This poor wretch of a man – a leper – approaches Jesus in Galilee and begs to be cleansed. Leprosy is a terrible thing. Sufferers in the time of Jesus not only experienced the personal indignity of the disease, but also the stigma of being a social outcast. He was unclean and therefore separate from family and friends. Mark tells us that Jesus touched him, the leprosy left, and he was cured. This is one of our Lord's miracles, and John in his gospel calls them 'miraculous signs' (John 2:11,23; 3:2; 4:48,54), meaning 'a miracle with a message'. There's a message for us here in this sign pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. The Plea – verse 40.

We're told that he came to Jesus and begged Him on his knees to be made clean. We can observe two things here:-

• He came with great reverence and humility. The man was totally helpless, he came to Jesus as he was, and fell on his knees. Kneeling is that sign of reverent submission and the recognition that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus knelt in prayer before His Father (Luke 22:41); the Psalmist invites us to "kneel before the Lord our Maker" (Psalm 95:6); Paul told the Ephesians that he knelt before the Father (Ephesians 3:14), and that one day at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10). The leper came and cast himself on the mercy of Christ. We too often rush into His presence, too full of our own importance and our so-called achievements. The Teacher reminds us in Ecclesiastes 5:1: "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God." We are to approach the Lord humbly, reverently and in a submissive way.
• He pleaded with Jesus to be made clean. Of one thing this man was sure – Jesus could cleanse him. By faith he came to Christ, the only one who could help him. The only person who has dealt with our sin and can forgive us is Jesus Christ. But there was something of which this man was unsure – was the Lord Jesus willing? He believed that Jesus had the power to cleanse him, but was the Master willing. In John 6:37 Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." He is prepared to receive us, to meet us at the point of our need. "I am willing" is the reply of our Lord in verse 41.

2. The Cure – verses 41,41.

In verse 41 we notice the emotion, the action and the words of Jesus.

• He was filled with compassion. It was not just that he felt sorry for the man, but that His heart went out to him. Literally the words mean, 'He was moved to His inner being'. His love and concern for men and women is often revealed. He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), and at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:45). He can sympathise with us in our weakness (Hebrews 4:15). Constantly the Gospels reveal the compassion of Christ – see Matthew 20:34; Mark 6:34; 8:2. He took their sorrows to heart. The sorrows of the people were His sorrows. He loved the people and cared for them. When our Lord sees the world today, its atrocities, terrorism, bloodshed, murder and lawlessness, when He sees the suffering of so many people, He must be moved deeply.
• He reached out His hand and touched the leper. He touched one of society's untouchables. He touched a man who was separate because of his disease, a man who must call out 'Unclean!' You see, to touch a man like this was to risk contracting his disease and defilement. But with His touch Jesus took away the defilement and gave the man His cleansing. The leprosy went away from him and he was cleansed. And in our salvation Jesus does these two things: He takes away our sin, our defilement, and He gives to us His righteousness, His cleansing. Look up 2 Corinthians 5:21.
• Immediately he was cured. We must rejoice in that word 'immediately' in verse 42. Luke the doctor tells us that he was covered with leprosy (Luke 5:12). Here was this poor fellow, his flesh eaten away, fingers and toe joints having dropped off, with raw sores spreading indiscriminately over his weak body, and immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured! The healings performed by our Lord Jesus were instantaneous and complete. Here is the man at one moment on his knees before Jesus, full of leprosy; the next moment he is as sound and healthy as any person there!

3. The Warning – verses 43-45.

Having shown this man tenderness, compassion and cleansing, Jesus now gives him a strong warning, literally a stern warning. He mustn't tell anyone what has happened but should go and show himself to the priest. Some writers suggest that Jesus wanted the priest in Jerusalem to hear first-hand from the man what had happened to him, and to receive the sacrifices that Moses commanded for that cleansing (Leviticus 14). There is value in this, for Jesus said that He had not come to do away with the law but to fulfil it – see Matthew 5:17. But perhaps the traditional understanding here is still the more likely. The concern of our Lord was that people's minds would be so full of the miracle that they would miss the message. And this is what happened! The man, having been delivered from the living death of leprosy to a life of perfect health, is now shouting the news from the house-tops, and the ministry of Jesus was hindered! He could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places (verse 45) There are lessons for us here: First of all, the man should have obeyed the word of the Lord. Secondly, Jesus did not seek to be known as a miracle worker, but as someone who brought good news. The miracles were to point to the Saviour. Thirdly we must be 'balanced' today; our eyes and ears must be open to His message.