Extraordinary Pictures of Christ’s Power & Authority. Part 1: The Leper | The Book of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom | Matthew 8:1-4 | Pastor J. M. Lee
The Book of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 41:12
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Good morning! Go ahead and grab your Bible and turn to Matthew 8:1-4.
If you are visiting with us, we are making our way through the Gospel according to Matthew and this morning we are considering Matthew 8:1-4. When you find it in your Bible and if you are able to I would like to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word.
Matthew 8:1–4 (CSB)
1 When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 Right away a man with leprosy came up and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
This is the Word of the Lord: Praise Be to God
Let’s Pray
We live in a world that can be described as dark….broken…and desolate. Amidst the uncertainties of life….where tomorrow's promises feel shrouded in doubt… and the brokenness of relationships leave our hearts wounded and weary….despair whispers its relentless tune, echoing in the depths of our souls. This is especially true as we grapple with the weight of sickness, pain, loss, and disappointment. The truth is…deep down….every person grapples with the reality that things are not as they should be…and …it’s in this darkness that the shadow of sin attempts to entangle us in its grip. Resulting in overwhelming guilt, shame, and fear.
Yet, in the midst of this profound darkness, there shines a ray of hope….a glimmer of peace…there is a light piercing through this gloom…illuminating our path and offering refuge for our weary souls.
This light… as Matthew tells us……emanates from none other than Christ Jesus Himself.
Matthew 4:13–16 (CSB)
13 He (Jesus) left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 16 The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
The Sun has risen!! Friends …you might be living in the shadow of death….perhaps you have only known darkness and despair……and this morning I stand before you to tell you that a great light had dawned and His name is Jesus!
Now….How was the light shining in the darkness? Well…the light of Jesus was shining… both in terms of His words and his ways…by what He said and by what He did…in other words….the light shined through Christ’s proclamation and through His works.
Consider how the light shined through the words of Jesus in the Sermon On The Mount…. a proclamation that resulted in the crowd being overwhelmed by the power and authority of Christ’s words…for what they heard was unlike anything they had ever heard.
And now…as Jesus comes down from preaching on the mountain…Matthew provides us with a series of miracles that clearly display the power and the authority of Jesus.…you see….in chapters 5-7 the light shined in the darkness through Christ’s words…and in chapters 8-10 the light shines in the darkness through Christ’s actions…..and again.…the crowds are overwhelmed as they witness Jesus doing things unlike anything they had ever seen before or even thought possible.
I am reminded of what Jesus says in John 14:11.…Jesus said,
John 14:11 (CSB)
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.
In other words…Jesus says, “believe in me because of what I tell you…but if you can’t believe solely based upon what I have said then at least believe based on what you are seeing.” In other words….the works of Jesus testify to the truthfulness of His words and in Matthew 8:1-4 we are introduced to the first of three consecutive miracles that testify to who Jesus is and what He came to do for the broken and weary soul.
And…this morning….. we are going to consider and seek to understand the first miracle…Christ’s cleansing of the leper…..through four extraordinary movements. Beginning with #1….
1. The Extraordinary Draw of Jesus v.1
Matthew 8:1 (CSB)
1 When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.
Picture the scene…. Jesus… after delivering His profound sermon……He walks down the hillside…. followed by large crowds of people…..eagerly awaiting to hear His next word and to see what he does next.
But….who exactly are these people? Where did they come from? ….and… Why were they so drawn to Him? Well…remember back to Matthew 4…..
Matthew 4:23–25 (CSB)
23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Word got out: a new teacher had arrived, one whose wisdom and authority surpassed anything they had ever encountered before. But it wasn't just His teachings that captivated the masses; it was the miraculous healings that accompanied His ministry.
Friends and family members relayed stories of the blind receiving sight, the deaf hearing, and the crippled walking—testimonies that ignited a spark of hope in the hearts of those desperate for relief. Who was this guy!?!!? Well…they had to find out….. perhaps he can help me…heal me…cure me…and so……from every corner of the region—from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan—people flocked to Jesus, their hearts overwhelmed with burdens too heavy to bear alone.
Think about it……they didn’t have the same modern healthcare and medical expertise that we have access to… if we get sick or if there’s an emergency …well….there’s an urgent care on every corner…but…this wasn’t the case for these people….many of them had no answer to their sickness..…they had no relief from their pain…….and so…having heard rumors of hope …..rumors that the one prophesied about long ago …the long awaited messiah had arrived ….and He was banishing sickness with every step he took……well….as you can imagine…..they did everything in their power to get themselves or their sick family member to Him……they journeyed from far and wide..….traversing rugged terrain and braving the elements…all in search of the one who they heard held the power to heal and restore them.
You see…. it was not only their desperation and their longing for restoration that drove them to Galilee in search for Jesus…but it was also their faith….that ..… maybe…..just maybe….if this new teacher was willing ….He could offer them the relief they so desperately longed for. This is the extraordinary draw of Jesus.
And now…having heard of His healing power….and now….having experienced the power and authority that Jesus demonstrated through His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount….these large crowds follow Him down the mountain…..and on the road to Capernaum……He is stopped by one who many considered …not only without hope…but past the point of help….and this man…well…. he shocks everyone with the most extraordinary plea to Jesus.
2 . The Extraordinary Plea to Jesus
Look at v. 2
Matthew 8:2 (CSB)
2 Right away a man with leprosy came up and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
In the ancient world… few afflictions evoked as much fear and dread as leprosy. Leprosy encompassed a wide range of skin conditions, including what we now know as Hansen’s Disease. Nowadays, if caught early, Hansen’s Disease can be treated, but back then, it was a different story altogether.
Consider the plight of those afflicted by this devastating condition. Their bodies covered with discolored patches of skin, tingling with numbness as nerves succumbed to damage. Their muscles weakened and even paralyzed. Imagine the frustration of not feeling your hands, feet, or face, making it impossible to detect injury or infection. And tragically, even minor cuts or scrapes could spiral into life-threatening infections, wreaking havoc on your already fragile body.
The foul stench of infection would fill the air…providing you with a constant reminder of your deteriorating health. Your skin, organs, and limbs degenerated, leading to the terrifying prospect of your fingers, toes, nose, and ears falling off. But the horror didn't stop there…..you see…..leprosy showed no mercy, robbing its victims of sight and even the ability to breathe freely.
So you can understand the panic at the slightest hint of a rash or irritation. “What could this be?!” Can you imagine the worry—“Will this rash clear up, or are my fingers going to fall off?”
But in His grace, God provided a process for diagnosing leprosy. The priests, following God's instructions in Leviticus 13, served as a sort of pseudo dermatologist. Sometimes they were able to make an immediate diagnosis, but other times, it was uncertain, which would lead to a seven- or fourteen-day periods of isolation. And at the end of this time, if the condition hadn't improved or if it had spread, the verdict was clear—you would be announced unclean, considered a leper, and kicked out of the community.
Now, understand, it wasn't just the physical symptoms of leprosy that made it so unbearable and terrifying….It was the fact that you would be ostracized by society, shunned and isolated from your family and friends. Just imagine the anguish of being cast out, deemed unclean, and cursed by God. You see, leprosy was also a spiritual condemnation that cut far deeper than any physical pain.
Imagine being forced to tear your clothes…forced to let your hair hang loose…forced to social distance …..and forced to cover your mouth and yell out “Unclean, Unclean!”
You were not only considered to be a social outcast but you were looked at as the walking dead…and the only way to reverse your new reality was if you were miraculously healed…and a miracle it would be …for it was known ….that only God could heal leprosy.
We see the process in Leviticus 14…. which states that….if God did in fact heal you……you were to go to the priest….who would ….once again….examine you and if you were in fact healed…he would declare you clean through a series of offerings and sacrifices which ….don’t miss this…..included a sin offering!!
Now…..it's crucial to note that the Bible doesn't say that leprosy was a result …or an effect of sin. Sin did not cause leprosy. However….. the Bible does use leprosy as a powerful metaphor for sinfulness…the Bible talks about leprosy in a way to remind us of our sinfulness……and that’s why the cleansing rituals involved sin offerings
You see….God is Sovereign over everything…and He designed all of this to illustrate the profound spiritual truth—that sin brings brokenness, pain, and isolation. In other words…..just as leprosy separated individuals from their community…. sin separates us from God and from one another.
And it’s because of this reality that Matthew says…..
Matthew 8:2 (CSB)
2 Right away a man with leprosy came up ….
This phrase…..“Right away”….can more accurately be translated as, “Behold!” or “Look!”
Matthew wants us to be shocked ….he wants us to be in awe of the fact that this leprous man approaches Jesus! In other words…. “Can you believe the bravery of this ceremonial unclean…physically disgusting….social outcast!? Can you believe his faith and his willingness to approach Jesus and violate the social norms and faith practices?!?!”
Now…we don’t know if this man was covering his mouth…. we don’t know if he was yelling, “unclean, unclean!” But …we can be sure that the crowds surrounding Jesus were both terrified of this man and disgusted by his appearance and his smell. We can be sure that people were backing up….grabbing their wives…grabbing their children… gasping ….murmuring…cursing….think about it….. what did we learn through Covid? Well….we leaned that people can lose their mind….they can become very afraid, irrational, and even rude when they believe that you are putting their health at risk.
So…here is a man that is supposed to be social distancing…. a man whose family, friends, and community already treated as dead…and this man…well…he may have been helpless but he was not hopeless for he came right up to Jesus…
Matthew 8:2 (CSB)
2 ….and knelt before him….
Now…this man kneeling before Jesus…this wasn’t just a sign of respect…or some sort of formality…no…the word here is proskyneo….which means, “to bow down in worship”…in Luke’s account (Lk 5:12) we read that he fell facedown before Jesus in worship, and cried out…He begged Jesus…..
Matthew 8:2 (CSB)
2 “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Understand….this leper knows…he knows who Jesus is…he is aware of Christ’s power and authority and he is absolutely certain that IF Jesus wants to…. He has the power to heal him.
“IF you are willing……if you want to… I know that you have the AUTHORITY …I know that you have the POWER to cleanse me of this incurable disease and so I submit to your sovereign will!”
In other words….the only barrier to me walking away clean in this moment is what you are or are not willing to do.
Notice that the man does not say, “Jesus…heal me because this is unfair! I did nothing to deserve this. Jesus, heal me because I have been faithful to you…consider how good I am…how faithful I am…how smart and religious I am!” NO! HE does not argue for healing based on his merits at all…rather….with a heart of humility and a posture of worship he appeals alone to the power and the willingness of Jesus’s for his healing….what an extraordinary appeal!
3. The Extraordinary Love and Affection of Jesus v3
Look at verse 3….
Matthew 8:3 (CSB)
3 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Mark’s account says,
Mark 1:41 (CSB)
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.”
Imagine this poor soul…..suffering …scared of dying a terrible death. However, as soon as he approached Jesus….Jesus rewarded him with love. Jesus didn’t have a look of disgust…Jesus wasn’t afraid or put off by this man….Jesus wasn’t even annoyed by the interruption…. you see….while everyone else looked at this man in disgust…while everyone else hurried past this man and avoided eye contact with him…Jesus was moved with compassion.
Have you ever been overwhelmed by emotion? Well….your heart swells…your eyes begin to water as tears flow freely down your face. When you are overwhelmed with emotion it’s as if your whole being is stirred. In the same way…Jesus is being moved to His core with genuine empathy and compassion for this man…and as He looks Him in his eyes…a simple act of kindness that this man had not experienced in a while…Jesus’s gaze communicated, “I know you are in pain…. I know you have suffered physically. I know the emotional and mental anguish your isolation has caused you. I know people treat you as if you are a garbage dumb, but I don’t look down on you. I care for you. I feel for you.”
And brothers and sisters…this is exactly how Jesus looks at you….friend…understand that Jesus is ready to meet you in your sorrows..He is ready to meet you in your despair and distress….for ….He understand your pain and He is moved with compassion for you.
Think about it….Jesus didn’t owe this man anything …yet…. he met him in the middle of his lonely journey with a touch…no one else would have dared to touch him. Peter, James, John, and the rest would have recoiled in horror…especially at the reality that they would be ceremonially unclean….but Jesus…contrary to expectation…He doesn’t catch the leper’s contamination… rather…. the leper catches Jesus’ purity and health.
Now…think about how amazing this is! Jesus…He had the power to heal him with a word…he had the power to heal him from afar…..yet…. Jesus reaches out and He touched him….imagine how incredible and uplifting that touch was…for perhaps it was the first time in a long time this man felt compassion and love through another persons touch….let alone being touched by the Son of God….who then says to Him those amazing words of mercy he so longed for…those words he so desperately hoped for….Jesus sovereignly and powerful declared……with divine authority He said, “I am willing; be made clean!!!” and immediately the man’s leprosy was gone….his fingers and toes grew back…his paralysis was gone…the stench of infection dissipated for the sores were no more!!!
Friend….understand….Jesus will never turn away anyone who is seeking after him. Perhaps this morning you walked through the doors to this school hurting and worn out….maybe right now…you feel worthless …helpless and unsteady…..the truth is you are a sinner in need of a savior and Jesus is saying to you …right now…. “I AM WILLING!” Friend Jesus has the power to conquer your despair…..He has the power to drive away your depression…He is moved with compassion for you and He is willing to give you rest…to comfort you..to provide you with a firm foundation and to flood your soul with His mercy and grace.
You see….if His willingness can cleanse the leper of his spots and make him whole then His willingness can cleanse the leprosy of your sin and make you whole….friend…listen to me….salvation is for you…yes…even you….and this morning Jesus is willing to cleanse you..to be your ally…to be your defender…to be your justifier…to be your friend…and to be your savior. Come to Him this morning in repentance and faith…and find rest and healing in The Extraordinary Love and Affection of Jesus.
4. The Extraordinary Wisdom of Jesus v4
Matthew 8:4 (CSB)
4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Can you imagine it? Jesus has just healed you, and then He says, "Now, don't you go telling anyone!" What?! Are you serious?! Yes, indeed. But why? Well, because you've shown faith in me, and now I want you to obey me—and to obey me is to obey God's Word. Remember Leviticus 14? It instructs you to go to the priest, have them check you out, offer your sacrifices and offerings, and have them declare you cleansed so you can be reinstated back into the community of faith. After the cross and resurrection, we'll do away with Mosaic cleansing rituals, but for now, even those rituals testify to me. They witness that someone greater than Moses is here. They witness that the kingdom of heaven is breaking into the world. They witness that the Christ has come!
Remember what Jesus said just moments ago up on that hillside? He said,
Matthew 5:17 (CSB)
17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Even though Jesus healed this man, He still wanted him to obey the Law of Moses. Why? Well, for two reasons.
First, Jesus was not only moved by compassion for this man's physical well-being but also for his emotional and spiritual well-being! By going to the priests and having them declare him cleansed, he would no longer have to isolate himself. He could return to his family, his friends, and once again go to the temple to worship God! You see…Jesus not only healed his body but cleansed his soul!
The second reason why Jesus wants this man to obey the Law of Moses is because the Law powerfully testifies and points to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who had come to rescue and redeem sinners. But….. Jesus knew that although He had arrived …even though His ministry had already started…. it was still not time for Him to go to the cross.
And the truth is…. If He went around advertising that He is the King and introducing Himself as the long awaited Messiah….well….people would have forcibly made him king and expected Him to overthrow the Roman government…or…he would had been killed by the Roman government for claiming to be King……a process that began when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey on Palm Sunday…..which eventually led Him to die on cross….. but….. at this point …it wasn’t time….a truth that showed the Extraordinary Wisdom of Jesus.
So…we have the extraordinary draw of Jesus…the extraordinary appeal to Jesus…the extraordinary love and affection of Jesus…and the extraordinary wisdom of Jesus …and my last thought…..I would like to close with us considering how these four verses serves as an Extraordinary Illustration Of Christ’s Mercy To Us.
Brothers and sisters….we were all once spirtual lepers….and if you do not know Christ today….this is your reality…you are a spiritual leper. You see… you and I were born into this world with an incurable spiritual disease….a disease called sin which in effect burdens and buries each if us in guilt, shame, fear, and the righteous judgement of God.
The Apostle Paul says it like this in Ephesians 2:1-3
Ephesians 2:1–3 (CSB)
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
Friends…we are born into this world with a heart of stone, we are spiritually blind and deaf…we are haters of God… .we are haters of one another.…… we are selfish…cruel….and prideful creatures….and as a result we estranged from God… deserving of His wrath…we are darkened in our understanding, hopelessly biased against God’s truth, trusting in ourselves for our salvation, and functionally dead in our trespasses and sin.
Like the leper …there is nothing we can do to change our condition…there is nothing we can do to heal ourselves…..our only hope for cleansing is for us to run to Jesus in humility and in a posture of worship and say, “Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean.” You see…our only hope is God’s willingness to show us mercy, to cleanse us from our sin, and save us.
Friends…I have good news for you….Jesus has come near to us to save us… the eternal Son of God entered the very world He made and that He that we ruined….He became a man to save sinners…. Jesus….100% divine and 100% human…He lived a sinless life among sinners… he never had a sinful thought..…He never had a sinful desire…he never uttered one sinful word…or commited one sinful act…but rather…He lived completely obedient to God’s good rule and reign… He was sinless… and then…He voluntarily laid down His life as a substitute for us on the Cross….where He suffered completely what was necessary for anyone…forever…who will come to Him by faith.
Ephesians 2:4–5 (CSB)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
Ephesians 2:8 (CSB)
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
Salvation….God’s grace, and the very faith required…are all God’s gift to you….God gifts you faith…He gifts you the ability to recognize who He is….He gifts you the ability to believe the truth about what He has done to save sinners…He gifts you with the ability to mourn your sin..to know what you deserve and to then humbly throw yourself at the feet of Jesus for mercy.
And the good news for sinners like us is that Jesus is merciful! God is in fact very good and He keeps His promises and in keeping with the promise of the gospel…. we can be confident that through Christ our sins…past, present, and future sins have truly been forgiven….we can rest in the truth that Jesus Christ is the Ally of his enemies..that He is the Defender of the guilty….He is the Justifier of the inexcusable… and He is the Friend and the Savior of sinners…our lives have truly been transformed and what God has done in our lives He can do for any sinner who will come to Jesus. Will you come to Jesus? Sinner I beg you to cast yourself on the mercy of God….for His son Jesus…will have compassion on you..He will save you…He will forgive you of your sins and give you life eternally with Him.
Lets Pray