Let us turn to the Word of God
in the New Testament, the Gospel according to Matthew. And we
read in chapter 8, reading the first four verses. The Gospel
according to St. Matthew, chapter 8, and reading
verses 1 to 4. When He was come down from the
mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, there came a
leper, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst
make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand,
and touched him, saying, I will. Be thou clean. And immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See
thou tell no man. but go thy way, show thyself
to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony
unto them." Here we read of Christ and the
leper and the incident is not only recorded here In Matthew
chapter 8 we find the record in each of the synoptic Gospels. You will find it also there at
the end of the opening chapter in the Gospel according to Mark
and again in Luke chapter 5 at verse 12 following this threefold
record then of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in the
healing of the leper. We're told in the opening verse
that when he was come down from the mountain, that is the place
where he had preached his sermon in the previous chapters. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 we have the
record of what we normally referred to as the Sermon on the Mount
and when he was come down from the Mount we're told great multitudes
followed him and then here in the opening verses of this chapter
we see how the Lord Jesus immediately performs some three miracles
we have the healing of the leper in this portion that we've read
and then in what follows at verse 5 through to verse 13 we read
of the centurion's serpent being healed and then subsequent to
that at verse 14 following we read of the miracle that the
Lord performs on Peter's mother-in-law interesting that so soon after
the preaching we have the miracles And it reminds us, of course,
of the significance of the miracles. They are there to testify to
the Lord Jesus. Remember in John's Gospel the
word that is repeatedly used for a miracle is the Greek word
for a sign. The signs. authenticates the
ministry of the Lord Jesus when that teacher of the Jews, Nicodemus,
comes to the Lord in John chapter 3. Remember what we're told there
in the opening part of that chapter that Nicodemus says, we know
that thou art a teacher come from God for no man could do
these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. All the significance of the miracles
Again, there in the synagogue in Capernaum, in the opening
chapter of Mark's Gospel, the people say, what thing is this?
What new doctrine is this? What new doctrine? What new teaching
with authority? He commandeth the unclean spirits
and they obey him, as he cast the unclean spirits out of that
man there at the synagogue in Capernaum. the importance then
of these miracles and so this morning I want us to consider
this portion that we've read these opening four verses in
Matthew chapter 8 and first of all to say something with regards
to the significance of leprosy what sort of a plague it was
it is a typical disease and then in the second place I want us
to examine something of the symptoms of the disease and then thirdly
to say something with regards to the compassion of the Lord
Jesus, how we see Christ as one who is full of sympathy for those
who are suffering. First of all then the significance
of leprosy. And I say again, it is a typical
disease. What does the Lord say to this
man after he has healed him in verse 4? He says, Go thy way,
show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded
for a testimony unto them. we see in that portion that we
read in the 13th chapter of the book of Leviticus that where
there is the disease of leprosy the person is not directed to
the physician but to the priest there in that 13th chapter, at verse
9, when the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be
brought unto the priest. That is very significant and
it's a truth that's so emphasized we see it in the opening verses
of that 13th chapter. And also we have it spoken of
in the book of Deuteronomy, quite specifically there in chapter
24 and verse 8 It says, Take heed in the plague
of leprosy, that they will observe diligently, and do according
to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you, as
I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do." The fact that
the individual is being directed to the priest and not to the
physician is indicative that this disease is something unusual.
It's a typical disease. It reminds us of that awful plague
of sin that has come upon all men. When Isaiah speaks of sins,
addressing the sinful nation of Israel, There in the opening
chapter of his book he says, from the sole of the foot even
onto the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises
and putrefying sores. He likens the whole of the nation,
as it were, to a leprous person. covered over with this terrible
plague of leprosy. And we see the same in the Psalms
when David comes before God to acknowledge his sins, how he
speaks in such graphic terms and the language that we find
David using there in Psalm 38 for example is Really that that
is descriptive of the plague of leprosy. Look at the language
that David employs. Verse 3 of Psalm 38, There is
no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger, neither is there
any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities
are gone over mine head as a heavy burden that feel heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt
because of my foolishness. Verse 7, he says, my loins are
filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in
my flesh. It's as if David is describing
the disease of leprosy. But what is he doing there in
the psalm? He's confessing his sin. That's what he's doing. He's confessing his sin. Some
even suggest that when Job was so sorely plagued, it was leprosy
that was visited upon him. He was covered with sore boils
from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head and he
goes and he sits alone amongst the ashes and takes a potsherd
and scrapes himself. Here we see that the disease
then is something unusual where the What today would be diagnosed
as leprosy is exactly that disease that was apparently common in
Israel of all. It is difficult to decide. But
this is certainly a typical disease. And we see that when it comes
to the cleansing, the cleansing of the leprosy. In chapter 14
of Leviticus we see what was required with those who had been
cleansed from the disease, what was commanded by God under that
Levitical law. And isn't that what the Lord
Jesus is referring to here in this fourth verse? Show thyself
to the priest, he says, and offer the gift that Moses commanded. for a testimony unto them. We see in verse 4 of Leviticus
14 how that person was to take two birds and hyssop and the
cedar tree and scarlet and he was to go to the priest and the birds were to be sacrificed. There was a certain procedure
that was to be followed with regards to the cleansing of the
leper. And amongst those various things
that were to be taken, there is mention of hyssop. Now, diving Again, David, when
we come to consider his confessions, his prayers that he makes in
the Psalms. Remember Psalm 51, David's great
penitential psalm, having been guilty of the most vile sins,
guilty of adultery, guilty of murder, and yet feeling the wretchedness
of his fallen nature as he comes before God, he cries out there
in verse 7, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow. What is the purging with hyssop?
It's David thinking in terms of that that was required by
the leper in the day of his cleansing. All leprosy is a type. But what is it a type of? Now
some say that leprosy is simply a type of sin. But is that really the case?
We know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. The preacher in Ecclesiastes
says there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and
sinneth not. all are born dead in trespasses
and in sins all are sinners but are all those who are the lepers
that we read of here in scripture though all are sinners in God's
sight there are but few so in their own new life from Him we
must receive before for sin we rightly grieve Would it not be
more exact, more accurate to say that leprosy is not so much
a type of sin in general, but it is that type of sin when the
plague has been opened up by the Holy Spirit in the heart
of a man, in the heart of a woman. It has been well observed that
sin itself is of the creature. All are sinners, but that sense
of sin is of God, and the leper is that person whom God is dealing
with. The Holy Spirit has come and
has come to work that conviction in the soul. When he has come
he will reprove of sin, of righteousness, of judgment, says the Lord Jesus.
It is his work to convince Here we see a disease that is really
typical of that person who we might say is a sensible sinner. They have a sense of their need
and certainly this is the case with the man here in the Gospel.
Behold there came a leper and worshipped him. Oh how these
sinners worshipped the Lord Jesus. How they feel their need of him.
This leper comes saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. He comes in all his foul condition. Lord did we not just sing of
it in our praises to God? Leprous souls are to press through
the crowds, are to come to the Lord Jesus. This is what we see
this man doing. But having said something with
regards to the significance of the disease, secondly let's look
a little more closely at the symptoms, the marks of the disease. And that's what we see in that
passage that we read in Leviticus chapter 13, the various symptoms
that the priest was to look for. and think always in terms of
sin you see when we read of those various symptoms we're not to
imagine you see that with that person who has been awakened
in his soul and has a sense of his sin that he's necessarily
a great profound work that has been performed in a sense some
of those symptoms that we read of are small symptoms are very
small symptoms. Remember the language there in the second verse, when a man
shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, it says. These are small things, a rising,
a scab, or bright spots, and it be in the skin of his flesh,
like the plague of leprosy. these things are so insignificant
we might say a rising, a swelling a scab, an eruption that comes
or a bright spot little things little things, but how sin you
see is such a subtle thing how insidious it is how it comes
and we're scarcely aware it's there We know that the heart
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, and at
times that sin will break out. The psalmist cries out, you can
understand his errors, cleanse thou me from secret faults. All the risings of sin are so
insignificant in many respects, little marks. That's a remarkable
verse that we find in the epistle of James in chapter 1 and verse
15. He says, Then when last death
conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished
bringeth forth death. In those few words we see the
course of sin from its conception, its small beginnings, to its
bitter end, the certainty of death, the soul that sinneth,
it shall die. When lust hath conceived, it
bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death." Or the beginning might be small. The beginning
might be small. Though thy beginning was small,
Yet thy latter end shall greatly increase, we read in Job chapter
8. Though it is sometimes in the
experiences of those who are these spiritual leopards, some long repent, and lights
believe. There is a smallness here. We're not to despise these small
signs, these little tokens. I find it very strange in that
portion that we were reading in Leviticus chapter 13 what
said in the 13th verse because when the leprosy covers all the
flesh the person is pronounced clean that's such a mystery really
that's such a mystery As I say, the symptoms you see might just
be small symptoms. I don't pretend to understand
or to unravel that mystery that we have in that 13th verse, how
the person can be clean when they're covered all over. The
point I make is simply this, friends, that we're not to despise
little symptoms. How we're to examine ourselves
and prove ourselves and know ourselves, to look for little
symptoms. The important thing, of course, is that the symptoms
are real. We're to beware of spurious marks. Now, we see that. We see that
in the various detail that is given in that 13th chapter. There,
at verse 3, and again at verse 20, we read that the plague,
whatever it is, it must be deeper than the skin. It's deeper than
the skin. There's nothing at all superficial
here. Or we can think in terms of other
aspects of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, when the Lord Jesus
speaks of the sower and his seed, and how the sower casts the seed. It's a broad cast. and it falls
on various types of ground and some falls on the stony ground
and remember when the Lord interprets that that has fallen on the stony
ground you see it here later in chapter 13 and verses 20 and
21 The Lord says, "...he that receiveth
the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word,
and anon with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root in himself,
but dureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended." That that's superficial. He receives it when it's stony
ground, there's no gaps. But here is the bad mark, you
see, with joy. With joy he receives it. That's
a bad sign, surely. If we first receive the Word
of God, will it not come as a word to convince, to convict, to reprove? Or is not God's Word like unto
a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces, a hard heart? It's
not received with joy, there's that conviction of sin. We need
to beware then of anything that is superficial. No, the plague,
if it's real, if the sign is a genuine sign, it's deeper than
the skin, there's some depth there. Though it might be a small
beginning, yet it's a real beginning. Where is true faith rooted? Deep
in the heart. to faith the life of God deep
in the heart it lies, it lives, it labors, on the load though
dumped it never dies. Oh God, deliver us then from
anything that's superficial. If we're looking for those signs
of those who have known something of a real spiritual leprosy,
there will be some death. The plague deeper than the skin. But then again there in that
third verse of that 13th chapter we read about the hair turns
white. Now what does that indicate?
The hair is turned white. It has perished. And it has perished
from the very roots. Now what is the significance
of the hair? Well we know from what we read
in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 that long hair is the woman's glory.
And so, in the assembly of the Lord's people, in the worship
of God, the hair is to be covered. That's how Paul explains those
things. The hair is the glory of the
woman. Not just the glory of the woman
when we read of David's son Absalom. How his hair also was his glory. He pulled it, it says, every
year. He was such a fine-looking man,
was absolute. When we read, you see, of the
hair, it reminds us of that that is the glory of a person. Though
this glory can so quickly descend into the sin of pride, or when
the hair is turned white, when it's perished from the roots,
doesn't this speak of the way in which God humbles a sinner?
the sinner by nature is so proud. Do we not see that in the very
history of the fall of our first parents, the entrance of sin
into God's creation, there in Genesis chapter 3. Pride. Now it's there, there in the
Garden of Eden at last when the serpent comes and says to the
woman, you shall be as gods. This makes That's true of the
knowledge of good and evil, something to be desired, or to be as God. Men like to think that they're
gods. Our man's pride must be brought down, and it's true in
the lives even of those who profess to be Christians. The hymn writer
says, "'Tis pride, a cursed pride, that spirit by God abhorred.
Do what we will, it haunts us still and keeps us from the law."
against it influence pray, it mingles with the prayer, against
it preach, it prompts the speech, be silent. Still it's there,
haunting us. Now here is the symptom you see
of that spiritual leper, the hair turns white, his glory destroyed,
perishing from the roots, humbled. But then also in verse 8 of that
13th chapter we read this other symptom that it is a real plague
of leprosy it's a spreading plague it's a spreading plague it doesn't
stand still it doesn't stand still at all oh no friends there's
no growth in any conscious goodness with regards to these who are
spiritual lepers There's that increasing sense of our sinnership. And we feel it, do we not? We
who are those leprous souls, we're to grow in knowledge of our God and Saviour Jesus
Christ. That's what growth in grace is.
It's an increased knowledge of Christ. And what is that knowledge? It's not just a speculative knowledge,
it's an experimental knowledge. We need to know Him more. And
the more we grow in grace, the more we will feel our real needs
of that salvation that is only in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because
we feel that that sin, it's still there in our fallen nature, it's
never standing still. That that is born of the flesh
is flesh. And it is so all the days of our lives here upon the
earth. This is why the Christian is
called to that mortification of the deeds of the body that
he might live. His dependence upon Christ, his
dependence upon the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. These
are the various symptoms that we see. The plague is deeper
than the skin. The hair has turned white, it's
perishing from the roots. the plague is spreading. And
then also there in verses 14 and 15 of that chapter that speaks
so clearly of the various symptoms, there in verses 14 and 15 we
read of the raw flesh. This is the difference you see,
when the man is all covered over with white, there's no raw flesh,
then he is clean. But when there's raw flesh, Does it not indicate that the
man has something of a tender conscience? He feels his sin. This raw flesh means that he's
feeling it. Surely that person who had the
leprosy in his body, he felt it. Raw flesh is an unpleasant
thing. But spiritually, what is it to
have a conscience that's raw, tender? The hymn writer says,
to see sin smarts but slightly, to own with lip confession is
easier still. But all to feel cuts deep beyond
expression. What do we know, what do we know
really of a feeling religion? That we feel these things. We
feel these things in our conscience. We feel the awful character of
what our sin is. It grieves us. It brings us time
and again to that place of real repentance. All we would that
we might be cleansed from all our sins. We want to be those
who have a conscience void of offense before God and man. Here we see then something of
the symptoms. Yes, the symptoms might just
be small, almost insignificant, but we're to be aware of these
things. We are to be looking, examining ourselves, do we have
these real symptoms? Are we those who stand in need
of him who is the great physician of souls, even the Lord Jesus
Christ himself? He says so clearly in the course
of his ministry that the whole have no need of the physician
but they that are sick. He comes not to call the righteous
but sinners to repent. the significance in of the play.
It is typical, and it's typical not of sin in general, but more
especially we see it as that that is a type of sin when the
person has been awakened, has a sense of their need, and then
there are these various symptoms. and all that we might be able
to discern real symptoms in ourselves that we might be those you see
who with this leprous man would come and worship the Lord Jesus
saying Lord if thou wilt if thou wilt thou canst make me clean
well thirdly this morning let me try to say something with
regards to the Lord Jesus and His ministry here, the compassion
of the Lord Jesus Christ, His great sympathy. What do we read? The man makes his request, we
have his prayer, there in verse 2, and then the answer, verse 3, Jesus
put forth his hand and touched him saying, I will Be thou clean,
and immediately his leprosy was cleansed." It's interesting,
I said that the record is not only found here in Matthew but
we have it repeated in the other synoptic Gospels. What do we
read in Mark's account that's not here? Well, there at verse
41 in that opening chapter Mark speaks about Jesus moved with
compassion. Jesus moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched
him. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. He is such a compassionate Saviour. And what of this man? Well, what
was his condition? We find out something more in
the account that we have in Luke's Gospel. In Luke chapter 5 and
verse 12 we're told this man was full of leprosy. This man
was full of leprosy. You see the Lord Jesus Christ
has compassion for the greatest of sinners. The greatest of sinners. as hope
in one who is like the Lord Jesus Christ, full of compassion. Alfred
Edersheim, that Jewish convert to Christianity, who understood
a great deal about Judaism and the teaching of the rabbis. Edersheim
says, the rabbis treated lepers with utmost contempt. That's how the Jewish rabbis
were. The leper, they despised these
men. Well, we know that the leper
was unclean. I did read on there in that chapter
because I wanted to finish on those verses 45 and 46 where the leper
has to constantly pronounce himself to be unclean. the leper in whom
the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and
he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry,
unclean, unclean, all the days wherein the plague shall be in
him, he shall be defiled, he is unclean, he shall dwell alone,
without the camp shall his habitation be." He's cut off. He's outside
the camp of Israel. because of his sin. Or the leper
is unclean, the leper is cut off. The disease was such an
awful disease, such a contagious disease really. Again, we see
something of that in the book of Leviticus. In chapter 22 and verse 4 it
says, What mansoever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath
a running issue, he shall not eat of the holy things until
he be clean. And whoso toucheth anything that
is unclean by the dead, or the man whose seed goeth from him,
or whatsoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made
unclean, or the man of whom He may take uncleanness whatsoever
uncleanness he hath. The soul which hath touched any
such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy
things unless he washes flesh with water." Even the touch,
you see, makes the person unclean. And not just ceremonial uncleanness,
there is that. But also he's not to touch the
leper because the disease is so contagious and yet when
this man comes to the Lord Jesus and begs of him if thou wilt
thou canst make me clean what does the Lord do? the Lord touches
him the Lord touches him though an unclean leper, a cut off leper,
a contagious leper the Lord touches him and the Lord cleanses him. It sets before us that great
truth of the gospel, does it not, that where sin abounded,
Christ did much more abound. Oh, friends, here is our comfort,
the super aboundings of the grace of God. Oh, this one who is so
compassionate, This is the Lord Jesus. Now the Apostle reminds
us we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted
like as we are yet without sin. How he is touched with the feeling
of all the infirmities of his people. How he will come and
touch them and in that touch he will heal them. He is so kind. he doesn't break the bruised
reed, he doesn't quench the smoking flax or we come to him, maybe
we just have little symptoms but they're troublesome to us,
these little symptoms what are we to do? we're to bring everything
we're to cast all our cares upon him we're to cast all our burdens
upon him this is the one who cares now, in that cleansing
of the leper that ceremonial cleansing that was to follow
when the man was pronounced clean. We made some reference to it
already there in the opening part of Leviticus chapter 14. In that cleansing we see in type
the great redemptive work of the Lord Jesus. And I want to
close this morning on this particular note. The Lord Jesus Christ.
Look at Him here. in these opening verses of Leviticus
14. In chapter 13, that long chapter,
we read a good part of it, but it speaks of the various symptoms. We see the leper anchoring. And now in chapter 14 we have
his cleansing. In the opening verses, the Lord
spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper
in the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought unto the
priest, and the priest shall go forth out of the camp. And
the priest shall look, and behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed
in the leper, then shall the priest command to take for him
that is to be cleansed two birds, alive and clean, and cedarwood,
and scarlet, and hyssop. And the priest shall command
that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel of running
water, that's fresh water, As for the living bird, he shall
take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop,
and shall dip them, and the living bird in the blood of the bird
that was killed over the running water, and he shall sprinkle
upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times,
and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird
loose into the open field. It's a wonderful passage and
it's full, full of the Lord Jesus Christ. But as we close, just
to observe this basic truth. What do we
have there? Two birds. Two birds. And they're typical. All the sacrifices are typical.
They're typical of Christ and His great sacrifice. Why two
birds? why there's such a fullness in
that work of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the great antitype of
all those sacrifices that we read of in Leviticus. One bird would not be sufficient.
There must be two birds. Now what happens to the birds?
Well, one is killed. And then the blood of that bird
must not fall to the ground. It is caught, we're told, in
a northern vessel. Or the blood of that bird is
not spilt in vain. That blood is to be caught that
it might be applied seven times to the leper is to be cleansed
and does he not set before us the great truth of particular
redemption that the Lord Jesus Christ has not shed his blood
in vain, his blood has not fallen to the ground and not accomplished
anything, no that blood that he shed he shed it for a particular
people and that people shall be saved but then we read of
the other birds and the other birds is taken with the hyssop
and the scarlet and the cedar wood and they're all dipped in
the blood of that bird that was slain. And then that living bird
is released in the open field. Why it sets before us the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, the bird dies. But then the bird is set free.
The Lord Jesus is that one who is risen from the dead. It sets
before us the great truth, does it not, of that liberty of the
Gospel. How the leper is now cleansed
from all his sin. Christ says, Thy dead men shall
live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Oh, by nature
the sinner is dead in his sin, dead in trespasses and sin. Oh,
yet in the Lord Jesus Christ there is all the fullness of
redemption, all the fullness of salvation. Oh, that we might
be those friends who would come then and worship this great Savior. There came a leper, it says,
and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand
and touched him, saying, I will. be thou clean and immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. Amen.