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First Leper to Be Cleansed by Christ
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path in some byway along the mountain roads or as He was teaching
outside the towns. This was his only hope.
The leper was guided to the Saviour as He taught beside the lake.
Standing afar off, the leper caught a few words from the Saviour’s
lips. He saw Him laying His hands on the sick, the lame, the blind,
the paralytic, and those dying of various maladies rose up and praised
God for their deliverance. Faith strengthened in his heart. He drew
nearer. The restrictions laid on him, and the fear with which all men
regarded him were forgotten. He thought only of the blessed hope
of healing.
He was a loathsome spectacle, his decaying body horrible to
look upon. At sight of him the people fell back in terror, crowding
upon one another in their eagerness to escape from contact with him.
Some tried to prevent him from approaching Jesus, but he neither
saw nor heard them. He saw only the Son of God. Pressing to Jesus,
he cast himself at His feet with the cry, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou
canst make me clean.”
Jesus replied, “I will; be thou clean,” and laid His hand on him.
Immediately a change passed over the leper. His flesh became
healthy, the nerves sensitive, the muscles firm. The rough, scaly
surface disappeared, and a soft glow, like that upon the skin of a
healthy child, took its place.
With urgency Christ enjoined on the man the necessity of silence
and prompt action. Jesus said to him, “See thou say nothing to any
man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy
cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony
unto them.” Had the priests known the facts concerning the healing,
their hatred of Christ might have led them to render a dishonest
sentence. Jesus desired the man to present himself at the temple
before rumors of the healing had reached them. Thus an impartial
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decision could be secured, and the restored leper would be permitted
to unite once more with his family and friends.
The Saviour also knew that if the healing of the leper were noised
abroad, other sufferers from this disease would crowd about Him,
and the cry would be raised that the people would be contaminated.
Many lepers would not use the gift of health as a blessing to them-
selves or others. And by drawing lepers about Him, He would give