Tag Archive | leper



Matthew 8:1-3 ” When He came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed Him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said,’ Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ He said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.”

Lepers were the most reviled of human beings in Jesus’ time.  They were considered utterly unclean physically and spiritually.  They were shunned and outcast…required to avoid others, staying at least six feet away from anyone, and forced to yell “unclean! unclean!” when approaching crowds. So what gave this leper the brazenness to walk right up to Jesus in the middle of a crowd and ask for healing?  He knew he was breaking every law in Leviticus 13.  But he also knew deep in his soul that this man he had watched from afar could cure him of this devastating disease.  He took a huge risk, but he had nothing to lose, and everything to gain if Jesus would oblige.  The crowd was probably stunned by the sight of this leper dropping at the feet of Jesus…but they were even more startled to watch with their own eyes the skin on this man return to normal when Jesus touched him.