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Luke 5:12-16
We have a tendency to view leprosy as being a condition of dry skin that possibly is cracking and having sores, but leprosy is much more than that. In Biblical times, leprosy was a very serious, very contagious disease that was incurable and caused anyone bearing this disease to be defiled for life. The Old Testament Law gives regulations for leprosy in Leviticus 13-14. Leviticus 13:45-46 (NKJV) states, “‘Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.’” Numbers 5:1-2 states, “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse….’”
The Old Testament Law was all about what a person could or could not do to be righteous before the Lord. If you were considered unclean you could not be a part of any religious ceremony and were considered an outcast by our standards today. If someone touched an unclean person, that person would become unclean as well.
In Luke 5:12-16 a man with leprosy comes to Jesus requesting to be healed. After hearing this request, Jesus does something that would have astonished everyone who saw it; He touched the man with leprosy. To everyone watching this would have made Jesus unclean as well, but Jesus used this example to show His power over all things, including disease.
In the Old Testament Law, a sacrifice was required for atonement before one could be considered “clean.” In this case, before Jesus died on the cross, the Old Testament Law is still being followed (keep in mind that the Old Testament Law was not fulfilled until Jesus died on the cross and then was raised from the grave) so Jesus told the man healed from leprosy, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” Jesus also told the man to, “tell no one” of this healing. There is some speculation concerning this, but it was important that the people did not rally and make Jesus the “physical” king of Israel; that is not why Jesus came to the world. Jesus did not come to conquer Rome as many were expecting, but to conquer sin, death, and Satan once for all man, that man may be forgiven of sin and enter into eternity in heaven. The people often became so overwhelmed by Jesus’ healing power that He had to retreat into the wilderness to escape the mob and find rest with His Father in prayer.
This is an example of the awesome healing power of Jesus.
This is an example of Jesus showing His healing power over the physical Law of the Old Testament, that in doing so allows the transition from the physical healing to the spiritual healing of all man.
Before Jesus can make the transition from the requirements of the physical Law of the Old Testament to the spiritual forgiveness through His death and resurrection, He must show that He is capable of fulfilling the requirements of the Old Testament Law. This is a great example!
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the healing power in our Savior Jesus. Thank You for giving us this great example of the transition from the Old Testament Law to forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Thank You that Jesus died for me so that I may be forgiven in and through what He has done for me on the cross in defeating sin, death, and Satan once for all. In Jesus name I pray, amen.