The Discernment of Leprosy

Q: What does the Bible say about leprosy and its significance?

Leprosy in the Bible symbolizes sin and spiritual alienation, as it is dealt with by priests rather than physicians. Leprosy, as mentioned in Scripture, holds significant spiritual meaning beyond its physical manifestations. It is seen as a representation of sin and alienation from God, rather than a mere medical issue. The requirement for lepers to present themselves to priests, as outlined in Leviticus 13 and reiterated in the Gospels, illustrates that the cleansing of leprosy has a deeper spiritual significance. This association underscores the need for a priestly mediator, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who alone can cleanse the sinner from the leprosy of sin.

Q: Why is understanding leprosy important for Christians?

Understanding leprosy helps Christians grasp the nature of sin and the need for cleansing through Christ. Understanding the biblical concept of leprosy is vital for Christians as it serves as a powerful metaphor for sin and its consequences. Just as leprosy rendered individuals unclean and isolated them from society, sin cuts us off from God. The leper's cry to Jesus, acknowledging His ability to cleanse, mirrors our acknowledgment of our sinful state before a holy God. This understanding reinforces the significance of Jesus' sacrificial work on the cross, where He became our great High Priest, providing the ultimate cleansing for our sinful condition. Through Christ, believers can find hope and healing from the leprosy of sin.

Q: How do we know Jesus can cleanse us from sin?

Jesus’ willingness and ability to cleanse sin is demonstrated in His healing of the leper in the Gospels. We know Jesus can cleanse us from sin because of the clear witness of Scripture that reveals His character as compassionate and powerful. In Luke 5, a leper approached Jesus, saying, 'Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' Jesus responded, 'I will; be thou clean.' This interaction not only showcases His willingness but also His authority over sin and sickness. The Gospel accounts affirm that Jesus, in His dual nature as both God and man, possesses the power to heal spiritually and physically. His miracles are testimonies to His deity, and the cleansing of the leper becomes a vivid illustration of the greater work He accomplishes through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, where He makes a way for sinners to be reconciled to God.

Let us turn once again to the Word of God, turning to the Gospel as we find it in Luke chapter 5 and reading verses 12 through 13 and 14. Luke chapter 5 and reading verse 12 through 13 and 14. It came to pass when he was in a certain city Behold, a man full of leprosy, who, seeing Jesus, fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man, but go, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded. for a testimony unto them.

The Gospels of course many times we read of the Lord healing the sick and the needy and amongst those time and again we have him ministering to those who were lepers and so cut off from the rest of society in fact later in this gospel in chapter 17 and there at verse 12 following we read of him healing 10 lepers at once and it was just one the stranger a Samaritan who turned and came back and thanks the Lord.

And of course the verses that I've just read here in Luke 5 are very much repeated in the other Synoptic Gospels. We find the same incident there in the early part of Matthew chapter 8 and then again also in Mark and the end of the first chapter. Often it is the case of course with what we call the Synoptic Gospels we have these three evangelists as it were giving their various descriptions of the same incident in the ministry of the Lord Jesus and the fact that we have a threefold reference is not without some real significance Christ himself says in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every words be established and we have those words back in the book of Ecclesiastes a threefold cord is not quickly broken and so we come again and again to see the significance of these things that are repeated to us with regards to the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I want us, this morning as we look at these verses that I've just read here in Luke 5, I want to say something with regards to the discerning of leprosy.

The discerning of leprosy, hence we read that long portion in Leviticus chapter 13. but as we consider these verses from verse 12 through 13 and 14 and he came to pass when he was in a certain city behold a man full of leprosy who seeing Jesus fell on his face and besought him saying Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and he put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean and immediately the leprosy departed from him and he charged him to tell no man but go and show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. Well looking at these verses one to divide the subject matter into some three parts to say something with regards to the significance of the leprosy the disease and then in the second place to try to understand what the symptoms are and then finally to speak of the compassion and the sympathy of the Lord Jesus in his ministry to this particular man.

So we begin with the disease itself and the significance of it. And it is interesting, isn't it, that it's a disease that is put into the hands not of the physician, but of the priest. That's quite clear from what the Lord is saying in verse 14, as He gives this charge to the man, Show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. and we were reading those words in a scripture reading in Leviticus 13 verse 9 when the plague of leprosy is in a man Moses says then shall he be brought on to the priest of course the words are repeated in Deuteronomy Deuteronomy is the second law in a sense that's the meaning of the word Deuteronomy second law it's on the borders of the promised land that there in Deuteronomy 5 for example the Lord of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20 is repeated but we're thinking of the Lord of the leper and there in Deuteronomy 24 and verse 8 we find these words take heed 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 shall ye observe to do." Emphatic language there concerning how they must be careful to observe and do all that the priests tell them.

And that is significant, surely, with regards to this particular disease. There is a spiritual association, whichever way we look at it, in that it's a disease that has to be dealt with by the priest of Levi and not a doctor or a physician. their spiritual significance. What is it? Well, in some ways, is it not a type of sin? Although, as I want to go on to try to show, I think it's more than just a type of sin in general.

But it is that, concerning the sad state of the children of Israel, as Isaiah begins his ministry amongst them there in Isaiah chapter 1, we read those words from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores he's describing the whole condition of the people of God those underjures before thou go into captivity what a degenerate people they were, how they had departed from the ways of the Lord wanting to be like the nations round about them and he describes their condition in terms that are very similar to that of the disease of leprosy. from the sole of the foot even under the head no soundness but bruises, wounds, putrefying sores and when David in the psalm speaks of himself and speaks of his sin he uses very similar language for example if we turn to the words that we find in the 38th psalm Striking words that David utters here, Psalm 38 verse 3, 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 an heavy burden.

They are too heavy for me, my wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness, I am trouble. I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long, my loins are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in my flesh. David was never a leper and yet he's describing himself in these terms. What does he say later in the psalm? Verse 18, I will declare mine iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin. He is making his confessions and since he makes his confessions he does speak in that way, he speaks of himself as one who is suffering from a leprous disease, no soundness at all in him.

When we think of the strange ways of the Lord with Job, Satan was permitted to sow trouble that just man that justified sinner and we see him don't we there in that second chapter of the book covered all over with sore boils again from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head and he goes and he sits amongst the ashes and he takes the potsherd and he's scraping himself seems that he is full of some sort of leprous disease and we have In the chapter following where we read, the 14th chapter of Leviticus, we have the various rituals and sacrifices that were to be associated with the cleansing of the leper. The priests were to instruct those who were being pronounced clean after they'd suffered from this disease. It's debatable whether what has been known as leprosy in more recent times is the same as the disease being described in the Bible. As I've said, it certainly has a spiritual significance.

It's difficult to know just what the disease is, but we certainly see that there were certain rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices that were to be observed with regards to the cleansing of the leper for example there in Leviticus 14 they were to take two birds and hyssop and scarlet and cedar wood and so forth and to offer one of the birds and to take the blood from that sacrifice and dip the living bird in that and then release it and all this ritual of course is significant it's all it's all typical there's a point and purpose in it but remember David himself when after his great sin and whilst David never had leprosy he was a great sinner before God how he sins in the matter of Bathsheba in the depths of his sin adultery, murder in the end.

When he comes, as it were, to his senses, when the faithful prophet Nathan speaks to him and boldly declares, David, thou art the man. Then we have the language of David there in Psalm 51. And what does he say? Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean.

You see, hyssop was to be taken with regards to the cleansing of the leper. as we see in Leviticus 14 verse 4 and David is using that language of the cleansing of the leper purge me with hyssop I shall be clean, wash me I shall be whiter than snow or there's the cleansing of the sinner and of course all those types that we have in that 14th chapter of Leviticus with regards to the sacrifices that were to be made in the cleansing of the leper all have their ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus who is the great anti-type. But thinking of the disease itself and what it is I said didn't I it's more really than a general type of sin that's how many would speak of it. I think it's just a type of sin, but is it not something more than that, really?

We know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is no man that's just, no, not one. We're all sinners. We're all conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity. And so even from our birth, we're in that state of alienation from God. but sometimes we do sing the words of that 89th hymn that all are sinners in God's sight there are but few so in their own but isn't the leper one who is a sinner not only in God's sight but in his own sight and that hymn goes on new life from him we must receive before for sin we rightly grieve or there can be no sense of what we are as sinners except we first know that quickening of the Holy Spirit all must begin there all must begin there and you know there are those today who imagine that you can know something of real conviction of sin and yet be unregenerate there are those who believe that you can be aware of your sinnership, have a real sense of it and consider yourself a leper in the sight of God and yet be in a natural state. What nonsense is that? We're dead in trespasses and sins.

And I say again that really, surely here, the leper is one who has such a realization, such a sense of what he is. Someone has said sin itself is of the creature, but the sense of it is from God. the sense of it comes from God and this is what we see in the leper such a real sense of his sin because he has seen something of God and the holiness of God and the righteousness of God and we have it really in this chapter in the previous part of the chapter where we have the Lord performing another miracle. Yes, He performs a miracle in cleansing the leper by a touch, but remember previously we read of the disciples, those men who were fishermen by trade, experienced men, who knew what it was to be fishing, and yet they'd been toiling all through the night and they'd caught nothing, and then the Lord appears. and he tells them to launch out into the deep again and to cast their nets for a draft for a draft on the other side of the ship and they bring in an amazing catch and we're told aren't we the reaction of Simon Peter there at verse 8 when Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus knees saying depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord For he was astonished at all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. Always in the presence, you see, of God. And he feels himself to be what he is. He feels himself to be a sinner and strange. What he says to the Lord depart from him. He shrinks from the presence. That's a sense of sin.

That's a realization of the spiritual significance of that disease. the disease of leprosy it's that one who knows what he is by the grace of God he knows what he is and he must go to the priest and of course ultimately we have to go to that one who was the great high priest and this is where this leper, this man who was full of leprosy has gone he's gone to the Lord Jesus and there alone can he find real healing But the significance of the disease, it has a spiritual bearing really. It's more than just some physical disease that we read of when we read of leprosy and the way it's dealt with there in the book of Leviticus and the way the Lord ministers to the lepers throughout the Gospels. But let us turn in the second place to say something with regard to the symptoms, the marks and the symptoms. and I want to say this they're not necessarily deep and profound maybe sometimes we look at ourselves and we think well I've never really had a deep conviction of sin like some seem to have you could think of the experience of a man like John Bunyan as he describes his experience in grace abounding for the chief of sinners you can think of William Huntington and the experience he describes in his own account of the Lord's dealings with him the conviction that he felt his unworthiness or we come to the word of God of course and we see something of Paul's experience Paul was called to be an apostle there are principles that I've said before that we can draw from his experience and these men that we mentioned and we could mention many others they were men who were called to do a particular work and they had deep and profound conviction of sin but as we read through those verses in Leviticus 13 did you not observe how small some of the symptoms are No small symptoms spoken of in the second verse of that chapter.

A rising or a swelling, a scab, an eruption, a bright spot. Little things really. And yet here is the evidence. The man is aware that there's something not right with him. He's got to go to the priest. He wants to know. Sin is such a subtle, insidious thing. The heart's deceitful above all things, desperately wicked, you can know it. I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins to give to every man according to the fruit of his doing. Now we need to be aware of what sin is and how insidious it really is. It's been well observed that man knows the beginning of sin, but who can bound the issues thereof? the language of the psalmist there in psalm 19 and verse 12 who can understand his errors? who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults or is that how we feel sometimes? sin seems in some ways to be such a small thing and yet who can ban the issues?

I often think of that verse in James 1.15 just a short verse and yet a remarkable verse when lust hath conceived says James it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death there we have the history of sin from its conception to its bitter end when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." Or we might have small beginnings, you see, just a small sense of realization of what we are as sinners. Though thy beginning was small, we read in Job 8, yet thy latter end shall greatly increase.

Let us not despise those small beginnings that we see there at the opening part of Leviticus 13 what it is that brings a man to see that he needs, he needs a priest and yet all he's got is a little swelling or a bright spot. We read, didn't we, those words there in Leviticus 13 verse 13 And that's strange words really because it says that when the man is covered all over his flesh is to be pronounced clean. All the mystery of that. When he's all over, covered it would seem with the leprosy, the priest is to pronounce him clean. nor can he expect to be perfectly saved till he finds himself utterly lost. The Lord will certainly bring us to that.

We might not have deep conviction but we'll feel that really we can do nothing to help ourselves, to save ourselves. We have to learn that salvation is of the Lord in every sense of the word not only in its accomplishment but certainly in its application. Christ accomplished the salvation But we don't put our hand really to any part of what God does when he brings that salvation into our heart. Oh yes, we have to come to saving faith, but that faith is of the operation of God. And that faith is the gift of God.

And all we can do is cry to him and call upon him. When we find ourselves utterly lost, or then we're all together cast upon the Lord God, the symptoms, they might be small, small symptoms tiny things in so many ways and yet we need to beware of course of any spurious symptoms we want to know that the marks we examine ourselves and we have been to do this in scripture prove your own selves, know your own selves except Jesus Christ be in you, you are reprobate and we need to be aware that there are there are spurious signs and symptoms but there are also real marks that we read of there certainly in the third verse of Leviticus 13 however small it might be it's deeper than the skin isn't it? that's one of the things that has to be examined carefully is it deeper than the skin? you see it's not to be something superficial and well the remedy is the same isn't it in that sense we need real faith if we're going to know what it is to be truly trusting in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ it's not easy believism it's not easy believism we said before we need to distinguish between that easy believism that's so popular you know you just make a decision, make a commitment and you're saved That's not saving faith. Saving faith is simple. Really, the whole business, the way of salvation, it's so simple. Christ is the only Saviour, and He's willing to save every sinner that comes to Him.

It's the simplicity of faith, but it's not easy when the Lord brings us to the end of ourselves. and we so want to know that we have that faith, and yet, all there's a matter is that, isn't there, of the assurance.

Is it real? Well, true faith's the life of God, deep in the heart it lies, it lives, it labours on the low, though damped, it never dies. All the real mark you see, it's deeper than the skin. And then also in that third verse of Leviticus we see that the hair was turned white. What's the significance? Well, it was perished. It was perished from the roots.

Now, hair, of course, you know the 11th chapter of 1 Corinthians, it's spoken of as the woman's glory. And so, in the worship of God, she's to have her head covered. we can think in the Old Testament of a man like Absalom who must have made a remarkable figure, not so handsome and his glory was the hair on his head and he would part it every year and of course at the end it was the death of him when he rebelled against his father but you see hair really is associated with the glory of the woman or the glory of a man and all our glory has to go. The Lord will turn his people to nothing. The language there in Psalm 90 Moses says they turn us men to destruction and say us to return, ye children of men.

Or there is nothing of self, nothing of our own glory and then also later in Leviticus 13 and verse 8 we read that it's spreading the disease you know the man goes away for seven days and then the priest examines him again is this thing spreading? well if it's spreading it's indicative that it's a real leprosy and so it is really with the child of God If we know the grace of God, there's never any growth in conscious goodness, is there, really? I know we're to grow in grace, but that growth in grace is associated with the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The more we grow in grace, the more we need the Savior, because the more we grow in grace, the more we're not growing in any conscious goodness. We feel our own unworthiness, and all the glory belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. there is an increasing sense really of our needs of such a saviour as the Lord is and we want therefore to understand more and more of the wonder of the person who is this person? and the wonder of that work what is this work? and the mystery of this work? he is coming into the world he is dead upon the cross we want to know more of these things but not only do we have that sign of it spreading later verses 14 and 15 we read there in Leviticus 13 of raw flesh raw flesh and I thought well what could that be typical of is it not in some ways an accusing conscience that feels sin ought to cease in smarts, but slightly to old manlip confession is easier still, but ought to feel.

Cuts deep beyond expression. When our conscience is awakened, the conscience void of offence before God and man, oh, we'll feel our sinnership then. We'll feel our sinnership. We'll acknowledge our sinnership.

There are these various signs and symptoms that are mentioned and as I said some of them are so small and so simple and yet they're real we have to make sure that they're not spurious as we come to the Lord but I think we've said enough with regards to the sinner because before we close I want to say something with regards to the Savior in the third place Savior's compassion and the Saviour's great sympathy really with sinners in the account that we have there at the end of Mark Mark chapter 1 and verse 41 of that first chapter we're told Jesus moved with compassion Jesus moved with compassion put forth his hand and touched him and said unto him I will be thou clean It's lovely isn't it?

We can compare the different accounts. God has given us a fourfold gospel really. And of course there are many things in the first three gospels, the synoptic gospels, that are the same. But there are also things in John's gospel. brings a different approach to the other three, yes, but they all have much to say with regards ultimately to the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But how good it is to compare these various accounts and that we learn something. You see, they are different witnesses and witnesses observe different things.

They are all writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. but it's there in Mark's account that he mentions the compassion of the Lord Jesus moved with compassion always touched with the feeling of all our infirmities and he feels for sinners so he himself of course is without any sin and we see the Lord Jesus Christ here as God and he is able to heal this man because he's God And we see that he is God, of course, from what we referred to just now concerning Simon Peter, when Simon Peter falls down at the feet of the Lord Jesus and says, Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

He's God. But we see here in this miracle how willing he is. Oh, how willing he is. There in verse 13, He touched him saying, I will. O Lord, if thou wilt, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean, says the leper. Isn't that the language of faith? And the Lord can and the Lord will. He put forth his hand and touched him saying, I will. Be thou clean and immediate. Immediately the leprosy departed from him. Oh, that's how the Lord saves, isn't it? The leper, remember, is unclean. He's completely cut off from the people of God.

We read there up to verse 46 in Leviticus 13 and remember those closing two verses that we read 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 there's something about his very breath you see it's contagious is to put a covering upon his upper lip and and to 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 cut off he's a sinner what compassion we see in the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord comes to him and he doesn't just pronounce the word be thou clean, He touched him!

The Lord touched him. Here we are, we sang it just now, didn't we? Here we are waiting to feel my touch. Or when the Lord comes and touches us. And He does that, you know, He does that under the ministry of the Word. Isn't that the wonderful thing sometimes? We feel it's just for me.

Or that's just for me, that just suits me. and the Lord as it were seals his word to us when he touches us and here is a man you know he is full of leprosy he is a great sinner this man in that sense ah but where sin abounded grace did much more about ah no match is there where sin abounds grace does so much more about the aboundings of the grace of God and remember what the apostle says to those who were in the church at Corinth those amazing words that we have there in the 6th chapter 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 9 the following verses Paul says to them know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God be not deceived neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And then he says, and such were some of you. Such were some of you, but ye are washed but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. That's the Gospel you see. The Gospel is for the greatest of sinners.

All where sin abounds, grace does so much more abound and there's immediate cleansing for this man. All the virtue, the efficacy in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because in everything in that one person of Jesus Christ we see God and man. He is always God and man throughout all his ministry. Don't think, oh well that's Jesus as man, that's Jesus as God. No, always. The union of those two distinct natures, human and divine in the one person.

In everything he behaves as a person. a real person and there's virtue there's efficacy in his person and of course in his work under the ceremonial law there were all those different services to be observed as I said the taking of two birds doesn't that in a wonderful way set forth what Christ accomplished by the atonement in Leviticus 14 and verses 4 through 7 we have mention of these two birds and the one bird is to be offered a sacrifice and the blood is to be caught in a basin and the living bird is to be dipped in its fallow's blood and then released oh it's a wonderful gospel picture it shows the sinner as one who is now enjoying gospel liberty is known as forgiveness.

I want to say something more about that if the Lord will this evening. I want to send to read that 14th chapter through and to come back to these words here and to say something more with regards to the remarkable cleansing of the leper as we see it in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the anti-type. of those things that we have there in Leviticus Leviticus is a gospel book and there we have all the types and figures and shadows but the body is of Christ and so we'll have to come back to consider something more with regard to the cleansing the cleansing of the leper but all the great compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ that precious blood that was shed Dear dying land, my precious blood, shall never lose its power, till all the ransomed Church of God be saved, to sin no more. Now that blood of the one bird was caught in the basin, doesn't fall to the ground useless, no, it's caught in the basin, it's applied to the other bird and the bird is let free and then what remains in the basin is to be put upon the the right thumb, and the great toe on his right foot, and upon the head of the leper, it's all part of his cleansing. That cleansing through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We sought to say something with regards to what leprosy is, the significance of it. It's not enough, is it, to have a sense of a leprosy. It's not enough really to be aware of our ruined state by nature, our total depravity, our spiritual impotence. These are not unimportant, but it's not enough. These alone don't save us really.

What we need is a view of the Lord Jesus Christ. To know something of his power to save, that must be revealed to us, his willingness to save. All that come unto God, He saves. He saves. He's able. He's willing. And the sinner is to doubt no more, but simply to say to the Lord, come Lord Jesus, heal me, save me.

Oh the Lord then be pleased. to bless these truths to us that we might know what it is to come as those poor needy lepers just as this man came full of all his leprosy but all the language of faith Lord if thou wilt if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and he put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean and immediately the leprosy departed from him Amen the Lord bless to us his word

The Discernment of Leprosy

What does the Bible say about leprosy and its significance?

Why is understanding leprosy important for Christians?

How do we know Jesus can cleanse us from sin?

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The Discernment of Leprosy

What does the Bible say about leprosy and its significance?

Why is understanding leprosy important for Christians?

How do we know Jesus can cleanse us from sin?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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