Last week we learned from the man who fell at Jesus’s feet, seeking healing from his leprosy. Believers are Christ’s representatives on earth, so we have a great responsibility for how we behave and act toward others. There are several important lessons we can learn from Jesus’s response to the man.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3 (NKJV)

1. See the individual.
Society saw a label – leper – and it had become the man’s defining identity. Jesus looked beyond the label. The man wasn’t just “a leper”. He was a human being with a dreaded disease. Jesus recognized all the implications leprosy carried with it and He felt a deep compassion for the man’s suffering.

Even today, it is easy to see people as a “type.” This allows us to maintain a distance, physically, emotionally and spiritually. However, that goes against our call. We need to see others with the eyes of love just as Christ did.

2. Realize no one is untouchable.
One of the most shocking acts in this short account was the moment Jesus touched the man. It was scandalous. You can almost hear the crowd gasping. In doing so, He identified Himself with the man, still at the mercy of the disease ravaging him.

We must not be like the Pharisees, who saw themselves as gatekeepers, determining who was worthy of God’s mercy and who was not. No one is beyond the reach of the Gospel. We have to get involved with people, and be part of their lives.

3. Be willing.
Jesus didn’t turn away. He didn’t cite His schedule. He didn’t claim it was best to use His resources to minister to the crowd rather than to focus on one individual. He was willing to meet the man at the point of his need.

We, too, must be willing to minister to everyone God brings our way, recognizing divine appointments in each meeting.

What do you think prevents believers from responding like Jesus did?

When [Jesus] had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3 (NKJV)

We don’t have much experience with the disease of leprosy these days. In fact, Biblical scholars and historians are not entirely sure that what we know as leprosy is the same disease mentioned in Scripture. However, we can certainly identify with being marginalized, with being an outcast, with desperately needing the touch of Jesus Christ.

In this brief encounter, covering only a few verses, this man gives us a pattern worth following when we seek wholeness.

 
1. He came and worshipped.
The crowds tagged along behind Jesus, but this man got close and he worshipped Christ. It was an act of faith, humbly approaching and acknowledging Jesus. That engagement was necessary for his restoration. In the same way, our restoration begins when we come near to Christ with a full recognition of who He is and a grasp of who we are before Him.

2. He understood sovereignty and power.
The man never questioned Jesus’s ability to heal him, but he recognized that everything, his suffering included, was governed by God’s will. Even as he asked for relief, he seemed to sense that there were greater purpose in it, even if he couldn’t see it.

3. He had no other recourse.
There were no modern hospitals. No hi-tech diagnostic tools. No gifted physicians available. There were patented medicines to prescribe. There were no self-help books, no seminars, no herbal treatments available to him. He couldn’t think positively enough to mitigate his circumstances. His healing and restoration would come only from the touch of God. It is when we stop trying to resolve our issues on our own, and lay them at the feet of Jesus in humility, that we find what we need.

There are even more lessons in these verses. Be sure to tune in next week.