BE THOU CLEAN
Luke 5:12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Would it surprise you to learn that the word “leper” appears first on the pages of the New Testament in the recording of this event? Luke here uses the word, “leprosy,” but Matthew (8:2), and Mark (1:40), give us the word “leper” for the first time on the pages of the New Testament. Then, surprisingly enough, the word, “leper” (singular) does not appear again on the New Testament pages until Matthew 26:6 and Mark 14:3.
And in Luke 4:27, where the word “lepers” (plural) is used, it reveals to us that although there were “many lepers” in Israel at the time of Elisha, none were healed! Luke 4:27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. {It is interesting to notice from this passage that in the study of the word of God we must also take note of what the Lord God did not do, as well as what he did do! For the Sovereign Preacher Himself is drawing this message forth for the people in the synagogue of Nazareth.}
In order for you to find another leper healed, you have to go to Luke chapter seventeen, and read of the ten lepers cleansed of the physical disease, but only one cured of sin! (Luke 17:11-19). As far as we know the nine went to hell with physically healthy bodies!
This Leper’s Fulness: Luke uses the same word to show the complete degree of disease this man had, as he does in verse seven of this chapter to reveal the amount of fish the disciples caught at the word of the Lord. For our word “full” is taken from the Greek word, there translated “filled.” The two ships were so “filled” with fish that they both began to sink! And this poor brother was so “full” of leprosy that his soul sank down in the presence of the Lord!
And that is the spiritual condition of every soul born into this world. He is depraved in every portion of his being. Sin has permeated the entirety of his being. We are all as “full” of sin as this man was of leprosy! Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. And our only hope of cleansing is the blood of the Lamb applied by grace through His gift of faith.
And then we come to notice something strange about this leper. It states that he was “in a certain city.” But according to the law he was not supposed to be within the confines of any city! Leviticus 13:46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. So what was he doing there? Just what was it that brought him in?
Do you remember what the Lord said the kingdom of God was like? Matthew 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: And now observe the verses that precede our passage of Luke five. Luke 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, Be sure you take note of the last phrase in verse 43 – for therefore am I sent. The Lord Jesus Christ is here clearly stating that the reason for his Incarnation was for him to preach the kingdom of God! And those next two verses show that this was exactly what was going on when this leper, like a fish, was drawn into the Lord’s gospel preaching net! (See Eccles. 9:12).
And we find out why he dared to come to this preacher, when he would never have approached a Rabbi! Luke 4:22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And we also read in John 7:46, The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
This Leper’s Face: In our passage listed above it reveals that he fell on his face. And the account in Matthew (8:2), we are informed that he worshipped him! But dear Reader, if the scriptures state that it was worship, then it had to have been by God the Father’s instigation! For there can be no true, spiritual worship except through the Father’s involvement! John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
And every true worshipper immediately becomes aware of his own guilt and shame, expressed by the covering of the face! Moses, Joshua and Elijah all did so! Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
1 Kings 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
For this is the only man to whom the Lord God will look! Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
This Leper’s Faith: According to the tenth chapter of Romans, faith is expressed by our confession. And this leper’s confession reveals to us that he had not the same measure of faith as Abraham. He had the same quality of faith, but not the same degree. For our leper states, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. He had faith that the Lord “could” heal him, but didn’t know if he “would!” And it was God who measured out to him that degree of faith! Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Not so with Abraham. Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Abraham was “fully persuaded” that God not only could, but that he would! And that was for God’s glory! But so was this man’s lesser measure of faith! Everything is under God’s sovereign control and is for God’s glory!
But what could be glorifying to God with this man saying, “If?” The Lord restrained this man from Abraham’s fully persuasive faith in order for Jesus Christ to state, “I will,” thus showing himself to be The “I AM!” James clearly instructs us, that none are to say, “I will,” but only state, “God willing, I intend to!” And that stating, “I will” is an evil sin of boasting! James 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
For is this not how the Mighty Angel became the Slithering Devil? Do we not hear him in Lucifer’s voice (Isaiah 14:12-15), lavishly tossing out his “I will’s” some five different times? Sure! And in that instance his assuming to be the Mediator of God to all creation, and not the Lord Jesus, caused him to fall like lightening from heaven! (Luke 10:18).
Only God can say, “I will!” And Jesus of Nazareth is very God! Therefore the lesser measure of the same quality of faith, (for just a mustard seed amount can move mountains!), caused the leper to say, “Lord, if thou wilt,” providing the I AM to say what only God can truly state, “I will!”
Yet another thing concerning this unique leper is his word of address to the Lord Jesus. He called him Lord. But the ten lepers of Luke 17 address him as “Jesus, master.” Or that is – “Jesus, teacher.” That is how they addressed their Jewish Rabbi’s! What difference does this make? … no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (1 Corin. 12:3).
This Leper and the Law: Why did the Lord Jesus touch this unclean leper, thus violating Leviticus 5:3, but yet send him to the Jewish priest to offer for his cleansing after he had already cleansed him?
First, the Lord Jesus touched him to show a difference in this leper from the 10 (mentioned above) whom he did not approach, but only sent them away from himself to the priest. Secondly, it is the priest that cleanses! – Or rather is used of the Lord by the proper handling of the sacrifices that maketh him clean. (Lev 14:11). And the Lord Jesus being our High Priest (Hebrews 8:1), is above the contamination of sin! For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, (Hebrews 7:26, 27).
Then, since the Lord Jesus had to defend himself concerning the Jewish laws, and those implications which they had attached to it, consider his remark, “for a testimony unto them.” He does not say, “For the completion of your healing!” The leper was fully cleansed! But he says, “Let the Jewish community know that I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it!” For they came out of the woodwork in order to watch him closely, to find justification to murder him! Luke 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
Then regarding the law that banned this leper from any city, forcing him to dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. (Lev 13:46). In our soul’s ‘leprosy’ (sin), we also are without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12). But the Lamb of God was made sin for us, so that we could be made the righteousness of God in him! (2 Corin. 5:21). Therefore we read, For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. (Hebrews 13:11,12). Bless his holy name! He took our sin, our shame, and our place in order to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house! Those of us leprous sinners, consigned to be forever lost in the abyss of darkness, are brought nigh by the touch of the Great Physician! Amazing love! He has taken our place, suffering outside the benefits of God’s favor, in order that we may never be without God’s mercies again!
Now at the beginning of this article we stated that the next and last mention of this word “leper” is found in Matthew 26:6 and in Mark 14:3. Here is the Matthew verse: Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. Let us emphasize one word in that verse for you. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon THE leper, For just as Rahab was always known as “the harlot,” (James 2:25), so Simon has the distinction of being know as “THE leper!” Could it be, (and we are in good company, if we assume so), that the Holy Spirit only allowed our word, “leper” (singular) to be pinned once in the beginning of these two gospels, and then, the next and final time, to be penned here to reveal that THE leper was Simon?
Now he not only can come into the city! He now owns his own home and dwells in his house in the city of Bethany, giving hospitality to the Lord, who was very much willing to make him clean of both leprosy and sin! But that is not all! For the very next verse reveals that he was part of the community of believers with whom the Lord loved to fellowship. Matthew 26:7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
And in John, chapter twelve we find out that this woman was none other than Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who loved to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear the gospel! And it also states that Martha served the supper that was made for him, and that Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. And it all took place in the house of Simon THE leper!
What was the relationship of Simon with Mary, Martha and Lazarus? We cannot say with any certainty. But we can say that their relationship with the very Cleanser of all their souls was now an eternal one! 1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. All glory to God and the Lamb forever!
Pastor Gene Breed March 13, 2014
