Ten Miracles in Matthew 8 and 9 (1)—The Healing of the Leper - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

And behold, a leper came up to Him and did Him homage, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou art able to cleanse me.
Matthew 8:2

Ten Miracles in Matthew 8 and 9 (1)—The Healing of the Leper
Although leprosy was a sickness, the characteristic biblical word to describe it was not "unwell" but "unclean." In Old Testament typical teaching, leprosy speaks of the uncleanness of sin.

One prominent feature of Matthew's Gospel is dispensational teaching—that is, things concerning God's ways with Israel, His ways with the Gentiles, and His future plans for Christ connected with this earth. In the leper, Israel is shown to be unclean. For centuries the unclean spirit of idolatry had characterized that nation, until their captivity in Babylon (Mt. 12:43-45). But after that, seven other forms of uncleanness marked them, as indicated by the seven defiant questionings in the prophecy of Malachi. "Wherein hast Thou loved us?" (Mal. 1:2) was the first of these.

The leper here had no doubts about the Lord's ability. He clearly confessed, "Thou art able." The word here translated "able" is the word from which we get "dynamite." What he recognized was that the Lord Jesus had power. The first thing we thus learn about God in Christ, in this series of miracles, is His power. The leper trusted the power of His hand, but he was not so sure about the willingness of His heart. His "if Thou wilt" was answered by the Lord's "I will": words that accompanied His stretched out hand. His heart and His hand moved in perfect harmony.

We need to learn more about ourselves, and we need to learn more about Christ. By nature we are unclean. But He has power. He can cleanse us so that we may follow and serve Him. And more than that, it is His heart that motivates the action of His hand.

Greg Quail
[His] love is as great as His power,

And knows neither measure nor end!

Joseph Hart