Jesus has just stepped down from teaching on the mountain (Matthew 5-7). But he is not a teacher out of touch with reality. A leper rushed up, knelt before him and made a desperate request: “if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
This man cannot help himself. He has an incurable disease that is slowly killing him. But there is more, he was religiously unclean. He could never walk into a synagogue. He could never eat with God’s people. He could never feel fully part of God’s people. He was truly alone. Only Jesus could help. The man makes no claim to deserve help. He doesn’t say “clean me, because I’m better than them” or, “clean me, because look how I’m kneeling and calling you Lord”. He just says “clean me, because you can if you are willing”. What an astounding picture of where our hearts need to be before Jesus.
Jesus responds “I am willing, be clean!” Here is hope for us all. Jesus is willing to clean us when we come to him, but that’s not all, he is also powerful enough to do it! At his word the man is immediately clean.
Jesus then sends the man away to obey God’s law. He must show himself to the priests, and make a sacrifice / gift because he is clean. In other words, respond rightly, live thankfully, obey joyfully! The man was desperate and hopeless but because Jesus was willing he became clean. The gift he gave in response was surely joyful.
Questions to Ponder
Do you kneel desperately before Jesus, dependent on him, bringing nothing, knowing no-one else can help you with your greatest need?
