Tag Archives: Leprosy

The Compassion of Christ

Posted on by under Love of God

Jesus Heals Leper     Many of us cannot imagine what it would be like to have to live as a leper in ancient times.  Just take a moment to consider what our mental and emotional state would be if we knew we had a disease that could not be cured and that mandated that we be isolated.  Lepers could not live among their loved ones, due to the disease being contagious.  They had to live in separate colonies.  They had to pass by people on the other side of the street and yell out “unclean,” so no one would come near them.  Certainly, no one would ever touch a leper.

     Now notice what Matthew records for us with regards to one who was a leper in ancient times. “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:2-3, NKJV).  In this event Jesus is shown to have power that mortal men do not have.  Leprosy was an incurable disease, but Jesus had the power to heal this man.  We might also notice that the miracle Jesus performed did not take time to become effective, but that the cure to this man’s leprosy was immediate.  Therefore, there can be no doubt as to how the man was healed.

     There is another aspect of this occasion, however, that is often overlooked.  That is the compassion of Christ.  As previously noted, lepers could not have any physical contact with others, but look at what Jesus did.  The Bible says that Jesus reached out His hand and touched this man.  It can be seen in other miracles that Jesus performed that the touching of this man was unnecessary in order to heal him.  Indeed, Jesus later healed the Centurion’s servant from a distance.  So why did Jesus reach out and touch him?  I believe that Jesus touched him to show His compassion on this man.  Christ has compassion for His children.

     Perhaps you have something in your life that no one else can help you with, and you need compassion too.  Maybe you need that comfort that only God can afford.  We invite you to come and see the compassion of the Christ, to learn more about Him, and to become a child of God by being born again (John 1:12-13; 3:3-7).

A Desired Result

Posted on by under Article

WaxOnWaxOff     In the 1984 movie The Karate Kid, a young boy who is tired of being bullied comes to Mr. Miyagi to learn karate.  While training him, Mr. Miyagi is shown to have some strange teaching methods.  He has Daniel wash and wax his vehicles, sand the floor of his deck, and paint his fence.  When Daniel doubts that he has learned anything useful, Mr. Miyagi shows him what the motions that his muscles have memorized can do to help him defend himself.

     In the Bible we can read of a similar situation.  Naaman, a commander of the army of Syria, came to Israel to seek out the prophet Elisha in order to be healed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-8).  As he approached Elisha’s house he was met by a messenger who had come from Elisha.  The messenger told Naaman that in order to be cured of his leprosy he must dip in the Jordan seven times (2 Kings 5:9-10).

     Naaman was furious.  He thought that Elisha would wave his hand all over the place and make a great show in calling on the name of God.  Instead, Elisha has sent his word by a messenger.  To top it all off, Naaman was told to dip in the dirty Jordan river, not the much better rivers back home in Syria (2 Kings 5:11-12).  Nevertheless, Naaman did what the prophet instructed him to do, and his leprosy was healed (2 Kings 5:13-14).  Like Daniel with Mr. Miyagi, Naaman learned that simple obedience produced a desired result.

     How is it with us?  Do we expect to be tapped on the shoulder by God and told what to do?  At one time God spoke with man either directly or through the prophets, but now He speaks to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).  Jesus’ message for salvation is simple, “he who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16a NKJV).  We may be looking for a grander scheme, but why not simply obey what God has said to do.  After all, it worked out pretty well for Naaman!