Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.
In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“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. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
Matthew 8:1-4
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 8 of Matthew’s gospel opens, we find Jesus finished with His famous teachings known as the Sermon on the Mount.
We read that as “He came down from the mountainside” many people went after Him in “large crowds”. It hadn’t taken long for Jesus to build a following and as He proceeded, scripture tells us that a “man with leprosy came and knelt before Him”.
Leprosy was a terrible affliction in biblical times. A slow moving bacterial infection, it would effect the skin, nerves and the mucous membrane of anyone who contracted it. And as the nerves in the hand and feet deteriorated, eventually ceasing to work, the leper would end up with mutilated fingers and toes…a classic symptomatic indicator of the disease.
Old Testament law as found in Leviticus, Chapter 13, would declare a person unclean if their skin ailment persisted and worsened over a seven day period. And being stamped as unclean meant excommunication and exile from the rest of society. Lepers were outcasts…the unwanted.
So with this knowledge in mind, picture the scene painted by our passage.
Jesus is walking along with large crowds following Him when a leper comes to Him and kneels. I can only imagine the collective gasp from the people as they saw this occur. Maybe many of the people withdrew, afraid to be infected themselves by the man. Surely Jesus would know to stay away Himself…wouldn’t He?
Well, we know that Jesus was not going to turn from any affliction because there was and is no affliction today that He can’t heal with just the simple touch of His almighty, powerful hand. After all, He truly is the Great Physician!
But just this man coming to Jesus wasn’t necessarily going to result in a healing. The man had to come with the right attitude.
Note his actions and words.
For the leper didn’t run up to Jesus, grab Him and demand that he be healed. No…the man came to Jesus and He knelt…a humble expression of Jesus’ majesty and the man’s dependence on Him. This set the stage for what followed because while on his knees, the man asked Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
His words hold two important keys for all believers who wish to approach the Lord about anything.
First, we need to ask the Lord if it is His will to do what we need. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. We need to be prepared for either and know that if it isn’t the Lord’s will at that time, it’s because He has something even better in store for us. We only need to stay faithful, patient and wait…wait on the Lord.
Second, see how the man doesn’t think Jesus can heal him. He knows it.
Look at his words again…”if you are willing, You can make me clean”. There is no doubt in the man’s mind that Jesus can do it if it’s His will to do so.
We need to always remember this as well because the Lord can do anything at anytime when he wills to do it. This is one of the absolutes we learn from the scriptures.
Well, the stage was set. The man had shown his humble reliance on Jesus and his stalwart faith that he could be healed by the Lord if it were the Lord’s will to do so.
So what did Jesus do?
Scripture tells us that He “reached out his hand and touched the man” saying, “I am willing…Be clean!"
And with that, the man was “cured of his leprosy” immediately. Imagine the amazement that the people must have felt at what they just witnessed. If they thought Jesus taught with authority, they now noticed that His authority extended well beyond instruction. This Jesus possessed the power to heal a leper with just one touch of His hand.
Question: Do you need healed in some way today?
Maybe you have an affliction like the leper. Maybe you have been the victim of abuse and are dealing with the psychological scars left behind. Maybe you are suffering from a broken relationship with a spouse, child or family member.
Whatever your situation, our scripture sends this message to you:
There is hope.
All you need do is kneel before Jesus and mimic the words of the leper saying, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me well again”. And when it is His will, He can and will make you well…trust in that.
Friends, this is the Lord we serve. He is always available…always willing to help at His appointed time….always able to heal…and the only One who can save.
Do you know Him today?
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment