Luke, Part 18: Jesus cleanses a man with leprosy

Text: Luke 5:12-16

This passage describes an incident in which Jesus heals a man with leprosy. This incident is also recorded in Matthew and Mark, demonstrating its significance. The encounter that the leprous man had with Jesus is a model for our encounters with the Lord, both for Christians and for the unsaved.

This leper, who was he? We don't know; his name isn't recorded. He was probably just a normal, ordinary man until he contracted leprosy and became cut off from normal civil and religious society. Leprosy was an exceptionally fearful disease at that time. A person with leprosy had to live apart from society; whenever an uninfected person approached, the leper had to shout "Unclean!" and cover his face. So when Jesus met this man, it was probably at a time of day when fewer people were around, perhaps late at night or early in the morning.

We see five things in the way the leper approached Jesus:

1. He saw Jesus -- he knew enough about Jesus to recognize Him when he saw Him. You have to know who the real, biblical Jesus is, not just someone of your imagination. The real Jesus is the only one who can do us any good.

2. He fell on his face. The leper prostrated himself and took the lowest possible position. He humbled himself, worshiped Jesus and begged Him for help. He claimed no merit of his own and didn't seek to engage Jesus as an equal.

3. He acknowledged Jesus as Lord. He recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the God-Man, Christ. Or conception of Jesus must be of Him as Lord.

4. He realized Jesus' all-sufficiency. He knew Jesus had the power to heal him. He knew his own need, and knew Jesus could meet that need.

5. He was subject to the will of God. He said, "If you will."He knew Christ was under no obligation to help him. God is free in his administration of sovereign grace.

What did Jesus do? Jesus healed and cleansed him. Five attributes of Christ's response are given for our encouragement, and for our example in doing good to our fellow man:

1. Jesus put forth His hand. Ordinarily, people would tell a leper to stay away. Christ opened up to this man and and encouraged him. Jesus even went so far as to touch the man. Christ made himself one with the man in the same manner that, in salvation, He makes Himself one with a sinner.

2. Jesus revealed His will. We cannot find out God's will purely through our own searching. We are dependent on God to reveal it to us. We should pray that God would make it simple so that we can understand His Word and His leading.

3. Jesus healed the leper. In this, He showed that He is the Son of God. He demonstrated that He has dominion over sickness, disease, and sin. Jesus is not teasing. None who come to Him are refused.

4. Jesus sent him to the priest. Under the Law, the priest had the duty to testify when a person was healed of leprosy. Jesus sent the cleansed man to the priest; this made the priest have to testify to who Jesus was.

5. Jesus got alone with His Father. Jesus did great miracles, but he was still completely human. He needed to frequently draw away from the crowds for prayer time alone. We should consider this when we feel "too busy" to have time with God. Like Jesus, we need that time with our Father.

If you don't know Christ, come to Him! He will save all who come to Him in repentance and faith.

Luke, Part 16: Jesus heals and casts out demons

Text: Luke 4:31-44

The emphasis in the previous sections of Luke's gospel has been to show Jesus as a genuine man. In this section, Jesus demonstrates His power and compassion.

First, we see His power in preaching. Those who heard him were amazed because He taught with authority. Because Jesus is God, He didn't need to appeal to any other authority; He had authority within Himself and it was evident in His preaching.

How did His audience react? They were amazed, they were entertained, but nowhere do we see that they responded in faith. Hearing must be accompanied with faith for it to have any benefit.

During the preaching, Jesus was interrupted by a man possessed by a demon. This was evidently a particularly foul spirit, because it is identified as an "unclean" demon. Christ showed His power and His compassion in casting out the demon and freeing this man. Note that the demon both knew who Christ was and obeyed Him. Obedience and knowledge are not faith; the demon did not respond in faith but rather through being compelled by the power of Jesus.

The result of this encounter is that the audience is yet more amazed and spread the news of what they have seen all around. As Christians, we should be challenged by the example of these men: they didn't respond in faith, yet the couldn't help but tell of Jesus.

We also see in verses 38 through 41 how Jesus healed a number of people who came to Him with diseases and demon possession. Particularly noted is the healing that Simon's mother-in-law received from a "high fever". In performing these healings, Jesus worked on a very personal level. He didn't just wave His hand over the crown and say, "Be healed!" although He could very well have done that. He cared enough about each person to get involved personally with them as he healed them.

In verse 42, after Jesus has spent all night healing and helping, rather than going to bed, He left to get alone to pray. We see how Jesus constantly lived in prayer. Throughout the gospels (Mark 1:35 for example) we see Him getting away early in the morning for communion with His Father. Note how the early morning, when all is still and asleep, seems to be particularly chosen by Christ for His prayer times -- this is a good example for us to follow.

Finally, at the end of this section, we have the first reference in Luke's gospel to "the Kingdom of God". Throughout Luke, Jesus is referring to "the kingdom of God". This is the same thing that is referred to in Matthew's gospel as "the kingdom of heaven". Jesus' mission on earth was to establish this kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not visible with outward show, with robes, candles and incense. It is a supernatural, spiritual kingdom established in the hearts of God's people. It will be established perfectly in the new heavens and the new earth (Luke 22:30). In this kingdom, God is the King and we are His subjects.

How will we respond to the example of Christ? Will we show Christ to the watching world? Will we have compassion on a dying humanity? Will we we use the small power (our abilities) that God has given us to us to help others?