Pulelulu ‘Epeleli 14, 2021
a leper came and worshiped Him
na‘e ha‘u ha kilia ‘o ne hū kiate ia
(v. 2-3) 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
(v. 2-3) 2 Pea ‘iloange na‘e ha‘u ha kilia
‘o ne hū kiate ia, ‘o ne pehē, ‘Eiki, ka ne ke loto ke fai, te ke lava ke
fakama‘a au. 3 Pea mafao atu ‘e ia hono nima ‘o ala ki he tangata, ‘o ne pehē,
‘oku ou loto pē: ke ke ma‘a koe. Pea na‘e fakama‘a leva hono kilia.
*Commentary: David Guzik Study Guide on Matthew*
In the ancient world, leprosy was a terrible, destructive disease – and still is in some parts of the world. The ancient leper had no hope of improvement, so this leper came to Jesus with a great sense of need and desperation.
“Leprosy might begin with the loss of all sensation in some part of the body; the nerve trunks are affected; the muscles waste away; the tendons contract until the hands are like claws. There follows ulceration of the hands and feet. Then comes the progressive loss of fingers and toes, until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot may drop off. The duration of that kind of leprosy is anything from twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death in which a man dies by inches.” (Barclay)
According to Jewish law and customs, one had to keep 6 feet (2 meters) from a leper. If the wind was blowing toward a person from a leper, they had to keep 150 feet (45 meters) away. The only thing more defiling than contact with a leper was contact with a dead body.
Despite his desperate condition, this man not only begged Jesus – he also worshipped Him.
“The Greek verb is proskenein, and that word is never used of anything but worship of the gods; it always describes a man’s feeling and action in presence of the divine.” (Barclay)
How did the leper worship Jesus?
· He worshipped
Jesus by coming to Him, honoring Him as the One who could meet His otherwise
impossible need.
· He worshipped
Jesus with his posture, probably bowing or kneeling before Jesus.
· He worshipped
Jesus with the word “Lord,” honoring
Him as master and God.
· He worshipped
Jesus with his humility, by not demanding but leaving the request up to the
will of Jesus.
· He worshipped
Jesus with his respect of the power of Jesus, saying that all that was
necessary was the will of Jesus, and he would be healed.
· He worshipped Jesus with his confidence that Jesus could make him more than healthy; Jesus could make him clean.
“The leper rendered to Christ divine homage; and if Jesus had been merely a good man, and nothing more, he would have refused the worship with holy indignation.” (Spurgeon)
“Those who call Jesus ‘Lord,’ and do not worship him,
are more diseased than the leper was.” (Spurgeon)
Thank God for medicine so that no one would have to suffer through leprosy for 20-30 years. This doesn’t sound like a illness anyone wants to go through due to all the loss of limbs and feeling in ones body. Thank God for this leper to show the amount of strength he had left in asking to be healed. He didn’t demand he gave it up to Jesus if he could be healed or not. He did it through worship, and this is how we should ask Jesus for things we need. Don’t ask like we need this to be answered right away, but give it to God in a humbling manner, and wait patiently until He is ready to reach out and bless or heal us.
ReplyDeleteWorship Jesus today in all you do!!
Thank God for medicine so that no one would have to suffer through leprosy for 20-30 years. This doesn’t sound like a illness anyone wants to go through due to all the loss of limbs and feeling in ones body. Thank God for this leper to show the amount of strength he had left in asking to be healed. He didn’t demand he gave it up to Jesus if he could be healed or not. He did it through worship, and this is how we should ask Jesus for things we need. Don’t ask like we need this to be answered right away, but give it to God in a humbling manner, and wait patiently until He is ready to reach out and bless or heal us.
ReplyDeleteWorship Jesus today in all you do!!
I apologize for not commenting the past few days. I was traveling for our church Putu of Pana which was very hectic but I'm back. Thank you to all who commented and kept interaction with our blog. May God bless you in all you do.
ReplyDeleteMalo e fai fatongia mei motu - thanks for repping us.
DeleteMalo e fai fatongia mei motu - thanks for repping us.
DeleteIt's funny how similar leprocy is to corona. Anyone with who is affected is shun from society and not to be in contact within 6 ft(2 meters). They are treated like the worst and lowest form of society that no one wants anything to do with our be around.
ReplyDeleteUsually, one would say, "I can only imagine how those people with leprosy felt", imagine no longer because of you been affected by covid-19, you know how it feels to be alienated. I think covid-19 is worse because the whole world alternates you not just your area.
The leper had nothing else to live for he had no hope, but somewhere along the line he heard about a healer name Jesus. Someone who had the ability to heal him from his sickness. The leper risk everything he had to come to Jesus and call out his name to ask for help because when everything fails he is the only one.
That's the reminder for us. No matter what illness we suffer from, Jesus is always there when all else fails. Rather then Jesus being the last resort in our times of need he should be the first. The first person we run to lay our hearts and concerns at his feet, and not only in our time of tragedy.
The leper , the Roman officer , and other gentiles who had no idea who Jesus was had more faith than those of His disciples. Matthew 8 reminded me of how much of a disciple I could be . Many instances in my life I remember new baby Christians had more yoke in their heart & desire in their walk with the Lord that i was quietly put to shame. I am reminded of how fickle and of little faith I can be . I also realize how much Christ has become a routine and a chore rather than a sweet REAL relationship. Lord Help me have faith like the leper & the Roman Officer. Keep me Real in my prayer life & in every aspect of my walk with u & life in you.
ReplyDeletei mean all of chapter 8 is just crazy to me. its just different accounts of jesus power. to heal a leper is crazy especially in a time where there was no real way to get better medically. and its crazy that it could be done by just saying words. but another crazy thing is the leper. the leper was not allowed to tell anyone but to go straight to the priests ants honestly thats just a hard thing to follow considering i just got rid of leprosy like id want to tell the whole word. another part is the faith of the centurion. its kinda cool to see jesus give him props and basically he hasnt seen a faith like it in israel. i know the centurion was geeked on the inside. but i think it reminds us to always stay hopeful and faithful because anything is possible through jesus.
ReplyDelete