There are so many reasons that I love the story of Christ healing the leper after giving His Sermon on the Mount. First, consider the leper: We don't even know his name. All we know is that he suffered from leprosy. More than likely, that's all anyone who was there really knew about him. His disease had become his identity and he was an outcast. He was no longer considered a person, only a potential source of plague. He was alone and he was suffering, mentally, emotionally, and definitely physically.
And yet, he "came...and worshiped [Christ], saying Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean" (Matt 8:2). He came and before Christ had done anything for him, before he knew whether or not he would be healed, the man worshiped Christ. He had total devotion and faith before he received any blessings. He worshiped Christ regardless of the outcome ahead.
He had faith that Christ could heal him. He called Him "Lord" and recognized Him for who He was-the Son of God. The leper man knew who Christ was and he believed with all his heart that he could be healed. He had faith that the impossible could happen. He believed in Christ and His saving power with his whole heart.
He said "if thou wilt". He did not demand, he did not expect. He knew that Christ could heal him and it must have been the greatest and deepest desire of his heart to be clean and whole again, to be able to go back into society, to be able to see his family and friends again, and to have the physical pain of the disease stopped. Yet, he did not beg or plead or demand. He revealed his greatest need and turned his will over to God's and Christ's. He was willing to accept that there was a possibility that even though Christ had the power to heal him, that He might not for reasons of His own. He accepted that meekly and was willing to submit to whatever his Savior saw fit to do. He had such faith that not only did he believe that he could be healed, he believed that God's plan was greater than his personal desires.
And how did Jesus respond? "Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean" (Matt 8:3) Jesus didn't have to touch him. He could have just said "be thou clean". He didn't even need to say anything. He could have just healed him without moving or saying anything. But He reached out and touched this man who had leprosy. This man had probably been without any sort of physical affection for a long time as a result of his disease. No one without the disease would touch him and it was probably to painful for those who were afflicted to do so. Christ put forth his hand in blessing, a sign of His affection and love and most likely one of the only affection that had been shown to him for years. Christ not only healed the leper of his leprosy, He healed him of spiritual wounds as well. When Christ looked at the man, he saw not just the disease, but the man suffering behind it. He had compassion on one scorned by the rest of the world and healed him, body and spirit.
When I read this story, I try to imagine myself in the leper's place. Would I have that kind of faith? Would I be able to endure all that he had endured and still believe? Would I have the faith to be healed? Would I be able to trust in God so completely? Am I able to turn my will over to God's today?
I also imagine myself as part of the crowd who watched. Would I have shunned him too? Would I have been able to see past the disease to the suffering man? Am I able to that today? When I look at those around me, am I able to look past whatever their outward appearance may be and have compassion on the struggling spirit inside?
In studying this moment of Christ's recorded life, I am inspired by the absolute faith and trust of the man who came and sought Christ to heal him and by Christ's compassionate response in return. I am inspired to put my whole trust in my Savior and I am inspired to have more compassion. The powerful messages contained in these three verses have touched my heart and I hope that they can touch yours as well.
