Leprosy, today called Hansen's disease after the man who discovered its root cause, is not a rotting infection as it was thought from biblical times to the early 2oth century, nor are the horrible outward physical deformities directly imposed by the infection. The research of doctor and missionary Paul Brand as well as others has proven that the disfigurement associated with Hansen's disease results solely from the destruction of the body's warning system of pain. As such the disease causes a complete numbness to the extremities as well as to the ears, eyes and nose. The devastation that follows comes from unnoticed trauma to the affected areas which can be as subtle as washing one's face and hands with water that is too hot or walking on surfaces that are too warm on a hot summer day. Or from gripping a hoe too tightly while working in the fields or even from wearing one's shoes too snugly or from stepping on sharp objects without notice. Ultimately, great trauma is done to the hands, feet and face causing them to become mere stumps. Dr. Brand calls the disease a "painless hell," and it truly is.
The unfortunate man that Jesus met in Matthew 8:1-3 as He came down from the mountain had not been able to feel for years. His body was mutilated from head to toe and was foul and rotting. We can hardly imagine the humiliation and isolation of a leper's life [see Leviticus 13:45]. He was ostracized from society and had to assume a disheveled appearance. And then there was the ultimate degradation, having to cry "Unclean! Unclean!" whenever he came in range of the normal population. Lepers were typically beggars as there was little else they could do. Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, summed it up by saying that lepers were treated "as if they were, in effect, dead men."
In addition to this, it was thought that those who had leprosy had contracted it because of some great personal sin. People jumped to this erroneous conclusion because in past history such people as Miriam, King Uzziah, and Gehazi had been judged with leprosy. In reality, however, the plight of the leper more illustrated the effect of sin than it portrayed its root cause as the leper was not any more or less sinful than anyone else.
Moreover, now that the microbiology and pathophysiology of leprosy has been fully elucidated [a slow, progressive infection of the peripheral neural tissue by a bacterium in the tuberculosis family, Mycobacterium leprae] we now see the leper as a parable of sin -- an outward and visible sign of innermost corruption. The leper is the physical illustration of the heart of every human being! If for a moment we could see a visible incarnation of ourselves apart from the cleansing work of Christ, we would see ourselves as the walking dead -- forms dead in their trespasses and sins -- forms trying to cover themselves with filthy rags.
Christ meeting the leper as he descended the mount was no chance encounter. It was divinely orchestrated and choreographed. "When He came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him." A vast throng had attended His teaching, and now they descended the slope together, having heard the greatest sermon ever preached. What a magnificent scene it must have been. But then something startling happened, for Matthew adds, "A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him." No doubt the din of the descending multitude was considerable, but above it, persistent and clear, was heard "Unclean! Unclean!" The leper steadily made his way to Jesus as the people fell back on either side, fearing contamination. Perhaps some cursed him, but he kept coming until he was almost to Jesus, crying the refrain of his pitiful life -- "Unclean! Unclean!" Then the Master was face to face with foul, decaying leper, "covered with leprosy" from head to toe.
Here we see the first and fundamental qualification for obtaining the healing touch of Jesus -- an awareness of one's condition. The poor man not only said he was unclean -- he knew he was. Moreover, he saw himself as perfectly hopeless. There was nothing he could do to help himself. Everyone else had probably given up on him too. His many years of illness probably meant that even some, if not most, in his family had ceased praying for him. He was painfully aware of his condition, and in this he exemplified the blessed spiritual awareness found in the very first words of Christ's great sermon: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" [Matthew 5:3, 4].
The man had spent years mourning his condition. The pitiful refrain, "Unclean! Unclean!" had shaped his whole psyche and no doubt that very theological truth had permeated his heart as well. He acknowledged there was nothing within him that would commend him to God. He was thus in the perfect posture to receive grace! God does not come to the self-sufficient, those who think they have no need or imagine that they can make it own their own. He comes to the bankrupt in spirit, those who mourn their condition. It is entirely possible and even probable that the leper had been sitting beyond the range of the crowd and had been galvanized by Jesus' opening words and His masterful argument that followed. The Holy Spirit caused the truth to pierce his heart and brought him to Jesus as his only hope.
This, too, is the only way that we can come to Christ -- saying, "Unclean! Unclean!" If we come saying, "only partially unclean" or "50% clean," He will not receive us.
We see the second qualification in the first sentence of verse 2: "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him." We see here worshipful submission. The word translated "knelt" takes us into the leper's heart. According to R. Kent Hughes, the basic meaning of the work in early Greek literature was "to kiss," as in kissing the earth as one lay prostrate before the gods. Luke goes further, telling us "he fell on his face" [5:12] which enhances the picture. He worshiped Christ as the only possible source of his healing. The lesson is clear. Christ's healing does not come with casual, irreverent acknowledgment. It comes as we bow before Him in realization that He is our only hope.
The third factor in obtaining the healing touch of Christ is faith. The leper demonstrated remarkable faith as he came and knelt before Christ then said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." In the original, Mark indicates that he said this several times. Consider the significance of his statement, "You can make me clean." He believed that Jesus could save even him. Often when a person is under the conviction of sin, he secretly fears that he is beyond God's grace. But not the leper.
As the leper lay at Jesus' feet before the multitude, Jesus looked at the leper in a way that the man had never been looked at before. Mark 1:41 says that Jesus was "moved with compassion." Jesus felt the man's pain. Then came the sublime apex of the encounter: "Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man." Perhaps it had been twenty or even thirty years since the leper had been touched by a non-leprous hand. But Christ reached out and touched him. Moreover, the Greek implies more than a casual touch but more like "to take hold of." So at the very least, Christ firmly placed His hand on the leper if He did not embrace him outright. How beautiful Christ is! He did not have to do that. He could have just spoken a word or simply willed the healing. But He chose to lay His hands on the poor man right there in front of the multitude. No doubt the onlookers were appalled and the disciples were likely shocked. Jesus was now ceremonially unclean -- and who knew if He, himself, would not contract the disease.
Why would Jesus do this? Jesus' touch showed that He identified with this man. His touch showed in a literal, tangible way that He was with him, that He understood. But beside the human reasons, there was also an overshadowing theological reason. The touch of Jesus' pure hand on the rotting flesh of the leper was a parable of the Incarnation. In the Incarnation, Jesus took on our flesh, then became sin for us, though He Himself never sinned. Jesus took on our flesh, our sins and our filth. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" [2 Corinthians 5:21]. Jesus lay hold of our flesh and touch us and healed us.
The leper's healing was dramatic. "Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' He said. 'Be clean.' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." The cleansing was instantaneous. Moreover, it was not some unverifiable case of a mysterious backache or headache going away or of hearing being restored. Everyone saw it -- the face, the brows, the eyelashes, the nose, the ears were all immediately restored. The claw-like hands and the stubs the man called feet were completely whole. No doubt the whole crowd erupted in cheers as the realization of what had just happened set in! We can only guess how the leper reacted. He no longer had to cry out, "Unclean! Unclean!" but more likely changed his refrain to "I'm clean! I'm clean!" And this is what God can do for us as well in a mere split second of belief.
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