Luke 5:12

Let us learn from the words of the leper not to go about seeking the cure of our bodily infirmities, but to commit the whole to the will of God, Who knows what is best for us, and disposes all things as He will.

The fourth miracle after Jesus came to Capernaum was the healing of a leprous man. But since He illumined the fourth day with the sun, and made it more glorious than the rest, we ought to think this work more glorious than those that went before; of which it is said, And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy. Rightly no definite place is mentioned where the leprous man was healed, to signify that not one people of any particular city, but all nations were healed.

In falling upon his face he marked his humility and modesty, for every one should blush at the stains of his life, but his reverence kept not back his confession, he shows his wound, and asks for a remedy, saying, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Of the will of the Lord he doubted, not from distrust of His mercy, but checked by the consciousness of his own unworthiness. But the confession is one full of devotion and faith, placing all power in the will of the Lord.

And it happened, when he was in one of the cities, etc. After the calling of the disciples, he here adds their confirmation through miracles. And this part has two sections. In the first, the miracle of the healing of the leper is introduced: in …

And it came to pass, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man full of leprosy. And seeing Jesus, and falling on his face, he besought him, saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Well, where the …

How typically the leprous man represents the whole race of man, languishing with sins full of leprosy, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; (Rom. 3:23.) that so by the hand put forth, i. e. the word of God partaking of human nature, they might be cleansed from the vanity of their old errors, and offer for cleansing their bodies as a living sacrifice.

And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city,.... Or near it, hard by it, very probably Capernaum; Mat 8:1 Behold a man full of leprosy; a disease to which the Jews were very incident, and concerning which, many laws and rules are given, in Lev 13:1. The symptoms of the ancient "lepra", as laid down by Galen, Aretaeus, Pontanus, Aegineta, Cardan, Varanda, Gordon, Pharaeus, and others, are as follow.

(3.) We must earnestly desire to be cleansed from the defilement, and cured of the disease, of sin, which renders us unfit for communion with God. (4.) We must firmly believe Christ's ability and sufficiency to cleanse us: Lord, thou canst make me clean, though I be full of leprosy. No doubt is to be made of the merit and grace of Christ.

We see in this passage — our Lord Jesus Christ's POWER over incurable diseases. "A man full of leprosy" applies to Him for relief, and is at once healed. This was a mighty miracle. Of all illnesses which can afflict the body of man — leprosy appears to be the most severe. It affects every part of the constitution at once. It brings sores and decay upon the skin , corruption into the blood , and rottenness into the bones . It is a living death , which no medicine can check or stop.

We see in this passage — our Lord Jesus Christ's POWER over incurable diseases. "A man full of leprosy" applies to Him for relief, and is at once healed. This was a mighty miracle. Of all illnesses which can afflict the body of man — leprosy appears to be the most severe. It affects every part of the constitution at once. It brings sores and decay upon the skin , corruption into the blood , and rottenness into the bones . It is a living death , which no medicine can check or stop. Yet here we read of a leper being made well in a moment. It is but one touch from the hand of the Son of God — and the cure is effected. It is but one single touch of that almighty hand! "And immediately the leprosy departed from him." We have in this wonderful history — a lively emblem of Christ's power to heal our souls. What are we all, but spiritual lepers in the sight of God? Sin is the deadly leprosy by which we are all affected. It has eaten into our vitals. It has infected all our faculties. Heart, conscience, mind, and will — all are diseased by sin. From the sole of our foot, to the crown of our head — there is no soundness in us — only welts and wounds and putrefying sores! (Isaiah 1:6.) Such is the state in which we all are born. Such is the state in which we all naturally live. We are in one sense dead — long before we are laid in the grave. Our bodies may be healthy and active — but our souls are by nature dead in trespasses and sins! Who shall deliver us from this body of death? Let us thank God that Jesus Christ can! He is that divine Physician, who can make old things pass away, and all things become new. In Him is life. He can wash us thoroughly in His own blood — from all the defilement of sin. He can quicken us, and revive us by His own Spirit. He can cleanse our hearts, open the eyes of our understandings, renew our wills, and make us whole!

A certain city - This was some city of Galilee; probably Chorazin or Bethsaida. A man full of leprosy - See this disease, and the cure, largely explained on Mat 8:2-4 (note); and see it particularly applied to the use of public preaching, Mar 1:40 (note), etc. See also the notes on Leviticus 13 (note), and 14 (note).