When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 3 He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.
Jesus had just concluded his Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) and large crowds followed him. In ancient times, many skin diseases were labeled as leprosy. Some of the skin diseases were curable but the cure had to be certified by the priests (Lev. 13:2 ff). In this case, the incurable disease of leprosy, where the flesh eventually rotted away, is intended (Lk. 5:13). Lepers, people with scaly infections who were declared unclean by the priests, were ostracized and could not go to the Temple. The Mosaic Law required lepers to live apart from the community and to warn others if they were out in public by crying out “Unclean, unclean (Lev. 13:45-46)!”
The leper addressed Jesus as ‘Lord,’ an act of worship. The leper believed that Jesus could heal him and realizing his unclean state, he gave Jesus the option, “If you wish. (v. 2).” Out of love and compassion, and because of the man’s faith, Jesus touched the vile looking leper. This healed the leper but made Jesus ritually unclean (Num. 19:22). Jesus swore the man to silence but the man publicized the whole matter (Mk. 1:45). The leper had to show himself to the Priest and be pronounced legally pure before he was allowed to attend the Temple again (Lev. 14:2-32). Jesus observed the Torah (Mt. 5:17-18) and respected the Temple priests, so the man had to be examined by the Temple priests and then go through the ritual of purification. The gift to be offered by the poor was a lamb or two turtle doves (Lev. 14:1-32).
Almighty God, enlighten our minds and hearts so that we will turn to you for guidance and healing at all times. Grant us the grace to see with the eyes of faith and the fortitude to serve you as you desire. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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