There are moments in life when people realize advice isn’t enough anymore. They don’t just need motivation. They don’t just need encouragement. They don’t just need another article, another life hack. They need intervention. They need someone with power to step into a situation they cannot fix on their own. That’s what we find in our passage this morning. We are going to look at three encounters Jesus has with people who are desperate for Him to move in their lives:
- A leper
- A centurion
- A sick woman
And what each of them discover is that Jesus is willing to move toward desperate people.
ENCOUNTER #1 – THE LEPER
“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’”
The first person Jesus encounters is a leper. The leprous man comes to Jesus, kneels before Him, and says, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Now leprosy in the Bible was a serious skin condition. There are cures for leprosy today, but back in Jesus’ day there was no known cure, and it would often lead to death. Besides being a death sentence, it had severe social ramifications for the person contracting the disease. Lepers were considered “unclean” according to the ceremonial laws laid out in Leviticus 13–14. Lepers were required to live outside of the camp, dwell in isolation, and be separate from the community. They had to live alone or in groups of other lepers known as leper colonies. To maintain separation, lepers were commanded to warn others of their impurity by calling out, “Unclean, unclean!” as they approached another person. So the leper truly knew what it was like to be in need. Notice what this passage says about the way the leper came to Jesus. It says the leper came to Him, knelt before Him. This word for knelt can also be translated “worship.” He calls Him Lord. It seems that Matthew wants to show us something about the posture of the leper.
- He broke the social rules of the day.
- He took a huge risk.
There’s a desperation here that I love. He knows his need is great.
Hymn: Come Ye Sinners
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready waits to save you
Full of pity, love and pow’r
Come, ye weary, heavy laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry till you’re better
You will never come at all
Let not conscience make you linger
Nor of fitness fondly dream
All the fitness He requires
Is to feel your need of Him
The kingdom of God isn’t filled with self-sufficient people. It’s full of people who finally realized: “I need Jesus.” We see this in the leper. He comes humbly, yes, but he also comes recognizing who Jesus is, not just what He can do. And in this humble posture, he approaches Jesus. What does Jesus do? He responds to the leper’s request.
“Jesus, I know You can make me clean—but do You want to?” “I do. Be clean.”
Jesus stretched out His hand, touched him, and immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Put yourself in this man’s sandals for a second. We don’t know how long he had experienced this disease. When was the last time he was touched by another person? Everything about this man’s life was changed after being touched by Jesus. For each of us who knows Jesus, we have those moments that we can look back on and say, “In my desperate situation, Jesus touched me.” It’s our testimony of His saving work in our lives. We should never forget that. Now it may not be as dramatic as this man’s cleansing, but each of us has a story to share about how Jesus has come in. For some, it may be a more gradual experience over time. What we need to know is every story of us encountering Jesus is beautiful in its own way.
Look what Jesus tells him to do next:
“And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’”
For this leper, Jesus told him what to do after receiving the cleansing. First, don’t tell anyone. The reason Jesus said this is because He knew what that would do to His public ministry. The crowds were already large, but this miracle would surely attract even more people seeking miracles. Jesus would continue to heal, but He didn’t want that to detract from His mission to preach the gospel of the kingdom. Then He says:
“Go to the priests and show yourself and offer the gift that Moses commanded.”
Why did Jesus tell him to do this? This was what was commanded in the book of Leviticus. He wanted this man to testify to the healing he had received in order to give glory to God, show the religious elite that Jesus was a Bible guy, and provide a way for him to enter back into society. It shows that Jesus’ heart for this man was that he be fully restored—physically, spiritually, and relationally. What does this passage show us about Jesus?
Jesus is approachable.
Jesus was not bothered by the leper approaching Him, even though it broke social norms and was unheard of. Even though touching a leper would result in defilement, the thing with Jesus is that whoever He touches ends up changing for the better. Jesus shows us that His kingdom is available and open to anyone who comes to Him. Church, let me encourage us in this way: be approachable to those who have not yet given their lives to Jesus. If we are going to be like Jesus to those who need Him, we need to be willing to slow down, notice people, make room for inconvenient conversations, and not always rush past hurting people. Leprosy in the Bible is an illustration of sin. It’s a disease we can’t get rid of. It impacts and infects everything in our lives. It causes us to be separated from a holy, perfect God. And it’s only through the life of Jesus that we are brought in, cleansed, forgiven, redeemed, and given a new identity. Notice that Jesus touched the leper before He instructed him. People are often more ready to hear the truth after they’ve experienced genuine love. Who in your life have you started to put up walls with? Who in your life may the Lord be calling you to make space for again? Even though it may be hard, taxing emotionally, and difficult, when Jesus touched the leper, Jesus didn’t get contaminated—it was the leper who was changed. And by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we can offer people the same love. Let’s look at the next encounter that Jesus has with an outsider.
ENCOUNTER #2 – THE CENTURION (5–13)
“…a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.’”
The next person to encounter Jesus was a centurion. A centurion was an officer in the Roman army. He was a Gentile and oversaw approximately one hundred men. This man had a servant who was paralyzed and suffering terribly. Why does he care about his servant? The passage doesn’t say. It is interesting to note that the word for servant can also be translated “child,” so his care for this servant could be due to his age. Notice, there is no explicit request by the Gentile officer. He simply gives Jesus the information about his servant’s situation. Even without a request, Jesus understands what he is asking.
“I will come and heal him.”
Such an approach by a Gentile officer to a Jewish preacher was unusual. To enter a Gentile person’s home would be to contract ritual defilement according to the religious establishment of Jesus’ day. There is no barrier to Jesus meeting a need. However, Jesus never entered the man’s house. The officer showed incredible faith. He recognized Jesus’ authority and that it went beyond even his own. Jesus’ power to heal was not some sort of magic trick that required His presence. The centurion knew Jesus had true authority, and all He needed to do was say the word. The centurion knew there was just something about Jesus. Good and divine. Did you know that Jesus is the only person in history who satisfies claims of divinity while also living a morally excellent life? No one else has both claimed to be divine and led the kind of exemplary life that Jesus did. There’s something different about Him. So when He makes claims to divinity and authority, He is the only life that has backed up those claims by living the kind of life you would expect if they were true. He deserves our attention.
Look at Jesus’ response:
“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
Jesus is blown away by the faith of this centurion. Jesus then declares what this means for membership in His kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is not a Jewish preserve. It is open to Gentiles like this centurion, and Jews will find themselves excluded if they do not put their faith in Jesus as Messiah. Thus, faith—not race—is the criterion for membership in God’s kingdom. The encounter ends in verse 13:
“Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”
And the servant was healed at that very moment. What does this encounter tell us about Jesus?
His Word is authoritative.
The healing that the centurion’s servant experienced was not in Jesus’ physical presence; it was by His Word. Friends, the healing power of His Word continues to change lives today. So let’s continue to lift up the authority of His Word in our own lives and for those who have yet to come to Christ. I’ve seen the healing work of God’s Word in my own life. How many of us know that in Christ, cleansing is instantaneous, but healing is a process? I’m not talking about physical healing. The Scriptures do not tell us that all will be healed on earth from physical ailments. We are commanded to pray and ask God for healing, and much like the leper did, we seek His will. The promise is that one day, in Christ, we will experience full healing. But there’s more than physical healing that God is doing:
- Emotional
- Psychological
- Relational
- Spiritual
Trust that His Word is having its needed effect. When Jesus, the Word, makes contact with our hearts, things change. Continue to trust in the authority of God’s Word. Let this be a witness to the watching world. The world doesn’t need us to water down Jesus’ words. We don’t need to make them more palatable. There is authority in His words. There is healing in His words. No need to sanitize them. For those of us who have come under His authority, we have found that to be true.
Like Peter said:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Everyone is living under an authority:
- Culture
- Self
- Political ideology
What these authority structures lack is a robust redemption when we fail them. Culture’s response: canceled. Self: try harder, do better, or change the goalposts. When you fail, it’s crushing. There is no grace to appeal to when you are the ultimate authority. Political systems: justice and guilt. Jesus is the only authority who offers grace when we fail.
“It’s only in Jesus that you find, if you gain him, will satisfy you, and if you fail him, will forgive you.”
— Tim Keller
ENCOUNTER #3 – THE WOMAN (14–17)
“And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.”
We’ve seen Jesus heal someone considered an outcast—the leper. He’s healed the Gentile centurion—an outsider. And now Jesus heals a woman, one who was considered outside the common value structure of a patriarchal society. But this passage shows us that this is not the way Jesus viewed women. He continually honored and elevated women. Jesus enters Peter’s house. I love the way this reads. No announcement is made about Peter’s mother-in-law. He simply sees her lying there with a fever. Matthew seems to contrast the sickness of the leper and the centurion’s servant with Peter’s mother-in-law. How does Jesus view her situation? Her sickness matters to Him. So much so that He touches her, the fever leaves, and she immediately gets up and serves. Matthew closes with a beautiful statement about Jesus and these acts representing a partial fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah. Peter would later write:
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
What do we see in this last encounter? We see that Jesus is attentive. Jesus’ healing was not only reserved for the diseased or disabled. His heart turned toward this woman who was temporarily out of commission. He wanted her to experience the joy of serving Him. Friends, what minor issue have you held back from giving to Jesus? Is there an area you’ve tried to fix yourself because it’s not a crisis yet? Something you think you can figure out?
“Cast your cares on Him because He cares for you.”
Friends, before we consult Google, before we ask ChatGPT, we would do well to remember our attentive Savior. Bring your cares to Him. Every care. Every worry. Every anxiety. He sees it. He is attentive. But He also wants you to bring it to Him. For those we know and come into contact with, one of the greatest witnesses we can bring is our prayers for those facing challenges. Be willing to pray for people who are going through something difficult. You might even shock them when you ask if you can pray for them.
But remember Peter’s mother-in-law.
If Jesus cared enough about her fever to heal her, He certainly cares about what is heavy on our hearts. He’s the same God today. Perhaps there is someone in your family who needs a touch from Jesus.
