mat 08v02 The Lord and the Leper

 

 

THE LORD AND THE LEPER

 

“Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Matthew 8:2

 

                The cleansing of this leper is recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Surely the Holy Spirit intends for us to learn some specific lesson from it. This leper is held up as an example of the way in which a sinner must approach the Lord in order to obtain mercy. Let me show you how this man came to Christ.

1.                     This Leper Came To Christ With A Deep Sense of His Personal Need. He was a leper. According to the law, he was unclean, corrupt, and defiled. He was an outcast of society. Luke tells us that he was “full of leprosy”. There was no covering for his disease. From head to toe, he was defiled. The sure result of his disease was death. He could not help himself; and no one else could or would help him. Do you need Christ?

2.                     This Leper Came To The Lord In Great Humiliation. Mark says, he came “kneeling”. Luke tells us that he fell on his face at the Savior’s feet. He saw who and what he was. He saw who and what Christ is. And he was humbled. The way to Christ is the road of humiliation. If you would go up to heaven, you must come down in repentance.

3.                     This Leper Came To Christ Confessing True Faith. He called Jesus Lord. He knew that Christ is what he claims to be, LORD and KING. And he knew that Christ could do what he claimed. He worshipped the man Christ Jesus as God – “Lord, thou canst make me clean” – Jesus Christ is God. He is Lord and King. He has power sufficient to save your soul.

4.                     This Leper Came To Christ In Total Submission. “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst.” He knew that the sovereign power of Christ is dispensed according to the sovereign will of Christ. He has mercy on whom he will have mercy. He ventured himself upon the sovereign mercy of Christ, saying, Lord, I know you have all power, do for me what you will according to your own great mercy. If he turns me away, I cannot be worse off than I am now. But he can make me whole. I must sue for mercy.

5.                     This Leper Obtained Mercy, And So May You. The Lord said, “I will, be thou clean.” His healing was immediate and complete. God never has turned away one who came to Christ like this.