MESSIANIC MIRACLE III: THE UNTOUCHABLES

The Jews believed lepers to be cursed. They called leprosy ‘The Finger of God’ because they believed it was inflicted by God. In the Old testament, there were three instances in which God inflicted leprosy on people:

1. On Miriam after she had spoken against Moses in Numbers 12:14 & 15. She was kept outside the camp for 7days.
2. On Moses in Exodus 4:6 when Moses was scared the people would not believe that the Lord had appeared to him.
3. On the teenage king, Uzziah’s forehead, who became proud and burned incense on the altar meant to be performed by priests in 2 Chronicles 26:15.

In Leviticus 13, God specifically gave Moses and Aaron instructions on how to declare leprous people, not sick, but unclean. For as long as such a person remained unclean, he had to live alone outside the camp [13:46]. Anything and anyone that touched such a person would himself be unclean. Apart from Miriam [who was healed because God forgave her upon Moses’ plea], only one man, a Syrian Gentile, had been healed of leprosy. Naaman was healed at the specific instructions of God to the prophet Elisha [this in itself was a foreshadow of the extension of salvation and redemption to the Gentiles]. No other Jew was recorded to have been healed of leprosy. The instructions given to a healed leper to show himself to the priest and to present a guilt or trespass offering proved these two things – that some guilt had to be forgiven, and such cleansing came only from God. And only the Messiah whom God would send could do this on earth.

In Matthew 8:2, Mark 1:40, Luke 5:12, scripture says while Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. This man was not only brave; he must have had tremendous faith in Jesus to risk his life by entering the town knowing he was not allowed there. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged Him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” And of course, Jesus being His dramatic self 🤣, didn’t just ask the guy to be healed but actually touched him to show not only that He Himself could not be defiled, but also that He had the power, again, not only to heal, but also to forgive sin. That He was the One sent by God to redeem them. Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Again, in Luke 17, Jesus met 10 more lepers to whom He gave the same instruction to go show themselves to the priest.

Whenever the Pharisees heard Jesus forgive sins, they were swollen with fury. Remember the guy whose friends lowered him on a mat through a roof [Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5]? This was right after the leprous man. Jesus didn’t touch him. He did not declare him healed. He said, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ In all three accounts, the Bible says when the Pharisees and the teachers of the law heard Him say this, they said:

“Who does this man think he is? This is blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins?”

So in Matthew 22, after several other miracles, they ganged up against Jesus. Verse 15 says they made plans to trap Jesus with His own words. Having failed, they left Him and went away. Verse 23 says the Sadducees also approached Him the same day. Of course they were also outsmarted. Matthew says in verse 34 that when the Pharisees heard that the Sadducees weren’t able to answer the questions Jesus had put to them, they got together and chose their local champion who ‘was an authority on the law’. Needless to say, they failed again. But now it was time for Jesus to ask the questions. So in verse 41, He asked them: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said, “He is the son of David.” So Jesus said, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, call him Lord? For David said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, sit in honour at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ Since David called him Lord, how can he be his son at the same time?” Verse 46 says no one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

They saw the dilemma Jesus had reduced them to. They either had to acknowledge the Deity of the Messiah [whom they already suspected Him to be] or admit that they were not as knowledgeable about the Messiah as they projected themselves to be.

And by this, Jesus established the third miracle that proved that He was the Messiah…smoothly done like the Boss He was! 😉😎