Healed
Read Matthew 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 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.”
Big Idea: Jesus brought us healing and freedom with His sacrifice.
In Matthew 8, a man fell at the feet of Jesus asking to be cleansed from his leprosy. This disease would not have just been a painful, embarrassing skin infection but it would have completely cut him off from society and worship. No longer could this leper enter his family’s home to enjoy a dinner, attend a wedding to rejoice with a friend, or go to the temple to worship God. Completely cut off, he would have lived in isolation from all who cared about him.
As he approached Jesus that day, you wonder if fear filled his heart. Would he be turned away because of his appearance and illness? But Jesus did a remarkable thing- He reached out and touched the man. At this point, Jesus would have Himself been called unclean and isolated. But Jesus made a profound statement as He reached toward the man. He said, “I am willing, be clean.”
In Isaiah 53:4, it says the Messiah “took up our pain and bore our suffering.” Those words “took up” and “bore” are two different words in Hebrew. Took up is the word nā·śā which means to “take on, carry, and bear.” Amazingly, it is the same word that was used for the sacrificial lambs who would take on the sin of the worshipper when they were sacrificed. Bore is the Hebrew word sə·ḇā·lām which meant to “voluntarily take on hardship, suffer, endure, and carry the load.”
Jesus came to be this man’s Messiah and to carry this man’s sin, illness, and pain on His shoulders. Without Jesus’ touch and word, there was no hope for this man. No restoration, path of peace, or way to be cleansed. When Jesus said He was willing, the word meant “deliberate intention and determined will.” Jesus willingly became the necessary sacrifice for this man’s physical and spiritually healing.
After healing the man, Jesus instructs him to go show himself to the priests as the law requires. We read in Leviticus 14, that a person healed from leprosy is to be examined by the priests and once proclaimed clean, the cleansed person is to release a ‘live bird in the open fields.” What a perfect symbol of the healing this man experienced by the hand and word of Jesus. Freedom- freedom to live, laugh with friends, worship, be in community- perfect freedom!
You and I were no different than this man. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, we too were completely cut off from relationship with God. Take time today to remember the incurable illness of sin you brought Jesus, the sacrifice He paid on the cross, and the moment when He reached out and called your name.
If you do not know Jesus, take a moment to watch THIS VIDEO.
Takeaway Verse:
Song for Today:
Looking For More?
Devotions4Teens Video: Salvation in Jesus, Becoming More Like Jesus, Thirsting For God, Sharing Your Faith, The Gospel- 3 Minute Presentation, I Want to See
Similar Devotions: Law Breaker, The Perfect Sacrifice, Why Am I Here?, One Way, It’s Personal 2, There’s Hope, A Different Love, An Allegory of Pride, Love Story, Grace and Truth, It’s Personal
