Matthew 8: 1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.
And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.
Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
And Jesus said to him, See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.
After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus healed this man from leprosy. The man believed He could heal him, but said, If you are willing. He left the choice to Jesus. And Jesus was willing, so He cleansed him.
The Law of Moses, that God gave on Mount Sinai, was the basis of all the laws the Jews of Jesus' day observed. Jesus told this man to do just what the Law of Moses said to do: to have the priest examine him to see that he was healed, and then offer the sacrifice, according to Leviticus 14:1-32, The law of the Leper in the Day of his Cleansing. This was a whole process, over a week of time, to assure that the leprosy was gone.
The leaders of that day may have been observing other rites in addition to this specific routine, so Jesus told him to just follow what Moses had written.
But not to advertise Jesus' healing him.
Jesus seemed to have dealt with this kind of situation on a case-by-case basis; as He wanted the demoniac to stay and tell his friends what God had done for him (Mark 5:19) instead of going with Him; and He never did let any of the demons He cast out testify of His divinity.
He told this man not to tell, but he went out and told everyone, anyway; and the result was that Jesus was mobbed, and couldn't even enter a town, but had to stay out in the fields where the people came out to Him (Mark 1:45).
Jesus was the Lord God, the Creator, and had authority over disease, sickness, paralysis, demons, mental illness, physical illness, and emotional bondage. As well as Nature; the wind, the waves, the storm at sea.
But He was also human; and as such He needed to eat and rest as we all do. And when this healed leper went out telling everyone that Jesus healed him, they came out in droves, and severely hampered Jesus' movements.
O my Father, thank You for telling us all the stories, all the personalities of the Heroes of the Faith.
Thank You for sending Your own Son, that He could be God to be the eternal Person Who could pay our eternal debt in Time; and also be human to qualify to die our human death for each one of us to save us, freeing us from the power sin has over us to enslave us. His power, the power of Almighty God, wins the victory over all our enemies: sickness, weakness, disability, poverty, addiction; and death itself.
The power of Your might wins every battle, enables every inability, finances every need in our poverty, and satisfies our every yearning in every area of living in this World.
And when we delight ourselves in You, O Lord, You put Your desires in our hearts, to yearn for what You delight in giving to us to enjoy. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and You enjoy seeing our good and benefit.
Father, I know how much I enjoy seeing my own children doing what is right and prospering and enjoying life; so I know that, as our Father, You also want us to enjoy all the benefits You lavished upon us in this Earth You designed for us.
Help us to know Your ways, Father, to delight ourselves in You, and to expect You to lavish upon us all the blessings You know we will enjoy. And strengthen us to stand before the enemy and his minions in the time of battle, to win Your victory over evil and want and weakness.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess Your majesty and authority and strength and riches and glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
