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Previously,
we considered a busy Shabbat with King Yeshua,
who was in Capernaum, the home town of Simon Peter
and Andrew, James and John. In the morning Yeshua
taught in the synagogue, and cast out an evil
spirit, demonstrating that He is the King Messiah
who is wise and knowledgeable about the Word of
God, and more powerful than Satan and all of his
demonic allies. He is the Seed of the Woman who
will crush the head of the Serpent, and undo all
the damage caused by the Adversary.
Then,
He went to the home of Simon Peter, and healed
Simon Peter's mother-in-law, which tells us that
a day is coming when the Same One who was in Peter
and Andrew's home, and took Peter's mother-in-law
by the hand, and healed her instantly and completely,
will take all of His followers by their hands,
and completely heal them instantly and completely
and eternally -- body, soul and spirit -- from
sin, from sickness, from weakness, from death,
and raise us up to eternal health. Then that evening,
at Motza'ei Shabbat, the Departure of the Sabbath,
the whole city sought Yeshua out, and He healed
all the sick and the demon possessed. These miracles
tell us that finally, the Great Healer is here,
the One who will bring healing to humanity. This
is the King who is not only a powerful King, and
stronger than all the dark, demonic forces, but
also a King who is gentle, and can heal and teach.
Where
did Yeshua get this grace? Where was the source
of His wisdom and power? The answer is found in
verse 35: In the early morning, while it was still
dark, Yeshua got up, left the house, and went
away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Yeshua
received a continual infusion of grace and power
by coming close to God. You might think that after
such a long and busy Sabbath, Yeshua would take
it easy, relax, sleep late on the next day, which
was Yom Rishon, the First Day of the week, but
He didn't. Though He was very busy going about
doing good, yet He made time to be alone with
God, His Father.
Yeshua
knew that the pressures of life in this world
should drive us to prayer, not from prayer. Those
who have the most work to do must get alone with
God. They need to find a private, secluded place
where they can talk to God, and keep up their
close and personal relationship, their communion,
their fellowship, with their Heavenly Father.
Yeshua
prayed in public in the synagogue on Shabbat,
and He prayed alone on the first day of the week,
to set us an example that we are to pray in public
and pray privately. We shouldn't think that it
is enough to pray only on the Sabbath, and then
we can wait until the next Sabbath to pray. Too
many people make that mistake. If we don't go
to the synagogue during the week, then we must
go to God's throne of grace every day in the week!
And, we
should pray especially the morning after the Sabbath,
so we can preserve the peace and closeness to
God that we enjoy on the Sabbath, and that the
peace and rest and the blessings of the Sabbath
may continue to be with us throughout the whole
week.
We should
learn from the Messiah, that in the morning, when
our minds and spirits are fresh, we should take
time to direct our minds and hearts to God, and
pray to our Father in Heaven.
Simon
and his companions searched for Him; they found
Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for
You." He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else
to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there
also; for that is what I came for." And He went
into their synagogues throughout all Galilee,
preaching and casting out the demons.
When the
disciples found Yeshua, they told their young
Rabbi that Yeshua was very popular, and everyone
in Capernaum, their home town, was seeking to
be with Him. You can almost hear them saying,
"Wow Lord, things are really going great here!
The people of our city love You! The work here
is really growing. What a success! We've got a
good thing going in this city. Let's stay here
and build up the work."
But the
Son of God didn't leave His glorious throne in
Heaven and come to Earth just to be popular in
one city. He came to bring the Good News of God's
wonderful kingdom, and the arrival of the King
who can heal and teach and save, to the entire
nation of Israel -- and from Israel to the rest
of the world.
1:39
And He went into their synagogues throughout all
Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.
The young Rabbi from Nazareth had the favor of
many of the people throughout the cities of Galilee,
and was able to speak in the synagogues. Don't
think of this northern region of Israel as some
backward area. It is a region 70 miles by 40 miles.
Josephus, the first century Jewish historian,
says that the Galilee had 204 cities in his day,
each with about 15,000 people. That's 3,000,000
people, roughly the same size as the Metro Detroit
area in population. That's a large area for ministry.
In the
synagogues, He was preaching -- bringing the Word
of God to the people, and telling them of God's
desire for them to join His side in this great
cosmic conflict we are in, and submit ourselves
to His rule over us. Yeshua also cast out many
demons, showing that He was the Captain of the
Lord of Hosts, stronger than all the combined
powers of darkness. The King of Light was among
us, here to liberate us from the Dominion of Darkness,
that evil kingdom which dominates and ruins humanity.
While
He was in Galilee, Yeshua encountered a man who
was plagued by one of humanity's very worst illnesses
-- leprosy. Would the King be able to help a man
with such a horrible disease, or would this dreaded
disease prove stronger than His ability to heal?
Would He be willing to help this man plagued by
a disease that was a symbol of sin? Let's see
what happens:
1:40
And a leper came to Yeshua, beseeching Him and
falling on his knees before Him, and saying, "If
You are willing, You can make me clean."
Two thousand
years ago leprosy was a dreaded disease. It was
dreaded probably as much, or even more, than cancer
is for us. William Barclay describes what leprosy
did to a human being:
The
whole appearance of the face is changed, till
the man loses his human appearance. Nodules
grow larger and larger. They ulcerate. From
them there comes a foul discharge. The eyebrows
fall out, the eyes become staring. The voice
becomes hoarse, and the breath wheezes because
of the ulceration of the vocal chords. The hands
and the feet always ulcerate. Slowly the sufferer
becomes a mass of ulcerated growths. The average
course of the disease is nine years, and it
ends in mental decay, coma, and ultimately death.
The sufferer becomes utterly repulsive -- both
to himself and to others.
In addition
to the terrible physical consequences, which slowly
mutilated and deformed the body, was the sense
of worthlessness and despair this condition creates,
which separates the sufferer from all normal contact
with humanity. The Torah commands that the leper
had to live outside the camp. The poor leper was
isolated from the rest of Jewish society. He couldn't
touch anyone, or be touched by anyone. He was
excluded from the life and worship of the people
of Israel. He couldn't go to the synagogue to
learn or worship or have fellowship. He couldn't
go to the Temple to offer sacrifices, prayers
and praises. If he did come around the public,
his clothes had to be torn, the hair on his head
uncovered or disheveled, and he had to go about
crying "tah-may, tah-may -- unclean, unclean."
What a horrible life!
Leprosy
is a vivid illustration what our sin has done
to mankind -- leaving us deformed, loathsome,
dying, and far from God. This is our true spiritual
condition.
It probably
wasn't easy for this leprous man to come to Yeshua.
He had to risk encountering people along the way,
and perhaps being shunned by them. Maybe he even
feared being rejected by Yeshua or His disciples.
But this leper also knew Yeshua had healed others;
maybe He would heal him from his horrible condition.
But, then again, maybe Yeshua would be unwilling
to heal him. Notice that when the leper came to
Yeshua he said, "If You are willing, You can make
me clean." Maybe Yeshua would think it wasn't
God's will for the man to be healed. Maybe Yeshua
would think it wasn't the right time for the man
to be healed.
Maybe
Yeshua would think that contracting leprosy wasn't
the result of living in a sinful, fallen, diseased
world, but maybe Yeshua would think that his leprosy
was a punishment from God. After all, Miriam,
the sister of Moses, and Gehazi the servant of
Elisha, and Uzziah the king were all given leprosy
as punishment for sinning against God. Maybe Rabbi
Yeshua would insist on a strict interpretation
of the Torah and tell the man to get away from
Him and from decent Jewish society, and that he
was a sinner, and was being justly punished by
God. This man was confident of Messiah's ability
to heal him, but unsure about His willingness
to heal him.
Someone
observed that it is very significant that this
leper put an "if" upon the will of Messiah: if
You are willing. He was willing to submit to the
will of Messiah in the matter of healing, because
he knew that healing was not guaranteed.
It might
be difficult for some of us to accept the concept,
but the Scriptures teach us that sometimes God
wills us to be sick, and healing isn't automatically
ours. Sickness isn't His ultimate desire for men,
but given the situation in which we now live,
living in a fallen, sinful world, there are times
when God wills His children to be healed, and
there are times when He wills us to experience
physical afflictions or sickness.
I bring
this up because there are those who teach that
healing is provided by God for every physical
problem or sickness that Believers may have, and
that it's wrong not to be healed. If you are not
healed, then you are lacking in faith. We don't
have to ask God whether He wants to heal us or
not -- we can claim it. It is ours. We should
demand it. There are those who teach that it is
a lack of faith to pray, "Lord, if it be Your
will, heal me." But notice that when the leper
came to Yeshua and said, "If You are willing,
You can make me clean," Yeshua did not rebuke
him or tell him he had approached Him in the wrong
way, or that he lacked faith, or that he ought
to claim his healing.
If You
are willing -- and, Yeshua was willing. Whatever
purpose the man's leprosy may have served, that
purpose had been accomplished, and the time was
come to end it. Instead of shunning the leper,
or rebuking him, Messiah was moved with compassion,
and Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched
him. Touched him!? Didn't the young Rabbi know
that it was wrong to do that? The Torah forbid
touching a leper? Didn't Yeshua know that if a
man or woman touched a leper, that man or woman
was contaminated and was unclean?
But, "the
hand of the Lord is found to have not touched
a leper, but a body made clean (Origen)! When
Yeshua touched him, instead of Yeshua becoming
unclean, the unclean man became clean! Moved with
compassion, Yeshua stretched out His hand and
touched him and said to him, "I am willing; be
cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him and
he was cleansed. At that touch the leprosy vanished
and his body was instantly healthy and clean!
Messiah's holiness was more powerful than the
uncleanness of leprosy! Messiah's health and vitality
was stronger than this man's horrible illness!
He touched
him, teaching us that we should not despise anyone,
or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable, because
of some wound in their body or some blemish ....
(Origen).
Some people
think that if God exists, He is distant, far removed
from us, unaware of us, and certainly has no feelings
for us. But that is simply not true! The Son of
God reveals to us what God is like. What motivated
the Holy One to touch the unclean one? His compassion
for us. He knows about our suffering and feels
our pain, and is willing to reach out and touch
us. Thank God for the Messiah's compassion! What
motivated the Son of God to leaves the comfort
of Heaven and come to suffer on Earth? His compassion
for us. He is aware that we are in a terrible
condition, and He felt enough come down here to
help us. What motivated the Prince of Life to
die on a cross? Again, His compassion for the
pathetic condition of the ruined sons and daughters
of Adam and Eve.
Rabbi
Yeshua met this leper's total need. He healed
him physically, emotionally and socially, and
spiritually.
He healed
him physically: The Son of God simply touched
him, spoke an authoritative command, and the man,
who had faith, was instantly healed.
He healed
him emotionally and socially: this leper probably
hadn't experienced a healthy human touch for a
long time, so, when Yeshua touched him, he felt
the hand of humanity reaching out to him, touching
him, and welcoming him back into human fellowship.
He healed
him spiritually: King Yeshua, who is a great healer
and scholar, knowing the Torah, sternly warned
him and immediately sent him away, and He 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, as a testimony
to them." Yeshua told the man to follow the procedure
in the Torah for the healing of a leper. Go to
the Temple, to the priests, have a cohen inspect
you, and declare you clean. Then offer the special
sacrifices that the Torah requires for the healing
of a leper.
I have
a feeling that lepers were not healed every day.
No doubt the priests in Jerusalem were astonished
when this man showed up at the Temple and asked
to offer the sacrifices Moses had commanded in
the book of Leviticus for the healing of a leper.
So, this not only fulfilled the requirements of
God's laws, but also was a witness to the priests,
who were part of the religious leadership of Israel,
that a horrible and incurable disease had been
cured by Yeshua of Nazareth.
Yeshua
had asked the man who was healed to do just two
things: to go to the Temple and offer the appropriate
sacrifices, and second, to keep this healing a
private matter. Why did Yeshua warn the man who
had been cured to keep things quiet? Perhaps the
reason is because Yeshua didn't want to His miracles
done simply to impress the public, or to conduct
His ministry for the sake of receiving popular
applause; or maybe He was concerned that the crowds
that followed Him, which must have been getting
too big already, would get even bigger.
The man,
though sternly warned by Yeshua not to tell anyone
but the priests, could not keep. But he went out
and began to proclaim it freely and to spread
the news around, to such an extent that Yeshua
could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed
out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming
to Him from everywhere.
Ray Stedman
tells us that it's understandable that the man
who was healed would feel this way. He had been
cleansed from this loathsome disease, and he longed
to tell everyone about it. Perhaps he thought
that he knew better than Yeshua, that this miracle
was too wonderful to keep to himself and the priests,
that everyone needed to hear. Perhaps he thought
that he had good reason to disobey the Messiah.
No doubt he sang the praises of Yeshua as he related
his healing, but nevertheless this account is
given to us to teach us that obedience is better
than praise.
The result
of the man's disobedience was that it increased
the multitudes which followed Messiah, to such
an extent that He couldn't openly enter a city;
not because of the persecution -- but because
the crowds were so great. So, the man's "well-intentioned
disobedience" hindered, rather than advanced,
Messiah's ministry.
Don't
we do this same kind of thing? Do you ever think
that you know better than God? So often we set
aside the Scriptures and disobey what God has
said. We come up with our own ideas that we think
are better than God's, and then we praise God
for it -- when in reality it is disobedience.
Someone
raised this interesting question: "The Lord told
him not to tell anybody, and he told everybody.
He tells us to tell everybody, and we tell nobody.
Which disobedience is worse?"
This also
tells us that many thousands of Jewish people
were drawn to Messiah. He was very popular. I
hate that slanderous accusation that "the Jews
rejected Jesus." If that is so, them who were
these multitudes that so flocked to Yeshua that
He couldn't even enter into a city?
My friends,
the reality of our situation is that all of us
are like this leper. All of humanity are spiritual
lepers. All of us individually, and collectively,
are not good, beautiful and admirable, but decaying,
dying, loathsome and repulsive. All of us are
"tah-may, tah-may -- unclean, unclean."
But God
saw our horrible condition, and was moved with
compassion, and willing to stretch out His hand
and touch us and heal us. Through the Incarnation
and His death on the Cross, Yeshua is the Hand
of the Lord that touches and heals humanity.
He is
God's Servant who took up our infirmities and
carried our sorrows, pierced for our transgressions,
and crushed for our iniquities! The punishment
that brought us well-being was upon Him, and by
His wounds we are healed! The Lord has laid on
Him the sin, the sickness, and the iniquity of
us all.
This miracle
of the healing of the leper is God's declaration
to Israel and to all of mankind that Yeshua of
Nazareth is the King who can heal the worst of
our diseases. We need to know that only King Yeshua
has the power to heal the leper, and the power
to heal our spiritual leprosy. If He can heal
this leper, He can heal anyone from anything!
He can heal you. He can heal me.
Each one
of us needs to come to King Yeshua just as this
leper did, despite all the obstacles, humbly falling
on our knees before Him, with great humility,
giving Him the honor that He deserves, beseeching
and praying to Him, and saying to Him, "You can
make me clean."
Origen,
an ancient Christian, challenges us: "If there
is anyone that has the taint of leprosy in his
soul, or the contamination of guilt in his heart.
If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say:
‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean'"
(Origin).
Each one
of us needs to submit to the will of Messiah,
just as this leper did. Have you submitted your
will to the will of Yeshua, whether it is for
better or for worse, whether it means riches or
poverty, sickness or health?
If we
do, we will find that He will heal us -- physically,
emotionally, socially, and most of all, spiritually,
but all in God's perfect time!
I am indebted
to Ray Stedman, Matthew Henry and others for this
message.
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