Luke
5:12-14 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who
was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him,
saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then He put out His
hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be
cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. And He charged him to tell
no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and
make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses
commanded.” NKJV
Dear Lord Jesus it is so easy for us to forget where
we were down in the sewer of sin and depravity and enslavement after You wash
us from our sins in Your Blood. This happens far more often than we would like
and it is always because we lose sight of Your glory and the great love You
showed to us when were dead in our trespasses and sins. As You gave to the Apostle
Paul to write here, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love
with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up
together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus.”
How often did You encounter those that were
considered outcast in their society, but You always reached out to anyone that
looked to You for cleansing. This account of the man full of leprosy is the
hallmark greeting card of why You took on our humanity to walk among us. This
man was confined to the city where he lived because he was unclean with this
horrible disease leprosy. The man was not free to go where he wanted even
within his own city and certainly had no means by which he could go into other towns;
he would have been thrown out by the people.
Psalms
107:9-10 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with
goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in
affliction and irons. NKJV
Even though he was in that one city, he perhaps
heard (from afar because he could not get close to non-lepers) people talking
about the Man named Jesus who went about the whole region doing good and
healing people miraculously of all manner of diseases and casting out demons
everywhere He encountered them. So now here he is just going about his day
trying to do what he could to diminish the ever increasing effects of his
disease and suddenly he hears someone speak Your Name Dear Lord and the man
rushes over to where You are not with the pride of entitlement but instead with
lowliness of heart and soul he begged You and said to You, “Lord, if You are
willing, You can make me clean.”
Luke
5:12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was
full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him,
saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” NKJV
Psalms
34:18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such
as have a contrite spirit. NKJV
Psalms
51:17 The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart --- These, O God, You will not
despise. NKJV
When he called You Lord, he was showing reverence,
awe, and worship of You, but when he said, “if” it showed his uncertainty as to
whether You would do for him what he so desperately desired. It is still prevalent
today with us Dear Lord. I know I wonder if my prayers for the salvation of my
children and other family will be answered. I know that it is Your will to seek
and save that which is lost but I confess I am like this leprous man thinking “if”
when I know You hear me every time I come to Your Throne of grace, for I know
that You are always making intercession for me in my infirmities and weaknesses.
Your answer to the man with leprosy was “I am willing;
be cleansed” and it is the same for me today in my prayers for the
salvation of my children, siblings, and other family because You Dear Lord
Jesus are always willing to help and heal that which is diseased.
Luke
5:13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy
left him. NKJV
Psalms
51:13 “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be
converted to You.” NKJV
Then Dear Lord You did not just answer this leprous
man’s prayer or petition, You reached out Your hand to the one called unclean
and touched him and immediately removed his leprosy. When You touched him You
were also letting him know that he still matters in this world and there is One
who loves him even if all others have turned away from him in his present
condition. You attached Yourself to this man transferring Your Divine Nature
into him (see the article entitled “Power went out from Him”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=78998
). The people that gathered around You even the disciples were probably taken
back by You touching him.
Hebrews
4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need. NKJV
Similarly to when You were talking to a woman in
public (when in that culture it was not something men commonly did) and the
woman was a Samaritan woman on top of that and the Jews and Samaritans hated
each other. Lord Jesus You saw this man not as he was but You saw him whole
even before You laid Your hands on him. This man could never make physical
contact with any clean person ever but You embraced him with Divine Love that
lifted away not only his disease afflicting his body but also circumcised his
heart anew.
Psalms
33:9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
NKJV
You Dear Lord Jesus see every person even the sinner
that hates You curses Your name and mocks You openly before other people and
yet You see them as they could be if they would come to You with a contrite and
broken spirit and You love them even while they hate You. Just like this leprous
man Dear Lord Jesus You were willing to touch me although not in the physical
sense as we read here in Luke’s gospel, but You touched me in all of my filth
and unclean sinfulness with grace, love, and mercy giving me faith to trust You
and receiving from Your hand healing of my soul from my sin. When Bill Gather
(Southern Gospel Musician) wrote that song I believe entitled, “He touched Me”
perhaps he was reading this very passage of Scripture and allowed You to write
the lyrics that would praise, honor, and glorify You Dear Lord Jesus (see the
article entitled “His Touch”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=74893
). That song represents the continual testimony of every regenerated born again
soul.
“One touch of
Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling.” A. B. Simpson
“Few are they
who by faith touch Him;
multitudes are they who throng about Him.” Augustine
“When we are touched by the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and He applies His healing balm to our sin-sick souls, immediately our
condition is changed.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
If
you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this
from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear
Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I
believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from
the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn
from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control
of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you
Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus
Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and
Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple
I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader,
Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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