“Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matthew 8:3
At the beginning of the Chapter, we’re told “large crowds followed Him”. A leper approached him and said “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean”. We don’t know anything about this man except that he was a humble, yet emboldened, faith-filled leper. Consider the following:
He was Emboldened! He was forbidden to come among the people. We’re told in Leviticus, “He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp”, and yet, he “came” to Jesus. He was Humble! We’re told in Verse 2, that as he came, he “bowed down before Him”. He was Faith-filled! As he petitioned the Lord, he claimed “You can make me clean”. The key word is “can”.
What can we learn from this Leper? Are we Humble? What is our posture? This man was broken, had no hope, and knew he had a tragic end. Is that us? It should be. We, in fact, are much worse off than this man! Are we Emboldened? If we truly have been cleansed from our Sin, then we should come “boldly to the Throne of Grace”! Are we Faith-filled? This man Believed Jesus would Receive him! How do we know that? HE CAME! This man Believed Jesus could Heal him! How do we know that? HE PRAYED! This Leper HAD Faith and was rewarded for it. May we become more Humble, Bold, and Faith-filled today,…and the days ahead!!!