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Humble Hero
A large crowd had seen the leper’s healing and were eager to
learn of the priests’ decision. When the man returned to his friends,
there was great excitement. The man made no effort to hide his cure.
It would have been impossible to conceal anyway, but the leper told
it widely, thinking that Jesus had laid this restriction on him only out
of modesty. He did not understand that every such exhibit of power
made the priests and elders more determined to destroy Jesus. The
restored man rejoiced in the vigor of manhood and felt it impossible
to hold back from giving glory to the Physician who had made him
whole. But his act of spreading the matter far and wide caused the
people to flock to Jesus in such great numbers that He was forced
for a time to stop His work.
Every act of Christ’s ministry had a far-reaching purpose. He
tried in every way to reach the priests and teachers, who were steeped
in prejudice and tradition. By sending the healed leper to the priests,
He gave them a testimony designed to disarm their prejudices. The
Pharisees had claimed that Christ was opposed to the law, but His
instruction to the cleansed leper to present an offering according to
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the law disproved this charge. Christ gave evidence of His love for
humanity, His respect for the law, and His power to deliver from sin
and death.
The same priests who had condemned the leper to banishment
certified his cure publicly. And the healed man, reinstated in society,
was a living witness for his Benefactor. Joyfully he praised the
name of Jesus. The priests received an opportunity to know the
truth. During the Savior’s life, His mission seemed to call forth little
response of love from them, but after His ascension “a great many
of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
Acts 6:7
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How Christ Cleanses the Life From Sin
The work of Christ in cleansing the leper illustrates His work
in cleansing the life from sin. The man who came to Jesus was
“full of leprosy.” The disciples tried to prevent their Master from
touching him. But in laying His hand on the leper, Jesus received no
defilement. His touch conveyed life-giving power.
It is the same with the leprosy of sin—deadly, impossible for
human power to cleanse. “From the sole of the foot even to the head,