8:1,2
We now move on to a different phase in Matthew’s gospel, one which focuses on healings. The first incident is the healing of a man with leprosy. In the Bible “leprosy” was a term that covered a number of skin diseases, not just what we call leprosy today. However, the key point is that under the Law lepers were regarded as “unclean”, they were excluded from the temple. So the willingness of Jesus to heal the man is a sign that the kingdom is reaching out to those who were once excluded. The man asking “if you are willing” is a result of the previous exclusion of lepers. Yet the very fact that the man asks indicates that he recognised something different about Jesus.
8:3,4
Jesus reached out and touched him. This is all the more remarkable, for under the Law if someone touched a leper they would be unclean themselves, along with the natural health risks. Jesus reaches out to the “unclean”. But He doesn’t just reach out, He makes them clean. Jesus assured the man that He was willing, and then commanded him to be clean. And so the man was immediately healed. Then we have the command that often followed healings, the instruction not to tell anyone. There has been much debate about why this should be so. These include Jesus not wanting to be known as a “miracle worker”, He did heal, but He was much more than that, and had more important things to do. He wanted His teaching ministry to be the focus. Or He did not want to stir up too much trouble with the religious leaders too soon. Jesus also told him to go and show himself to the priest, and to offer a gift of Moses (Lev 14). So the man was to act in accordance with the Law.
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