And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
This is the seventh of miracles we’re covering in our studies. Below is the account of the miracle in which Jesus cleansed a leper. You can also find it in Matthew 8:1-4 and Luke 5:12-14. This one here in Matthew is the most robust.
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter. (Mark 1:40-45)
This is what has been in my thoughts as of late. These miracles that we read in the bible, I wonder at our responsibility in understanding them; or interpretting and preaching them. They say that the days of signs and miracles are over. And frankly, I agree. There. I said it. Do people still get healed? Sure. We see it all the time. But are they healed in the same manner that we see in the gospels? The bible says immediately the leprosy departed from him. I’ve never seen any disease immediately depart from anybody.
What of the miracles we’ve covered already? Turning water to wine? No such thing. That never happens. Now, the nobleman whose son the fever left, we could say that we’ve seen that. But at the moment we ask? Possibly. But even then, Jesus rebuked them and said (John 4:48) Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. Peter’s mother-in-law? She just got up! She put her apron on and started making tortillas.
A multitude all getting healed in one evening? There’s Benny Hinn wannabes out there, but I’ve seen no conclusive evidence of that ever happening in these days. How about them fish? We have prosperous harvests, good jobs, blessings and such. Sure. But to the proportion that we see at the lake of Gennesaret? The nets brake and the boats almost sunk! Never heard of it.
I’m not trying to belittle the healing that we do experience or the blessings that we receive by the hand of God. I’m just saying that it’s not the norm for the dead to immediately rise, or the those blind from their birth to immediately start seeing, or lame cripples to immediately start jumping and leaping. I just don’t ever see that happening. What I’m trying to say is that we can’t make a direct physical application of these miracles that we read. We can’t. And they were not written that we should. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31)
The primary application that we are to make concerning miracles is that of spiritual application. There’s something spiritual that we are to learn regarding the sinner, salvation, and the Savior. We don’t preach the gospel in order that people could be healed of their physical maladies. No! We preach that man might be saved. The greatest miracle that one can experience is to be born again; to pass from death to life; to have your eyes opened to your lost condition and God’s saving power.
I’m sure there some super-spirituals out there that would take issue with what I’m saying. They’ll say, “Well… I saw this and this miracle.” or “God did this for me…” Yeah yeah yeah yeah. You’re not listening to a word I’m saying. I remember when God helped me with diabetes. I professed to other that it was miraculous. I went to the hospital with a sugar of 765. And God did a work in my life where I lost 75 pounds and my sugar was a constant 90 for years. My wife had complications at her first and second childbirth that the doctor said not to have any more children and that she was going to die on the table. She’s had five more children since then. All of that was at the hand of God; I have no doubt in my mind; but all of it while we were lost and on our way to hell.
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26) What good is health or a miraculous healing, if you die and go to hell. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4) The miracle of God are a demonstration of God’s goodness, and their purpose is spiritual, to lead thee to repentance.
I don’t know if God wants to heal your physical malady; leprosy, diabetes, high-blood pressure, cancer, etc. We’ve prayed for many through the years that they’d be healed; but it wasn’t God’s will. I don’t know God’s will concerning your health. But I do know God’s will concerning your soul. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. (Mark 1:41) It is God’s will that you’d be cleansed from your sin; washed in the blood of the Lamb. The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Everybody that came to Jesus for healing was healed. Not a one was turned away. In this day, physically, that is just not so. And this is not a judgment on God or a challenge to your spirituality. It’s just so. In fact, the one that made this so is the same one that made salvation so. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, (Romans 8:20)
Everybody that came to Jesus for healing was healed. Spiritually speaking however, where it truly counts, that has never changed. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37) Jesus will save any sinner that comes to him. It’s whosoever believeth him! It’s every single one that will come. So you see, the healing and the miracles are to be applied spiritually. (Yet for the record, understood literally)
And the miracle of salvation that Jesus will perform on you is done immediately! That leprosy is a type and picture of our wretched unclean sinful condition; our righteousness is as filthy rags. But God can change that immediately. You will pass from death unto life immediately. Like the old hymn said
And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came,
Took of the offer, of grace He did proffer, He saved me, O praise His dear name!
I know we didn’t spend alot of time in this particular miracle, and what we had to say about it particularly was somewhat in general. But nonetheless, I really wanted to deal with the topic of application. I see now the difference in spiritualizing a text and making spiritual application. Our understanding of the text should always be firstly literal. But that does not mean that we are to unequivocally make direct and physical application. People ignorantly call misapplication as this literal interpretation, when it is not. And in the case of healings and miracles, we must make spiritual application. If you want to make direct physical application, you may find yourself disappointed, waiting for signs and wonders. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. (Mark 8:12)