. They are people who outwardly are smiling and look so confident and successful, but deep inside there is the leprosy of deceit, or anger, or unbridled lust, or bitterness, or plain old unbelief and doubt in the power of God to set them free. As we “watch” Jesus minister to this leper, may each one of us ask The Lord to search our own hearts, and see if there is not some leprosy of the old man that needs the healing touch of Jesus today. He has the power; He is moved with compassion, and He is willing.