Matthew 8:3 KJV
And Jesus put forth¹ his hand,
and touched² him,
saying³, I will⁴; be thou clean⁵.
And immediately⁶ his leprosy⁷ was cleansed.
¹) Reached out – ἐκτείνας (ekteinas) – To stretch out (forth), cast forth (as of an anchor), lay hands on. From ek and teino; to extend.
²) Touched – ἥψατο (hēpsato) – Prop: I fasten to; I lay hold of, touch, know carnally. Reflexive of hapto; properly, to attach oneself to, i.e. To touch.
³) Said – λέγων (legōn) – (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.
⁴) Willing – Θέλω (Thelō) – To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.
⁵) Clean – καθαρίσθητι (katharisthēti) – To cleanse, make clean, literally, ceremonially, or spiritually, according to context. From katharos; to cleanse.
⁶) Immediately – εὐθέως (eutheōs) – Immediately, soon, at once. Adverb from euthus; directly, i.e. At once or soon.
⁷) Leprosy – λέπρα (lepra) – Leprosy. From the same as lepis; scaliness, i.e. ‘leprosy’.
⁸) Cleansed – ἐκαθαρίσθη (ekatharisthē) – To cleanse, make clean, literally, ceremonially, or spiritually, according to context. From katharos; to cleanse
Other translations
Literal Standard Version
and having stretched forth the hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I will, be cleansed,” and immediately his leprosy was cleansed
New King James Version
Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
New American Standard Bible
Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Study
Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him.
The act was itself a proof at once of the will and the power to heal.
He did not fear becoming unclean by that contact, and was therefore not subject to the law that forbade the touch.
And He met the one element of doubt in the sufferer’s mind by the words — yet more, perhaps, the tone or look that spoke of pity — “I will; be thou clean.”
Mark adds, “Had compassion on him.”
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
We may venture to picture the process to our minds:
the skin cleansed, the sores closed, the diseased whiteness giving way to the tints and tones of health.
Devotional
Leprosy is a terrible disease.
In the days of the Saviour’s circumambulation there were no remedies against it. There was only healing through the intervention of God. The leper was allowed to think big of the Lord, and he was not disappointed.
Christ stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said, “I will, be cleansed.”
Immediately the leper was cleansed of his leprosy.
Mankind is spiritually leprous through our own fault.
We is unclean because of our sin and iniquity.
Have you learned to loathe yourself?
The communion with God is broken by your sin, and you can never restore it yourself. Only by the way of a miracle is there healing to be received.
Christ wanted to be counted unclean for you.
He hung on the cross.
He was cast out as a leper from the community of God, and from the community of men, to obtain cleansing from the leprosy of sin for His Church.
One day the remaining uncleanness of God’s children will also be removed. Eternal purity will be their portion.
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