If You will

Matthew 8:1-3 ESV
“When he came down the mountain, great crowds followed him.  And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

The first verse says that a great crowd followed Jesus. Obviously Jesus had been teaching, and more than likely healing up on the mountain. As the crowds followed Him they didn’t know exactly what He was going to say or do next. They were intrigued, amazed and anticipating what He would say or do, but they would never have guessed the next occurrence.

Everything that Jesus did, He did on purpose. Teaching moments happened at every hand, and this situation would prove to be not an accident, but another teaching moment. As Jesus is coming down the mountain, a man with leprosy approaches Him. The Jewish law prohibits a leper from approaching anyone outside the leper camp.

They were to stay away 2 cubits, about 6 feet and they were to cry outloud, “unclean, unclean,” so no one would come near them. The Pharisees pronounced a judgement on all lepers that they were dead men or women walking, it was just a matter of time.

Jesus broke protocol by approaching the leper, disease doesn’t scare Him, disease flees at the very name of Jesus. The leper said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean. (That’s faith in action) And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, (which was unlawful for a Jew). (Jesus continued by) “saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

Jesus reaches out and touches the man. He didn’t need to touch the leprous man in order to heal him, but He did. This act would have made Jesus ceremonially unclean Himself, within the context of Jewish law. It would have been shocking to the crowd, seeing Jesus touching a leper with no fear or trepidation. This crowd needed to know who Jesus really was. The Healer, the Savior, the Son of God.

Even if they were going to deny Him three years later before His crucifixion, they would never forget His words and actions. This is the Lord we serve, the Master of everything, nothing scares Him, He is Everything to me.

Prayer:
Lord, I don’t know how I would have been that day in the crowd, hearing Your teachings, watching You heal, but I do know now, Your are the Lord of everything and You can do anything and still You died that I might live! What a Savior!