Jesus cleansing a leper

Christ cleansing a leper by Jean-Marie Melchior Doze, 1864.

Jesus cleansing a leper is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, namely in Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 5:12-16.[1][2][3][4]

According to the Gospels, when Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man full of leprosy came and knelt before him and begged him saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Instantly he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Leprosy is spoken of in the Bible in a manner that identifies it as a serious disease, and the people of the time greatly feared it. When Jesus sent forth the disciples with instructions to heal the sick, cleansing the lepers was specifically mentioned. Leprosy in the old and New Testament time periods might have been different than the leprosy we know today.[5]

The disease of leprosy is the only disease referenced in the Old Testament where special attention needs to be devoted to ritual life. According to Leviticus 13, a person displaying a skin condition such as a swelling, scab or bright spot was to go to the priest for examination. The priest had the power to either pronounce the person clean or unclean. As part of the process to test the individual, they could be isolated from the rest of the population for up to 2 successive periods of 7 days. If the condition of the individual is unfavorable at the end of this time, they can be declared unclean. To be declared unclean because of leprosy meant that the unfortunate person had to tear his clothes and put a covering upon his upper lip and cry, "unclean, unclean." He shall be defiled all the days that he is afflicted with the plague and shall dwell alone outside of the camp.[6]

The man suffering with this condition would have been subjected to having spongy, tumor like swellings grow on his face and body. His internal organs would have been affected, and his bones would have begun to deteriorate. No one would have been able to touch him since the Talmud forbid a Jew from coming closer than 6 feet to a leper. The distance was increased to 150 feet if the wind was blowing.

As the disease progresses, pain turns to numbness, and the skin loses its original color and becomes thick, glossy and scaly. Dirty sores and ulcers develop, especially around the eyes and ears, and the skin begins to bunch up with deep furrows between the swelling so that the face of the afflicted individual looks similar to that of a lion. Fingers and toes drop off. At this point everyone can see that the person is a leper, and if they were touched, one would be able to feel it. There is also a very unpleasant odor that emanates from a leper. Since the disease attacks the larynx also, the voice becomes hoarse and acquires a grating quality.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mark by Mr. Robert H. Gundry (May 10, 2009) ISBN 0802829104 page 95
  2. ↑ Biblegateway Matthew 8:1-4
  3. ↑ Biblegateway Mark 1:40-45
  4. ↑ Biblegateway Luke 5:12-16
  5. ↑ van der Loos, Hendrik (1968). The Miracles of Jesus. Brill Archive. p. 464.
  6. ↑ van der Loos, Dr. Hendrik (1965). The Miracles of Jesus. E.J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands. pp. 468–470.
  7. ↑ McArthur, Dr. John (1987). Matthew 8-15 MacArthur New Testament Commentary. The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. p. 8:1-4. ISBN 0-8024-0763-3.