I Am A Leper

And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:2 (ESV)

These words were unusual to hear from the mouths of a leper. Because according to the Mosaic Law, “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.” Leviticus 13:45-46 (ESV)

But this leper instead of shouting ‘I am unclean’, implores Jesus to make him clean. We can learn quite a lot of lessons from this incident and apply them to our lives.

May be we are not lepers physically, but have leprous hearts, that is, unclean hearts. Though our hearts are unclean, on the contrary we claim that we are clean. We not only claim, we shout and say to the world that ‘nothing is wrong in me’. In those days a leper was supposed to live outside the camp, that is not with people. But these days though our hearts are leprous, we not only live among others, we try to boast ourselves by our associations that we have with those respected in the society and in the church.

What makes us unclean?

The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. Matthew 12:35 (ESV)

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone. Matthew 15:18-20 (ESV)

The lepers in the Old Testament times were detested by others in the society and they were forbidden from entering the villages and cities. If alone people would see how perverse and wicked our thoughts are, will we receive the same welcome and respect?

Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Luke 12:2 (ESV)

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (ESV)

We need to ask two questions to ourselves:

How is my heart today?

Am I desperate to become clean in my heart?

If we constantly check our hearts like David,

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)

we will become after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14 (ESV)

Jesus is willing to cleans us even today and right now! “And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matthew 8:3 (ESV)

After healing the leper Jesus told the leper to show himself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded. Because in the Old Testament times the priests were the ones who were to certify whether a person is clean or unclean and the Law commanded certain others things too.

And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Leviticus 14:11 (ESV)  The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Leviticus 14:14 (ESV) And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord. Leviticus 14:18 (ESV) And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord. Leviticus 14:28-29 (ESV)

The leper was presented by the priest before the Lord and the blood of the guilt offering was sprinkled & the oil put on the ear, thumb, toe and on the head of the leper, to make atonement for him.

We have a High Priest – Jesus Christ,

“he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:12-14 (ESV)

Also we do not require the oil, because we have the Immanuel (meaning ‘God with us’) living within us, who is the Christ, this word being derived from the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ which means literally ‘covered in oil’.

The Bible too asks us a question:

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV)

Let us check our hearts today and seek Christ to cleanse us!

In Mark we read that Jesus told this leper not to say anything to anyone. “But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. Mark 1:45 (ESV)

A person who is cleansed inside cannot keep the good news inside! May the spirit of this leper grasp us too!

Desperate hearts, dying for Jesus,

Clean hearts, cleaving onto Jesus;

Cleansed hearts, calling people unto Jesus.