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Text: Luke 5:12-15
The account of this leprous man is found here in Matthew 8:1-4 and in Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 5:12-15. It’s how a leper came to the LORD and it’s how you have to come to the LORD.
Corrupted with leprosy
- Luke 5:12 …full of leprosy…
- Leprosy is a horrible disease of open wounds and paralysis as it gets into the nerves and muscles, slowly eating away at the body.
- Full of leprosy means he’s been dealing with this for a long time.
- His leprosy means he was isolated and an outcast from society.
- His disease has defined his life, and that’s what corruption does to you.
- When the LORD says some are judged and cast into the lake of fire, how does God describe them? Murderers, whoremongers, liars, idolaters: sin has defined these lives.
- This is why it’s said that a person is a new creature in Christ. No longer a worker of iniquity, but a new creature not defined by corruption. Now, defined by God’s acceptance in Jesus Christ!
Cry for help
- Desperately seeking help
- This is a man truly seeking help from God, who does not care what others think about him. He isn’t going to let what others think about him get in the way of getting help from the LORD.
- Matthew 8:2 …worshipped him…
- Mark 1:40 …kneeling down to him…
- Luke 5:12 …fell on his face…
- Wholly trusting Jesus Christ
- Luke 5:12 …Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
- This man literally believes that the LORD Jesus Christ can do this if he wants to. How is that for a prayer?!
Compassionate Savior
- His touch
- Luke 5:13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him,
- The touch is not necessary, but the Lord does it to show acceptance.
- Acceptance is perhaps the greatest need of a human being. People are so desperate to be accepted that they’ll do stupid things to be accepted. Or they’ll do stupid things because they don’t feel accepted.
- But not only does his touch show acceptance, so do his words.
- His word
- I will: be thou clean.
- You’ll find it everywhere in the Bible that leprosy shows up it is called an uncleanness.
- There are two hygienic chapters in Leviticus (13-14) describing how to diagnose and potentially treat leprosy.
- If it’s a scab or bright spot on the skin that goes beneath the surface of the skin or the hair follicles are discolored then it is leprosy.
- If someone has a bright spot or scab that doesn’t go beneath the skin and there is no discoloration then they are quarantined for 7 days to make sure it is not the beginning of leprosy.
- Clean by the word of God
- Luke 5:13 …I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
- In a moment the words of the Lord Jesus Christ cleaned him.
- Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
- Psalm 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
- Immediately he is healed. Immediately there is a change in him that will result in no more isolation, no more managing the uncleanness in his body, no more begging.
- You know what’s missing from your dirty life? The words of God.
Charge to be a testimony as prescribed by Moses (vs 4)
- Prohibition
- Luke 5:14 And he charged him to tell no man:
- Follow the law and go to the priests
- Priests must acknowledge the work of the Lord
- Luke 5:14 …but go, and shew thyself to the priest,
- Leviticus 14
- The priests would have to testify to the cleanness of the person.
- Personal testimony
- Luke 5:14 …and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
- When the Lord does a wonderful work, He prescribes a testimony to communicate what He’s done. The testimony is what the Lord prescribed for the personal work He’s done in your life.
- An offering for a testimony like Romans 12:1.
