Matthew 8:1-4

Jesus Heals Leprosy

2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Jesus Cleanses Leprosy

Throughout history we have had our share of diseases. In medieval times there was the plague known as the black death. It was a horrendous illness and killed off about a third of the European population.

Today, we are still plagued by disease, some of which we still have not cure. There are many types of cancer, the flu - and we now have AIDS to terrify the people of the 21st century. During the time of Jesus' ministry, leprosy was the uncurable disease of the day and those suffering from it were outcasts in the land.

What is Leprosy?

According to Dictionary.Com-TM, leprosy is ..

"a chronic, mildly infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, affecting the peripheral nervous system, skin, and nasal mucosa and variously characterized by ulcerations, tubercular nodules, and loss of sensation that sometimes leads to traumatic amputation of the anesthetized part."

Today, medical science would be doing experiments and separating causes to find a cure. But, in Bible times the disease was terrifying.

In spite of the leper being deemed "unclean", Jesus did not hesitate to reach out, touch him, and heal him. This event shows the kindness, willingness and the power of Christ. He risked his life so that this man could live just as he would do later with His sacrifice for us on the cross.

What Disease Do We Have?

Have you ever thought of sin as a disease? Well, in a sense, it's the same as those incurable sicknesses of those days and the days of the 21st century. The difference between sin and a physical disease such as leprosy is that we all have sin. It's inevitable. As long as we have thoughts we can not avoid it.

And, as is the case with AIDS or leprosy, we cannot cure ourselves. We need a doctor. God is the physician who can take away all our sins, "forget them", and give us everlasting life beyond this one.

There is Only One Catch

We have to act first. The leper bowed down and asked the Lord to make him clean. Then Jesus healed him. If we bow down to Christ and ask him to be our Lord and Savior, he will "heal us" by forgiving us of our sins. The things we've done in the past will be forgotten and we can get a new lease on life by receiving the spiritual blessing God has set aside for us.

If there is sin in your life (remember, we all have it) or, if you have never accepted Christ, take a moment right now and pray for God to forgive your sin through Jesus Christ. God is waiting to forgive you.

Love in Christ

- Bob

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