Sermon for Sunday, June 29th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Lev 13:45-46 ESV] 45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
New Testament Reading:
[Heb 10:19-25 ESV] 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Gospel Reading:
[Mar 1:40-45 ESV] 40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
Sermon Text:
[Mat 8:1-4 ESV] 1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Introduction
“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
We now transition (not only from chapter 7 to chapter 8 but) from something Jesus said to something Jesus DID.
He spoke — he preached — the great Sermon on the Mount.
Now he acts — he heals the leper who said “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
The text places this event – the miraculous healing of the leper – just after the sermon on the mount. We read that “When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.” That is the setting and the context.
The crowd heard his preaching and they were amazed because he taught with authority unlike their scribes. And so they are following him.
But there was one man who wasn’t at the speech. Well, he certainly wasn’t front and center. But perhaps back out of the reach of the crowds, and yet able to hear the faint echo of Jesus’s voice. The leper HEARD Jesus and knew that Jesus held great power.
The leper — like all lepers — was a sort of pariah. Not only did people avoid him, he was legally required to avoid all people.
The law in Leviticus says of the leper “He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.” And the leper is to be clearly seen by his appearance – torn clothes, with hair hanging loose. And he is heard and he cries out the warning to all who might accidentally come near him, “Unclean, unclean.”
And then, the cultural view of the Jews was that leprosy was a “particular mark of God’s displeasure.” (Henry).
That’s a rough spot to be in. A terrible disease. Total isolation. And being told that not even God loves you! I’ve had some bad days, but come on, nothing like this.
But outcasts are the special focus of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
In our passage today Jesus heals a leper.
In the next passage he heals the servant of a GENTILE centurion.
And after that he heals a woman; Peter’s mother-in-law.
These are not people that you expect a rabbi to interact with. But Jesus breaks those cultural barriers and has mercy on these people, healing their various conditions.
I break down what happens next in three points.
In this text we see:
The Will of Christ.
The Power of Christ.
The Command of Christ.
REPEAT: The Will, the Power, and the Command of Christ.
I. The Will of Christ
Our ESV says “a leper came to him and knelt before him..” But that doesn’t really do justice to the Greek. The King James is better in saying “there came a leper and worshipped him.” A commentator notes “The Greek verb is proskenein, and that word is never used of anything but worship of the gods; it always describes a man’s feeling and action in presence of the divine.” (Barclay)
So this leper is recognizing that profound truth that is indicated and spoken of repeatedly in the Gospels: Jesus IS the divine Lord God. The Leper “worships him.” And Jesus never turns away that worship. If Jesus WERE NOT God, here would be his chance to deflect the worship; but rather he accepts it.
The text doesn’t tell us how the leper came to know that Jesus is divine. But it is likely something of his low condition that brings out that revelation. The busy wealthy man is not seeking for God; he has things “under control,” but the leper is desperate. And the desperate man is looking for salvation from all his woes. That is the USUALLY way of a Christian, of a believer. We must first recognize our helplessness and hopelessness; and THEN the spirit of God enters in leading us to faith in the Lord.
Well, the leper “worships” Jesus. The words can be translated something like “kissed the hand” but he certainly did not do that literally. A leper touches no one. (And that is why it is all the more remarkable later when Jesus touches him!)
Well, how does he “worship” Jesus?
There are a number of ways.
1) He worships Jesus in bowing low or kneeling before him; a posture of worship.
2) Then, the leper worships Jesus in calling him “Lord.” “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” This is worship in his spoken word. It is “praise.” The opponents of Jesus never call him Lord; only the believers do. The Pharisees only call Jesus “teacher,” but believers call him Lord.
3) The leper worships Jesus with humility. He doesn’t demand a miracle. He doesn’t even ASK! He just states this truth “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Such faith! Such trust in the Lord! That we should live like that! WE should say “Lord, if you will.” Lord, if you will, take away my pain. Lord, if you will, bless me in this way or that way. That is faith. I’m surprised Jesus didn’t say, like he did elsewhere, “your faith has made you well.”
4). Then, fourthly, the leper worships Jesus in his respect of the power of God. He knows that Jesus CAN heal him, if He wills. We should have trust, confidence like the leper.
So the passage begins with the leper, but the leper himself focuses on Christ. “If YOU will, you can make me clean.”
Here the focus is on the Will of Christ. His is a gracious will, having come not to the “healthy” (for they do not need a doctor), but having come to the sick. He even willingly lays down his life for His people.
II. The Power of Christ
We see then that the WILL of Christ matches with the POWER of Christ.
It wouldn’t do the leper much good if Jesus merely willed him to be healed. Jesus must have the power to do it! And He does have that power. And He does heal the leper.
Similarly, the will of Christ for the salvation of His people coincides with the power of Christ TO SAVE his people. By his power, Jesus saves EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHOM HE WILLS TO SAVE.
Just as Jesus taught with authority, now we find he acts with authority.
He has the authority heal leprosy.
He has the authority to cast out demons.
He has the authority to forgive sins.
And that authority in action shows his power.
Now, I’m not generally one for “feelings.” I’m a logic person. But I noted the feeling of the authority of Jesus’s preaching in the last section. The astonishment the people had, and that astonishment which we share in when we hear the word of God. Well, it also strikes me that there is an awe, an amazement, that comes over us when we hear these words about Jesus’s miracles.
3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Naturally, we SEE that scene ourselves. We can see in our minds eye the Lord touching — actually touching — the leper. The LORD of GLORY. The Holy one of Israel. The pure spotless lamb of God TOUCHES a leper! This would be one of the most shocking statements to the first century mind; those who first heard of this account through the Scriptures.
Jesus touched a leper! AND he was healed!
Maybe … maybe … Jesus would heal me!
Maybe … maybe … Jesus would forgive MY SINS! For they are many, and I am a wretch.
Now, throughout Matthew’s Gospel I’ve been noting arguments as to the fact that Jesus is God.
We’ve already seen him called “Lord” by the leper. We saw him accept worship from the leper. And we see his power to heal. This is a – well, not exactly a fulfillment of prophecy – but a completion of a truth of the Old Testament.
2 Kings 5:7 the king of Israel said “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?” That is, WHO CAN CURE LEPROSY BUT GOD? And you can complete the syllogism. If only God can cure leprosy, and Jesus cures leprosy, then Jesus is God.
So the POWER OF CHRIST is displayed when “immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
No delay.
There was nothing he had to do. That is, nothing that the leper had to do.
This miracle of healing, like salvation, is of the Lord alone. So praise be to God.
III. The Command of Christ
But then in our text we find something, which, for consistency with our other title points, I call “the command of Christ.” We had the Will of Christ, then the Power of Christ, and now the Command of Christ.
Here there is a particular command in view.
And it is part of what is sometimes called “the messianic secret.”
We want to tell everyone about Jesus.
But there was a time where Jesus wanted himself to limit his public visibility.
4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
WHY would Jesus say “see that you say nothing to anyone.”
Reminds me of an old song of Tommy Makem, the Irish musician. He says “Whatever you say, say nothing.” The more extended lyric “Whatever you say, say nothing, when you talk about you-know-what, for if you-know-you should hear, you know what you’ll get.” This sounds like something a New Yorker might say.
But maybe we can figure out what Jesus is talking about. Maybe we can figure out his reasoning hear. Why does he want to be kept a secret?
Or is he even a secret! The crowds, the multitudes, have seen him perform a miracle. The word is going to get out.
In Mark’s version of the story we find an additional detail:
45 But he [the leper] went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
Clearly there was a time in the plan of God for Jesus to be arrested and crucified. So it is not that Jesus is afraid of the authorities, but “his time is not yet.”
In agreement with that idea, a Ligonier articles explains that “Jesus kept His identity hidden” to avoid the wrath of the Roman government before the appointed time.” The same article also notes that tied up in the story is that Jesus wanted to curb the false expectations of those who believed that the messiah would drive a political revolution. That is, Jesus didn’t want to stir up a revolt. That is not why he came.
But clearly he is walking a fine line. Every time he speaks and every time he heals, he draws attention to himself. But in the plan of God — according to his will – Christ’s identity became known to the right people at the right time.
The leper certainly knew that “Jesus is Lord.”
Consider what Jesus says later in chapter 11:
[Mat 11:4-5 ESV] 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
This is proof positive that Jesus is the messiah, and the Lord of the Universe.
Application 1: “Make me clean.”
I want to look more at the leper, for he represents us in many ways.
Our predicament is his predicament; desperately in need of the Lord.
In his statement “you can make me clean” is a request “make me clean.”
That should likewise be our desire and our prayer to the Lord – “make me clean.”
The reality is we are unclean.
We should be crying out “unclean, unclean.”
But we are so unclean, so sinful, we don’t even warn others of us.
And the result of our sin is death.
Leprosy gets worse and worse until you die.
Likewise the consequence of sin is death.
And what hope do we have when we are so REPULSIVE?
If you recognize your repulsiveness — your sinfulness — the Lord is working.
And if your recognize your repulsiveness, the Lord calls you to say “Lord, if you will, make me clean.”
And the Lord says “I will.”
That is the hope that we have; the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ.
We rest on his power, trusting that Christ makes us clean.
We are indeed, recipients of God’s love.
Application 2: The Repulsive are recipients of God’s love.
No matter how repulsive – like the leper, the centurion, and countless other Biblical cases — we who believe are the (however unlikely) recipients of God’s love.
And Jesus takes the punishment on himself.
Touching the leper would make Jesus unclean!
On the cross Jesus took the guilt of our sin. He was counted among sinners so that we might be counted righteous.
This is the great truth of the substitutionary atonement, the very Gospel. It is here in our text as it is in many others. But here we do not only see it spoken, we see it in action. The Lord heals the leper. The Lord forgives you and me.
In the history of the Bible – ever since the cleanliness of laws of the Torah were given – there was NEVER a recorded healing from leprosy. The Jesus came along.
Moses had written two whole chapters on what to do if cleansed from leprosy. Leviticus 13 and 14. But that law had never been fulfilled —those directions never followed through on — because no one had ever been healed by leprosy. In a corner of the temple – the northwest corner (according to a later Jewish document) – a spot was reserved for those who had been healed from leprosy to go and to be declare clean by the priest. But that corner always remained empty. Then, one day, Jesus healed a leper and he went to the temple to show himself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded. The priests must have been shocked.
Such is the shock of the world when a Christian comes to faith. Even a shock to ourselves. The impossible is made possible in Jesus Christ. Sins are forgiven. The power of the Lord is on displayed. He has made us clean.
Conclusion
We cannot clean ourselves of that sin that condemns us, but HE, Jesus Christ, is HE WHO MAKES US CLEAN. So we praise God in Jesus Christ for the salvation we know in Him. Let us pray.