Luke 5:12-16

Well, good morning, church.

Turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.

We are looking at Luke chapter 5.

Luke 5 · chapter mention

If you're looking in one of the few Bibles, it is page 861.

We're looking at the Gospel of Luke over the next couple of months in a series entitled

Who is This?

This is one of the most common questions that the disciples and the crowds are asking about

Jesus in this section of Luke, and we just want to focus our attention on Him.

If you're exploring the Christian faith, Jesus is the one who's at the center of it all, and

it stands or falls on Him.

If you're a follower of Jesus, the Bible calls us to fix our eyes on Him and not let anything

else take that primary place.

So let's read together.

We're reading Luke chapter 5, verses 12 to 16.

Luke 5:12–16

Let's read these verses.

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.

And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, 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 the leprosy left Him.

And He charged Him to tell no one, but go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering

for your cleansing as Moses commanded for a proof to them.

But now even more, the report about Him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear Him

and to be healed of their infirmities.

But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

This morning, I want to look at the leper's condition and the Savior's cleansing.

The story begins with a man full of leprosy coming before Jesus.

Now, the word leprosy was used to refer to a variety of skin diseases, including itches,

boils, burns, ringworm, and scalp conditions.

So we can't be completely sure of the exact nature of the man's condition.

But Luke tells us in verse 12 that he was full of leprosy.

That is, his case had progressed to an advanced stage.

It wasn't a minor ailment confined to one localized region in his body.

It wasn't just a slightly annoying rash that he could put clothes on that would cover it

and go about his day mostly as usual.

It had taken over his body and actually his life in a comprehensive way.

So it's very possible that he had the disease that we know of as leprosy.

The medical term is Hansen's disease.

This is a chronic infectious disease that attacks the nervous system.

Beginning with the peripheral regions such as fingers and toes,

leprosy gradually makes your body numb, unable to feel anything.

And it often causes the body to become disfigured as a result.

In Jesus' time, leprosy wasn't just an undesirable medical condition.

It also had devastating social consequences.

Leprosy could not touch anyone.

They were not allowed to live with anyone except each other.

They were not allowed into public places such as the synagogue or the temple.

They could not work normal jobs.

They were not allowed or they could not get married or actively raise children.

In Jesus' time, they were supposed to remain 50 paces away from other human beings.

If someone wanted to help a leper, say by giving them food, they could leave the food somewhere, walk away, and the leper could go and get it.

Many people saw leprosy as a sign of God's curse on a particular individual.

And so in all these ways, leprosy was a mark of shame and exclusion.

Now some of these attitudes and practices had simply developed over time in that culture.

But some of them were rooted in the Old Testament law itself.

If you look at Leviticus 13 and 14, it's an extensive discussion of how leprosy can be diagnosed.

And then what lepers have to do as a result.

And then what should happen if someone recovered.

And this is what it says lepers have to do.

Leviticus 13, 45 and 46.

It says,

The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes, let the hair of his head hang loose, cover his upper lip, and cry out,

Unclean, unclean.

He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease.

He is unclean.

He shall live alone.

His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

Now you might ask,

Why would the Old Testament law, given by God himself,

require lepers to have such a miserable existence through no fault of their own?

Being separated from the broader society and making their appearance as off-putting as possible.

Well, partly, it was a matter of public health.

By the time of Jesus, scribes had counted as many as 72 different afflictions that were defined as leprosy,

sort of included under that term.

Some of these were skin diseases that were highly contagious.

Some of them were incurable.

Some of them had dreadful and even deadly effects.

Rabbis spoke of lepers as the living dead.

Right?

Curing lepers was understood to be as difficult as raising the dead.

But you know, the Old Testament laws weren't only about preserving public health,

though that was a legitimate concern at the time.

There was also a spiritual principle involved.

You see, according to Leviticus,

leprosy didn't just make you sick.

It made you unclean.

And even here in this passage in Luke, notice,

the leper needs not just healing, but cleansing.

It's actually one of the major themes if you read the book of Leviticus.

What makes us unclean and how we can be cleansed?

And according to Leviticus,

it wasn't only direct personal violations of God's law,

like idol worship or disobedience to the commandments

that could make a person unclean.

There were several other things that could make you unclean,

such as coming into contact with death and decay,

touching a dead body or eating a scavenging animal,

coming into contact with blood or other bodily discharges,

or skin diseases like leprosy that caused disfigurement of the human body.

The common thread among all these things

is that in some way or other,

all of these things were visible signs or physical expressions

of the brokenness and corruption in this world.

In other words,

the brokenness and corruption in this world

somehow leaves its mark on us,

and that's what makes us unclean.

And in particular,

leprosy,

physically numbing

and disfiguring

was sometimes seen as a visual image

of humanity's spiritual condition.

Earlier we read in Isaiah 64,

Isaiah says,

we have all become

like one who is unclean.

All our righteous deeds

are like a polluted garment.

In other words,

our sin,

that is our core rejection of God

and rebellion against Him,

it makes us unable to feel rightly.

It distorts our perceptions.

It twists our very nature.

Leprosy

was one visible picture of just that.

Now as Christians today,

we are not bound by the Old Testament ceremonial law.

But there's actually an important insight

into human nature contained within it.

You see,

there are many things today

that can make us feel

just like the leper would have felt back then.

Dirty,

disgusting,

disfigured,

dishonored,

damaged goods,

ugly,

unwanted,

worthless,

rejected,

shut out,

and self-conscious about it.

In one word,

what we're talking about here

is shame.

Shame is basically anything

that makes you want to run and hide.

Now sometimes we feel shame

because of our past and present sins,

especially ones that seem

particularly scandalous

or disgraceful.

maybe you were sexually unfaithful.

Maybe you have a pornography habit.

Maybe you have a crime

that you were arrested for

and now it's on your record.

Maybe you had an abortion.

Maybe you pressured someone else

to get an abortion.

Maybe it's an addiction,

drugs,

or alcohol.

And it's ruined your life.

Torn apart relationships.

Maybe you've had a failure

as a parent.

Maybe it's something seemingly

less catastrophic,

but still it's made you want

to run away and hide.

One of the first times I remember

feeling shame in my life,

I think I was about five years old.

And my aunt had taken me

to pick raspberries

with my cousins.

And I sat in the back of the car

and against her command,

I ate a lot of the box of raspberries.

And we got back to her house

and she said,

did you eat the raspberries?

And I said, no, I did not.

And she said,

look at your hands and face.

You lied.

And then of course

she had to tell my mother.

Now that was a minor incident.

It hasn't stayed with me

throughout my life.

But sometimes even seemingly

non-catastrophic things,

lies,

where we get caught,

make us feel shame.

But there's also other reasons,

not just personal sins,

there's also other reasons

we might feel shame.

Maybe you grew up in a house

where you were constantly criticized

and belittled

or ignored

and neglected.

Maybe you were adopted

and however wonderful

your adoptive family may be,

deep down part of you

still feels

cast off,

abandoned.

maybe you gave up

a child for adoption.

Not because you hated

your child,

but because you loved them dearly

and because you knew

that at that point

in your life

there was no way

you could care for them.

And yet you still feel shame.

Maybe you've lived

most or all of your life

as an ethnic minority

or a foreigner

and every day

you feel different,

like you'll never fully belong

and be valued

and understood.

Maybe you're a man

and you haven't had

a steady job

for months

or even years.

And you feel like a failure.

You feel powerless

to provide

for yourself,

for your family.

Maybe you're a woman

who's been treated

like an object

or seen as a threat

instead of an ally

and you feel dishonored

and worthless.

Maybe you've been diagnosed

with a mental illness

or a learning disability

and the label

seems to define you.

Bipolar,

schizophrenic,

ADHD.

Maybe you've been

sexually abused.

What the abuser did

was not your fault

but it still leaves a mark.

Maybe you feel

same-sex attraction.

Maybe you've prayed

that God would take it away

and every day

that it doesn't go away

you feel more and more ashamed

and alienated

before God

and in the church.

Maybe you're overweight.

Makes you perpetually

self-conscious,

self-condemning.

Shame comes from many sources.

Shame is very powerful.

It can fill us

like leprosy filled

this man.

It can reside deep within us,

hidden under the outward appearance

of competence and success.

It can crush us

and debilitate us

and even kill us.

But in this story

we see

the good news

of a Savior

who has come

to meet us

in our shame

to cleanse us

from our shame

and restore us

to a place of honor.

In verse 12,

the man full of leprosy

comes before Jesus.

Somehow,

we don't know how,

he's heard

about this man

and what he's heard

gives him hope.

What he's heard

gives him courage.

He venters into a city,

presumably a place

where lepers

weren't supposed

to wander around,

too many other people around.

He comes close to Jesus,

closer than he's supposed to

according to the custom

of the day

and he humbles himself

in utter dependence,

falling on his face,

begging for help,

confessing Jesus as Lord,

declaring his power

to cleanse.

Sometimes,

sometimes in our shame,

we can hold on to pride.

We say,

I don't need help.

I don't want help.

I could never be helped.

And we isolate.

And we self-sabotage.

And we explode in anger

and blame others

and live in denial

or despair.

But this man had heard

something about Jesus

and in his desperation,

he humbled himself

before Jesus.

And that is always

the way to hope,

to humble ourselves

before God

and say,

if you will,

you can.

See, three things

about Jesus' cleansing

of the leper.

First, Jesus meets us

in our shame.

Jesus stretched out

his hand

and touched him.

Jesus didn't have

to do that.

In other situations,

Jesus healed people's

sicknesses

or drove out demons

by his word alone,

even from a long

distance away.

But here,

he intentionally reached out

and touched this man

who was considered

untouchable.

You see,

if the leper

touched anyone,

they too

would become

ritually unclean.

Imagine if you were

this man.

For months,

no one has touched you.

Maybe years.

Ever since you were

diagnosed with this

horrible disease

that has now filled

your body.

The disease has been

your death sentence.

First,

socially.

Second,

economically.

Third,

psychologically.

and you know

eventually,

physically.

You're lying

face down

before Jesus,

not quite knowing

what to expect

and you feel

his hand

on your shoulder.

See,

Jesus didn't just

treat this man

as a project

to be fixed.

He took the time

to touch him,

to honor him

as a human being

made in the image

of God.

James Edwards writes,

the outstretched arm

of Jesus

was a long reach

for his day,

for any day.

It removes

the social,

physical,

and spiritual

chasms

prescribed

by law

and custom

alike.

Human touch

matters

in the body

of Christ.

You know,

that's one reason

why listening

to a sermon

on a podcast

is never

a substitute

for physically

coming to church.

You can't take

communion online

either,

by the way.

Now,

if you're too sick

to leave the house

or if you're home

taking care of sick kids,

listening to a sermon

online is certainly

better than nothing.

But if you can't

come to church

for a long period

of time,

let someone know.

so that somebody

in the body of Christ

can come and visit you

and pray with you

in person.

Meaningful,

purposeful,

appropriate human

touch

communicates welcome,

empathy,

solidarity,

friendship,

affection,

blessing.

A few years ago

there was a striking

photograph

that circulated

in the world news.

Pope Francis

embracing a man

whose body

was covered

with ugly tumors.

He had a disease

called,

I'm forgetting

the name of the disease

and I didn't write it down.

But his body

was covered

with tumors.

He was tenderly

kissing him

on the top

of his tumor-ridden head

and praying with him.

And it made an impression

on the world

because it wasn't fake.

It bore witness

to the world

of the character

of Christ.

Some time ago

a single person

in our church

said to me

I often long

for human touch.

It means a lot

to me

when someone

I know at church

comes up

and gives me

a hug

on Sundays.

Often it's the only

time in the week

that someone does that.

Whether it's a hug

or a handshake

or a fist pump

or a high five

or a gentle hand

on the shoulder,

touch makes

a difference.

That's why

when Christians

pray for one another

we sometimes

lay hands

on one another.

You know

that's not just

a Pentecostal church

thing.

That's a good

normal

biblical

Christian practice.

Now don't do it

if it makes

somebody uncomfortable

but it can be

a very good thing.

Some of you know

that touch

makes a difference

because you've been

hurt by people

who touched you

in harmful ways.

In appropriate ways.

That can be

another cause

of lasting shame.

But the way

to seek healing

from those wounds

is not to forever

recoil

from human touch

and friendship

and intimacy.

It's first and foremost

of course

to seek intimacy

with the Lord

and to find comfort

in the love

of a transcendent God

who is unlike

anyone else.

but it also

looks like

receiving

His mercy

in the form

of healthy

purposeful

appropriate

kinds

of human touch

in friendship

in marriage

in the church

and to let

those good

and right

and honoring

touches

gradually erase

and replace

the wounds

the deep wounds

caused by

harmful

and violating

touch.

Jesus meets us

in our shame

but Jesus also

cleanses us

from

our shame.

Jesus' touch

was not only

a sympathetic

and reassuring

human touch

it also conveyed

divine

cleansing

power.

You see

according to

the Old Testament

law

if Jesus

were simply

a normal

human being

touching the

leper

would have

made Jesus

unclean.

But here

the reverse

happens.

Jesus makes

the leper

clean.

Immediately

the leprosy

left Him.

Almost

everywhere

the Old Testament

assumes the principle

that we're all

familiar with

in our daily

lives.

Disease

is contagious

health

isn't.

Right?

Someone shook

my hand this

morning and

they said oh

but by the

way I have

a bad cold

and I thought

I probably

should wash

my hands

so I don't

spread that

to everyone

else.

I didn't

think I'll

make this

person better

because I'm

feeling fine

today.

Right?

You got a

barrel of

apples,

there's one

rotten apple,

that one

rotten apple

can spoil

all the ones

right around

it.

All those

good apples

ain't going

to do any

good for

that rotten

apple.

Sometimes we

apply this to

people's character,

right?

If you're

known as an

honorable,

an upright,

upstanding citizen,

a morally pure

person,

don't associate

with those

people who are

known for shameful

and scandalous

behavior because

your reputation

is at stake.

people who are

not going to

do any

things.

But there's

very few

places in

the Old

Testament that

hint that

one day the

reverse could

be true,

that cleansing

could be

contagious.

Now, one of

these places is

in Exodus 29,

and you probably

haven't read it

in a while because

it's in the

middle of all the

regulations about

the furniture for

the tabernacle.

But it says

this, Exodus 29,

37, the altar,

that is where the

priest would offer

sacrifice to God,

shall be most

holy.

Whatever touches

the altar shall

become holy.

Now, that's a very

powerful statement

because being holy

was not just being

clean.

Being clean means

you're okay,

and you're honored,

and you're good.

Being holy means

set apart for God.

treasured,

uniquely devoted

to God.

The problem was

the altar was

in the middle of

the temple,

and the only people

who could come into

that temple were

the priests.

So it was

inaccessible to

almost everyone.

But then we come

to Isaiah 6.

Last week we read

Isaiah 6.

Isaiah cried out

in the presence of

the Lord.

He has this vision

that he's in the

heavenly courtroom,

and he cries out,

woe is me,

because he has a

vision of God

in his holiness.

Woe is me,

I'm lost,

for I am a man

of unclean lips.

I dwell among a

people of unclean lips,

and my eyes have seen

the King,

the Lord Almighty.

But then what

happens next?

One of the seraphim,

that is,

one of the angels,

a representative of

the King himself,

flew to me,

having in his hand

a burning coal

that he had taken

with tongs from

the altar,

and he touched

my mouth,

and said,

behold,

this has touched

your lips.

Your guilt is

taken away,

and your sin

atoned for.

That's the exact

same pattern that

happens in this

passage in Luke.

Luke,

the leper,

is full of

uncleanness.

He cannot cleanse

himself.

He comes before

Jesus like Isaiah.

Woe is me,

I'm lost.

He falls on his face,

begs for mercy.

It's his only hope.

And then Jesus

touches him,

and he's cleansed.

Who is this Jesus?

He's holy.

He has come from

the very presence

of God in heaven.

He's not just

a good man.

He's come to earth

to make the holy

God accessible

to human beings.

And he has divine

power,

not only to meet

us in our shame,

but to cleanse us

from our shame,

and clothe us

in his holiness,

and call us

into his service.

His authoritative

word accompanies

his healing touch.

I will be clean.

Through his touch

and his word,

Jesus cleanses us

from shame.

Sometimes it happens

instantly like it did

here.

Sometimes it happens

gradually as we abide

in Jesus' word

and rest in his love

and participate

in the body of believers.

Maybe you believe

in Jesus.

Maybe you've believed

in him for a long time.

But every day

you battle

self-condemnation

and shame.

Let me encourage you

to keep fighting

that battle.

Don't give more

authority to your

feelings of worthlessness

than to Jesus.

Let me also recommend

a book

that's on the bookstall

downstairs called

Shame Interrupted.

How God Lifts

the Pain of

Worthlessness

and Rejections

by Ed Welch.

It's not a quick

and easy read.

Because it's not

a quick and easy

topic.

But it's really,

really good.

But most of all,

let me point you

to what God says

in his word.

The word of God

says Jesus

is not ashamed

to call us.

That is,

everyone who

looks to him

like the leper

and trusts in him.

Brothers

and sisters.

The Bible says

he has washed away

our sins.

That's what we celebrate

in baptism.

It says he has filled us

with his very own spirit.

The promise of glory

to come.

It says he welcomes us

to feast at his table.

We'll do that

in a few minutes.

And he clothes us

with honor

and beauty.

I want to read

from Isaiah chapter 61.

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

You don't have to turn there.

Just listen.

This is the same chapter

Jesus read from

in his sermon

in the synagogue

at Nazareth

when he said,

today this scripture

is fulfilled

in your hearing.

In other words,

this is why

I have come.

So if you,

like the leper,

have turned to Jesus

and fallen at his feet

and cried out

for his mercy,

I want you to hear

these words

because they are for you.

They're not just for somebody else

sitting next to you.

They're for you.

Christ has come

to bestow on you

a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

a garment of praise

instead of a spirit

of despair.

You will be called

oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display

of his splendor.

You will rebuild

the ancient ruins

and restore the places

long devastated.

You will be called

priests of the Lord.

You know,

the New Testament says

that we are priests

of the Lord.

That means we can come

into his presence freely.

There's not all those

barriers anymore.

You will be named

ministers of our God,

servants of our God.

Instead of your shame,

you will receive

a double portion.

Instead of disgrace,

you will rejoice

in your inheritance

and everlasting joy

will be yours.

You will be called

by a new name

that the mouth

of the Lord

will bestow.

No longer

will they call you

deserted

or name your land

desolate,

but you will be called

Hephzibah,

that is,

my delight

is in her

and your land

Beulah,

married,

for the Lord

will take delight

in you.

As a bridegroom

rejoices over his bride,

so will your God

rejoice over you.

From Zephaniah 3,

the Lord your God

is in your midst,

a mighty one

who will save.

He will rejoice

over you

with gladness.

He will quiet you

by his love.

He will exalt over you

with loud singing,

I will save the lame

and gather the outcasts

and I will change

their shame

into praise

and renown

in all the earth.

This is what Jesus

has come to do,

to cleanse us

from our shame.

Finally,

he gives us

a place of honor.

Verse 14,

he charged him

to tell no one,

but go and show yourself

to the priest

and make an offering

for your cleansing

as Moses commanded

for a proof to them.

You might say,

that sounds sort of

anticlimactic.

Don't tell anyone

about the great thing

that's just happened

to you,

just go to the priest.

But actually,

back then,

going to the priest

was the only way

he could be fully restored

to participate

in his community.

Back then,

the priest function,

one of the functions

of the priest

was sort of

as a public health official.

He was the one

who would examine you

and either say,

you're unclean,

so you're on quarantine,

or you're clean,

and you're free

to go as you please.

So Jesus was saying,

respect the authorities

that are in place,

do what the law says,

but then he says more.

He says,

do it for a proof to them.

That is,

as a witness to them.

He's saying,

don't just go to the priest

to get your clean bill

of health

and be officially cleared,

but go as a living witness,

a visible demonstration

of the cleansing

and healing power

of Jesus.

You see,

Jesus doesn't just

cleanse us from shame.

He sends us on a mission

to be a living testimony

of who he is

and what he's done.

When we've experienced

the cleansing power

of Jesus,

one writer says,

he sends us out

to touch the hurting places

in the lives of others.

We are now part

of a healing community

that the Holy Spirit

uses to make people whole.

Not surprisingly,

verse 15,

the word spreads,

the crowds gather

to hear his word

and experience

his healing touch.

You know,

it's interesting

how Luke ends

this passage

in verse 16.

He ends this passage

by remarking

on Jesus'

frequent habit

of withdrawing

to pray.

You see,

Jesus' ministry

was beginning

to grow here.

He was teaching

in synagogues.

He was healing.

He was driving out demons.

He was gathering disciples.

He had cleansed this leper.

He was in high demand.

Many responsibilities

and many good opportunities

right in front of him.

But Jesus wasn't

exclusively focused

on gathering

the largest following

possible

as quickly

as possible.

He wasn't driven

by the desire

to please everyone

who was constantly

making requests

of him.

He would withdraw

and pray.

Now,

if you've experienced

the cleansing power

of Jesus

and if you've been

called into his mission,

sometimes life

can get pretty busy.

Lots of responsibilities

and lots of good opportunities.

And Luke wants

to remind us

that Jesus

prioritized prayer.

He prioritized

intimate communion

with his heavenly father

because ultimately

he lived,

that is who he lived

to please.

Yes,

Jesus restored

the leper

to a place of honor

in his society.

That's why he sent,

part of why he sent him

to the priest.

And yes,

he can bring you

from a place

of powerlessness

and voicelessness

and shame

and rejection

to a position of honor.

and even leadership

in his kingdom.

But never forget,

the greatest honor

before the world

cannot compare

to the privilege

of coming before

the throne of God,

the throne of grace

with freedom

and confidence

because through Jesus Christ,

God is now

your heavenly father

and you can freely

approach him

and spend time

with him.

That's the greatest

honor of all.

We have free

access

and confidence

to enter

the presence of God.

Gerhardus Vos

wrote the following,

to be a Christian

is to live

one's life

not merely

in obedience

to God

nor merely

in dependence

on God

nor even

merely

for the sake

of God.

It is to stand

in conscious

reciprocal

fellowship

with God.

To be identified

with him

in thought

and purpose

and work

to receive

from him

and to give back

to him.

He's talking about

union

with Christ.

In the Holy Spirit

through which we enter

the presence

of God

the Father.

Jesus touches

the leper.

He cleanses

the leper.

He calls us

into his mission

and he gives us

the honor

of belonging

to him.

Let's pray.

Oh God

who has prepared

for those

who love you

such good things

as pass

our understanding.

Pour into our

heart

such a love

toward you

that loving you

above all things

we may obtain

your promises

which exceed

all that we can

desire.

Through Jesus Christ

our Lord.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.