Luke 5:12-16 – Healing of a leper

Leprosy was a dreaded disease. In the Bible it is a symbol of sin. Anyone contracted this condition was thought to have committed some great personal sin. No one wants to associate with a leper. Leviticus 13:45-46 said what a leper must do: “As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” Within a certain distance of people, a leper would have to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” Leprosy was believed to be highly contagious but modern medical science had proven otherwise.

A leper was an outcast. Just imagine the humiliation a leper would need to endure. Typically, a leper would be a beggar because there was no way anyone would employ him. In some cases, relatives would deposit food at a certain remote location for them to pick up. Anyone who ever touched a leper would be unclean and had to go through a ceremonial cleansing. In Leviticus, we learned of the elaborate cleansing process that was prescribed for a healed leper. He had to go through an arduous procedure to make sacrifices and then be certified by a priest before he could rejoin the society.  

In verse 12, Luke described a leper in a certain city, who was covered with leprosy all over. This indicates how serious his condition was, and needing healing badly. But we are not told how he knew the Lord could heal him. So when he met Jesus, he just humbly fell at His feet and requested to be cleansed. Notice that his words were, “…you can make me clean!” That’s because he recognized he was unclean and needing cleansing. This gives us a fundamental principle concerning wholeness. Like that leper, we need to recognize our condition before we can be helped.   

Without hesitation, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be clean!” Notice that Jesus touched him. No one ever touched him since he contracted that dreadful condition. According to the Law, no one should. Yet Jesus did. He compassionately touched that leper and he was cleansed instantly. Jesus then directed him to tell no one but to go for that prescribed ceremony, and be certified by the priest as Moses had instructed. Meanwhile the news of what happened to that man spread everywhere, and large crowds came seeking to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus slipped away from them, went into the wilderness, and there He engaged the Father in prayer.

Here in these short five verses are some fundamental lessons for us. The first step to wholeness is a deep awareness of sin. We need to be aware of our condition before we will be willing to face it before the Lord. Then we must come to Christ in humble reverence and submission. There must be this confidence that He is willing and able to touch and cleanse us. The most needful lesson is found in the conclusion Luke gave in this account. He directed us to the place where Jesus received His strength and power to do what He did. He went away to a quiet place and pray. There is no substitute to prayer. It is our key source for effective living and ministry. So be sure to find time to pray!