But the cloud withdrew from over the tent, and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. - Numbers 12:10
In the message last week, Jesus came to the city of Capernaum. On the Sabbath day, while He was teaching in the local synagogue, He silenced an unclean spirit and cast it out of a demon-possessed man. After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Peter and Andrew’s house. There He healed Peter’s mother-in-law who was suffering from a high fever.
In today’s sermon, we will add 2 more chapters to “The Miracles of Jesus” series. Both scenes are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We will use Mark’s gospel as our primary text, as we did last week. The pair of stories we’ll discuss today are considered Jesus’ 7th and 8th miracle(s). I’ve titled this message “Healings in the Evening and a Leper in Galilee”. We will begin right where we left off last Sunday - in Capernaum, on the Sabbath day, at Peter’s house, in the late afternoon…
I. MANY SICK PEOPLE COME TO JESUS (Mark 1:32-34; Matthew 8:16-17; Luke 4:40-41)
That same evening, while the sun was setting, many people brought their sick friends, relatives, and others to Jesus. It was as though the entire city had gathered at Peter’s door. Jesus came out of the house, laid His hands on them, and healed them. Besides these, Jesus also cast out many demons from those who were possessed. As He did so, He forbade the demons to speak because they knew He was the Christ.
In Matthew’s gospel, this occasion is regarded as the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (Isaiah 53:4a). In the Old Testament, Isaiah spoke of a coming Messiah, a Suffering Servant, who would bear our “griefs” and carry our “sorrows”. The Hebrew words used by Isaiah can also be translated as “sicknesses” and “infirmities”. So, while Isaiah 53 most directly refers to Christ’s atoning of mankind’s sin, in this particular instance Matthew applies it to the removal or healing of physical diseases.
It is uncertain how many miracles Jesus performed that evening. However, we can categorize most if not all of them as either healing miracles and exorcisms. The exact manner He used to perform each of these miracles is unknown, but many were done by a spoken command. As for the purpose of these miracles, surely Jesus was showing compassion and care for the people. But beyond this, as Matthew pointed out, He was again displaying His divinity and showing Himself to be the long-awaited Messiah.
The next morning, Jesus and His disciples left Capernaum to go visit other cities in Galilee. At each new location He preached in the synagogue and cast out demons (Mark 1:39). Jesus was also healing all sorts of diseases, and His fame spread rapidly. People were coming from Syria and the surrounding regions to be healed. Soon large crowds of people from Galilee, the Decopolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan were following Him (Matthew 4:23-25).
II. A LEPER IS CLEANSED (Mark 1:40-42; Luke 5:12-13; Matthew 8:1-3)
During Jesus’ travels in and around Galilee, a man with leprosy approached Him. The man fell on his knees and pleaded with Jesus, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus was moved with compassion, reached out and touched the man, and said,"I am willing. Be cleansed!” Immediately the leprosy left him and the man was healed.
A quick word about the setting of this story. Luke states that this meeting took place “in” a city, but it most likely occurred “by” or “near” a city - in the countryside - as lepers weren’t allowed in the cities. This is simply a matter of translation. In fact, Matthew writes that it happened at the foot of a mountain, when Jesus came down after delivering His famous Sermon on the Mount.
Notice that the leper was quite confident in Jesus’ power to heal him. He had heard of Jesus’ many miraculous deeds and was convinced of His supernatural abilities. Still, rather than demanding to be healed, the leper humbly asked Jesus to act if He was willing. Jesus seemed moved by the humility of the request and stated that He was willing. This passage reminds us that Jesus always answers our petitions in accordance with God’s will (1 John 5:14-15).
My favorite part of this story is when Jesus touched the man. Remember, he had leprosy… which is highly contagious. In Biblical times, lepers were forced to live in the countryside and avoid healthy people, so as not to spread the disease (Leviticus 13:46). Furthermore, no one was permitted to touch them lest they also become unclean. Though He didn’t need to, Jesus purposely touched the leper showing Himself to be greater than the Jewish purity laws. This was probably shocking to any who may have been watching!
III. INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN AND DISOBEYED (Mark 1:43-45; Luke 5:14-16; Matthew 8:4)
Jesus then sternly warned the man not to tell anyone what had happened, but rather to go immediately to the temple and be declared clean by the priest in accordance with the Mosaic Law. Instead, the man went out and told everyone, and excitement over Jesus’ miracles spread to the point that He was no longer able to publicly enter the cities. Therefore, Jesus began staying in desolate areas and the people came to Him.
It is widely believed that, by this point in His ministry, Jesus had already selected all 12 of His apostles. Along with them, a large crowd of spectators was following Jesus virtually everywhere He went. Thus, it is reasonable to think that there were many witnesses who saw the leper being cleansed. Even still, Jesus wasn’t eager for more fame and attention. He told the man to keep the miracle to himself. Jesus also instructed the healed leper to obey the steps laid out in the Law of Moses for proper cleansing (Leviticus 14). It is clear that Jesus didn’t ignore or disregard the Law. On the contrary, He urged people to follow it.
As you’ve probably already guessed, this story describes a healing miracle. Jesus performed this miracle by saying, “Be cleansed”. We noted earlier that He also touched the leper, but it appears that His spoken word was what healed him. Jesus acted out of compassion for the leprous man, but beyond this He was revealing His identity so that those watching might believe. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of this miracle, the hysteria surrounding Him had grown so great that Jesus decided it was no longer a good idea for Him to "publicly" enter the populous cities.
CONCLUSION
Let me conclude today’s sermon with an observation. As we’ve seen today, the ever-increasing number of people following Jesus was beginning to be a problem. Not only was it making His ministry more difficult, but His growing popularity was also not sitting well with the religious elites. Sadly, most of those who came to Jesus were much more interested in His miracles than His message. They wanted Jesus to answer their requests, but often didn’t honor or comply with His. This same sort of imbalanced behavior exists today.
Finally, let me offer this invitation. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are infected with the spiritual leprosy of sin. You are unclean, impure, and have been expelled from the presence of our Holy God. However, if you will turn to Christ, repent of your sin, believe upon Him as the risen Son of God, and trust Him for salvation, He will cleanse you of all your iniquities, declare you righteous, and give you new and eternal life.
Next week we will read about a group of men that brought their friend to Jesus. Perhaps we could all do likewise and each bring a friend to church this coming Sunday. It promises to be a great message. Until then, have a blessed week.
In the message last week, Jesus came to the city of Capernaum. On the Sabbath day, while He was teaching in the local synagogue, He silenced an unclean spirit and cast it out of a demon-possessed man. After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Peter and Andrew’s house. There He healed Peter’s mother-in-law who was suffering from a high fever.
In today’s sermon, we will add 2 more chapters to “The Miracles of Jesus” series. Both scenes are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We will use Mark’s gospel as our primary text, as we did last week. The pair of stories we’ll discuss today are considered Jesus’ 7th and 8th miracle(s). I’ve titled this message “Healings in the Evening and a Leper in Galilee”. We will begin right where we left off last Sunday - in Capernaum, on the Sabbath day, at Peter’s house, in the late afternoon…
I. MANY SICK PEOPLE COME TO JESUS (Mark 1:32-34; Matthew 8:16-17; Luke 4:40-41)
That same evening, while the sun was setting, many people brought their sick friends, relatives, and others to Jesus. It was as though the entire city had gathered at Peter’s door. Jesus came out of the house, laid His hands on them, and healed them. Besides these, Jesus also cast out many demons from those who were possessed. As He did so, He forbade the demons to speak because they knew He was the Christ.
In Matthew’s gospel, this occasion is regarded as the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (Isaiah 53:4a). In the Old Testament, Isaiah spoke of a coming Messiah, a Suffering Servant, who would bear our “griefs” and carry our “sorrows”. The Hebrew words used by Isaiah can also be translated as “sicknesses” and “infirmities”. So, while Isaiah 53 most directly refers to Christ’s atoning of mankind’s sin, in this particular instance Matthew applies it to the removal or healing of physical diseases.
It is uncertain how many miracles Jesus performed that evening. However, we can categorize most if not all of them as either healing miracles and exorcisms. The exact manner He used to perform each of these miracles is unknown, but many were done by a spoken command. As for the purpose of these miracles, surely Jesus was showing compassion and care for the people. But beyond this, as Matthew pointed out, He was again displaying His divinity and showing Himself to be the long-awaited Messiah.
The next morning, Jesus and His disciples left Capernaum to go visit other cities in Galilee. At each new location He preached in the synagogue and cast out demons (Mark 1:39). Jesus was also healing all sorts of diseases, and His fame spread rapidly. People were coming from Syria and the surrounding regions to be healed. Soon large crowds of people from Galilee, the Decopolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan were following Him (Matthew 4:23-25).
II. A LEPER IS CLEANSED (Mark 1:40-42; Luke 5:12-13; Matthew 8:1-3)
During Jesus’ travels in and around Galilee, a man with leprosy approached Him. The man fell on his knees and pleaded with Jesus, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus was moved with compassion, reached out and touched the man, and said,"I am willing. Be cleansed!” Immediately the leprosy left him and the man was healed.
A quick word about the setting of this story. Luke states that this meeting took place “in” a city, but it most likely occurred “by” or “near” a city - in the countryside - as lepers weren’t allowed in the cities. This is simply a matter of translation. In fact, Matthew writes that it happened at the foot of a mountain, when Jesus came down after delivering His famous Sermon on the Mount.
Notice that the leper was quite confident in Jesus’ power to heal him. He had heard of Jesus’ many miraculous deeds and was convinced of His supernatural abilities. Still, rather than demanding to be healed, the leper humbly asked Jesus to act if He was willing. Jesus seemed moved by the humility of the request and stated that He was willing. This passage reminds us that Jesus always answers our petitions in accordance with God’s will (1 John 5:14-15).
My favorite part of this story is when Jesus touched the man. Remember, he had leprosy… which is highly contagious. In Biblical times, lepers were forced to live in the countryside and avoid healthy people, so as not to spread the disease (Leviticus 13:46). Furthermore, no one was permitted to touch them lest they also become unclean. Though He didn’t need to, Jesus purposely touched the leper showing Himself to be greater than the Jewish purity laws. This was probably shocking to any who may have been watching!
III. INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN AND DISOBEYED (Mark 1:43-45; Luke 5:14-16; Matthew 8:4)
Jesus then sternly warned the man not to tell anyone what had happened, but rather to go immediately to the temple and be declared clean by the priest in accordance with the Mosaic Law. Instead, the man went out and told everyone, and excitement over Jesus’ miracles spread to the point that He was no longer able to publicly enter the cities. Therefore, Jesus began staying in desolate areas and the people came to Him.
It is widely believed that, by this point in His ministry, Jesus had already selected all 12 of His apostles. Along with them, a large crowd of spectators was following Jesus virtually everywhere He went. Thus, it is reasonable to think that there were many witnesses who saw the leper being cleansed. Even still, Jesus wasn’t eager for more fame and attention. He told the man to keep the miracle to himself. Jesus also instructed the healed leper to obey the steps laid out in the Law of Moses for proper cleansing (Leviticus 14). It is clear that Jesus didn’t ignore or disregard the Law. On the contrary, He urged people to follow it.
As you’ve probably already guessed, this story describes a healing miracle. Jesus performed this miracle by saying, “Be cleansed”. We noted earlier that He also touched the leper, but it appears that His spoken word was what healed him. Jesus acted out of compassion for the leprous man, but beyond this He was revealing His identity so that those watching might believe. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of this miracle, the hysteria surrounding Him had grown so great that Jesus decided it was no longer a good idea for Him to "publicly" enter the populous cities.
CONCLUSION
Let me conclude today’s sermon with an observation. As we’ve seen today, the ever-increasing number of people following Jesus was beginning to be a problem. Not only was it making His ministry more difficult, but His growing popularity was also not sitting well with the religious elites. Sadly, most of those who came to Jesus were much more interested in His miracles than His message. They wanted Jesus to answer their requests, but often didn’t honor or comply with His. This same sort of imbalanced behavior exists today.
Finally, let me offer this invitation. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are infected with the spiritual leprosy of sin. You are unclean, impure, and have been expelled from the presence of our Holy God. However, if you will turn to Christ, repent of your sin, believe upon Him as the risen Son of God, and trust Him for salvation, He will cleanse you of all your iniquities, declare you righteous, and give you new and eternal life.
Next week we will read about a group of men that brought their friend to Jesus. Perhaps we could all do likewise and each bring a friend to church this coming Sunday. It promises to be a great message. Until then, have a blessed week.