Unclean to Clean (Luke 5:12-16)

While He was in one of the cities, behold, {there was} a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, you can make me clean." And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him.

Luke is recording here yet another encounter with Jesus where He heals a sick person. This healing was more incredible than some of the others He had performed, since this disease was untreatable by normal means of medicine and medical treatment. This man not only had the disease but was covered in its sores and painful wounds.

This event is said to have taken place in “one of the cities”, near the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus had been. Since Matthew's account of this healing is said to have occurred after Jesus came down the mountain from teaching “The Sermon on the Mount,” it is assumed that the city Jesus was in when he healed this leper was Hittim or another city in the vicinity.

The “behold” in this passage brings our attention to the leprous man who would not normally be permitted to mingle with the rest of the crowd. All the followers of Jesus are now going to see compassion in its true form. While they are stepping away from this man, Jesus is going to draw remarkably close to Him and touch Him.

The man who was sick saw Jesus and prostrated himself before Him to seek a healing from Him. No doubt, the word about Jesus' healing other diseased people had spread to the ears of this man, who was very troubled with leprosy (Luke 4:37, 40). The leprous man said, “Lord, if You are willing, you can make me clean.” In this statement, the leper declares his faith in Jesus' ability. He was saying, “I know that you can make me clean, Lord, you only have to be willing to do so”. This man was most likely concerned with how the Lord might receive Him, since he had been rejected as a leper for so long. His plea is that the Lord would be willing to help him.

One thing we must understand from this text is that the Lord is always willing; we just need to be willing to believe in His ability and receive our healing with a thankful, humble heart. Jesus reached out and touched this man and said, “I am willing; be cleansed”, and the text concludes, “And immediately the leprosy left him.” When we come to the Lord for cleansing and we accept His ability to remove the disease of sin from us, if we come in trusting obedient faith, He is willing to make us whole again. You can have your sins remitted today if you will come to Jesus for a cleansing.

And He ordered him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Jesus ordered this man to tell no one of the cleansing and then commanded him to perform the ritual of a sacrifice according to the Law of Moses. Remember in the Old Testament when someone had leprosy, they were unclean and could not enter the camp of Israel (See Lev. 13:45-46). All lepers had to cry out “Unclean! unclean!” in every public venue so that others would know that a leper was nearby. This would not only be painful physically, but it would also cause the sufferer great shame and emotional torment.

It is said that this social isolation was as terrible psychologically as the disease was physically. The leper was so hated and despised by others that he even began to hate and look down upon himself. It was a man like this that Jesus touched and healed (which was forbidden). Jesus touched the untouchable. When the hands of others pulled back, Jesus had His hands outstretched. This should tell us that no matter how sinful we are and how many people have turned against us, Jesus is always there, ready to remove our sin and its guilt.

This banishment of the leper had nothing to do with the disease being contagious, but having the disease of leprosy was a symbol of being covered in sin and unrighteousness. The leper in our study was in the final stages of leprosy, where it had covered the entire body. This disease usually starts with a small sore on the skin that would eventually spread to the whole body, deteriorating the subject limb by limb. Many parts of the body would become deformed and, in some cases, fall off. This man needed some serious help!

Interestingly, under the old Law, when a person was completely covered in leprosy, they could be called clean by the priest. In Leviticus 13:12-13, the text states, “If the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of {him who has} the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see, then the priest shall look, and behold, {if} the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce clean {him who has} the infection; it has all turned white {and} he is clean.”

Keep in mind that when leprosy finally covered the whole body, it was then that the body began to shut down, as all the vital organs would be violently attacked. Death was the next step for those who had this full-blown form of leprosy. Jesus comes to this man at a crucial time, not only to call him “clean”, but also to heal him of all the agonies of this disease.

Even though Jesus was the one who healed this man and made him clean, Jesus still asks him to keep the commandment of God in going to the priest to make an offering for his cleansing (See Lev. 14:2-4). The reason Jesus still felt the leper needed to go to the priest was not only to complete his duty to the Law, but also to give a testimony to and against the religious leaders. If the man was healed, they either accepted Jesus as the Healer or denied that the leper received healing and had a sickness. This would determine their standing with the Lord.

Could you imagine what it must have been like for the leper to be able to stand in the streets for the first time and cry with excitement, “Clean, clean!”?  What it must have been like for him to be accepted and wanted by others. How it must have changed his life and his perspective toward others in the same position he was in. Let us learn the importance of caring for others who are in need while rejoicing and being thankful when our needs are met (Luke 17:12-19).

One of the reasons that we must make application of this lesson to our lives is because we are all guilty of sin from time to time, and need a cleansing in our lives (Rom. 3:23). Just as the unclean of Israel were told that they could not enter the holy land, we will not be able to enter heaven and its holy courts unless we are cleansed from sin and wickedness. In Revelation 21:27, the text points out, “…and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.” The Scriptures are clear; unless you come to the Lamb and He makes you clean by His blood, you will not be able to enter the home of heaven, the New Jerusalem.

But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear {Him} and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus himself would {often} slip away to the wilderness and pray.

It becomes clear from this text that people followed Jesus only to hear Him and receive the healing that He could offer them. While some were truly dedicated to the Lord and His teachings, others were following Him only for the healing power He possessed.

Unfortunately, this is how many people are today; they want the blessings that Jesus has to offer, but they do not want to comply with His commands and see Jesus as their Lord and Savior daily. To hear Jesus is not enough. To heed Jesus is to be a true follower of the Healer of the world. Everyone sees Jesus on the surface, but they never look deep enough to see who He really is.

As Jesus was often overwhelmed by the multitudes and their needs, He would slip away to solitude and would speak with His Father in heaven. As we mentioned in previous lessons, Jesus wouldn’t embark upon any part of His mission without first addressing the One who gave that mission to Him. Jesus came to do the will of God, and He called upon the Father to seek guidance and offer petitions for Himself and especially others. This is something that we should do as we desire to follow him. We need Divine guidance, and we need to be prayerful (I Thess. 5:17).

We want to close the episode for today by pointing out that if you find yourself as an outcast because of some battle with the disease of sin, if you will come humbly and seek the Savior’s healing power, He is willing and ready to make you whole again. He wants to give you a new and abundant life and help you to put away the old man and put on the new man created in righteousness and holiness. If you are a disciple of Jesus but you know that you have not been as dedicated to Him and His will as you should be, do not wait to seek His Divine guidance. Get back on the straight and narrow pathway that leads to heaven and be faithful in His service from this day forward. If you need to comply with the commands that the Lord has given to you, let me help you to be obedient to the gospel and connect you with a good church in your area.