I Am Willing: Luke 5:12-15
“12) While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13) And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14) And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15) But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” Luke 5:12-15
This story seems to parallel Matthew 8:1-4. This man entreated Jesus to heal Him. His statement to Jesus deserves serious consideration.
“Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.” He understood it was not an issue of Jesus having the authority or power to heal him, rather it came down to His will. People still wrestle with that question today. Some use it as an excuse for unbelief. So let’s dig deeper into this story.
According to the context, the leper may have been asking Jesus if He was Jehovah Rapha as found in Exodus 15:26. It literally means “The Lord Who Heals You.” If Jesus was indeed Jehovah Rapha, then it was His will to heal, because healing was part of His nature.
If that was the case, the leper was actually stating an amazing proposition before Jesus. The only way it could be His Will was if Jesus was indeed “The God Who Heals.” No one else has the authority to “will” healing.
Another way of understanding this interaction was the leper saying, “If you are Jehovah Rapha, then it is your will to heal me because healing is your identity.”
The response of Jesus was two fold. First, He said, “I am willing, be cleansed.” When Jesus said “I am” it was usually connected to His identity in some way. (See Exodus 3:14) God revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM” Then Jesus touched the leper and he was made clean.
Second, Jesus sent him to the priest to confirm his healing. This was a direct connection to Leviticus 13-14. It was a priest who initially confirmed him a leper. The text says before meeting Jesus, he was “covered with leprosy.” But with the touch of Jesus, he was made completely clean. It was an instant healing.
This now becomes a very unique miracle. Jesus was using His opponents to confirm His authority and power. I can only imagine the witness this became both to the priesthood and to the people. The news spread far and wide!
There remains one more mystery to this story. Was this “Simon the Leper” as referenced in Matthew 26:6 and Mark 14:3? Was he the man from Bethany who hosted Jesus before His betrayal in his home?
Many believe that to be the case. If so, we are forced to conclude that he became a close companion of Jesus and His disciples. What a testimony that your past separation has no bearing on the potential of your future fellowship with Jesus! This truly was an amazing story.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“12) While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13) And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14) And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15) But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” Luke 5:12-15
This story seems to parallel Matthew 8:1-4. This man entreated Jesus to heal Him. His statement to Jesus deserves serious consideration.
“Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.” He understood it was not an issue of Jesus having the authority or power to heal him, rather it came down to His will. People still wrestle with that question today. Some use it as an excuse for unbelief. So let’s dig deeper into this story.
According to the context, the leper may have been asking Jesus if He was Jehovah Rapha as found in Exodus 15:26. It literally means “The Lord Who Heals You.” If Jesus was indeed Jehovah Rapha, then it was His will to heal, because healing was part of His nature.
If that was the case, the leper was actually stating an amazing proposition before Jesus. The only way it could be His Will was if Jesus was indeed “The God Who Heals.” No one else has the authority to “will” healing.
Another way of understanding this interaction was the leper saying, “If you are Jehovah Rapha, then it is your will to heal me because healing is your identity.”
The response of Jesus was two fold. First, He said, “I am willing, be cleansed.” When Jesus said “I am” it was usually connected to His identity in some way. (See Exodus 3:14) God revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM” Then Jesus touched the leper and he was made clean.
Second, Jesus sent him to the priest to confirm his healing. This was a direct connection to Leviticus 13-14. It was a priest who initially confirmed him a leper. The text says before meeting Jesus, he was “covered with leprosy.” But with the touch of Jesus, he was made completely clean. It was an instant healing.
This now becomes a very unique miracle. Jesus was using His opponents to confirm His authority and power. I can only imagine the witness this became both to the priesthood and to the people. The news spread far and wide!
There remains one more mystery to this story. Was this “Simon the Leper” as referenced in Matthew 26:6 and Mark 14:3? Was he the man from Bethany who hosted Jesus before His betrayal in his home?
Many believe that to be the case. If so, we are forced to conclude that he became a close companion of Jesus and His disciples. What a testimony that your past separation has no bearing on the potential of your future fellowship with Jesus! This truly was an amazing story.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
