The Healing of the Leper

The point: Consider how you would feel if diagnosed with an incurable, isolating disease, to understand the leper's plight.

Martin asks listeners to imagine receiving a diagnosis of a loathsome, incurable disease, followed by a notice to vacate their home and live in isolation, to help them understand the leper's miserable condition.

How do you think you would feel, how do you think you would react, if tomorrow you went to a competent physician, and after thoroughly examining you, he told you, reluctantly, solemnly, and yet, tell you he must, that he was convinced that you had a loathsome, spreading, incurable, degenerative disease that was going to take away your very life within a short time. How do you think you would feel if you came home from that shocking news, and you found a notice from the local board of health saying that within 24 hours, you had to move out of your house, somewhere outside the limits of your tow...

3:59 - 5:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider how you would feel if diagnosed with an incurable, isolating disease, to understand the leper's plight.

Building on the previous illustration, Martin adds the scenario of receiving a letter from elders forbidding attendance at public worship or fellowship, further emphasizing the leper's social and spiritual isolation.

if there was hand delivered to you a letter from the elders saying that you could no longer come to any service of public worship, nor could you have any fellowship with God's people in their homes. How do you think you would feel if such a situation became your experience? Well, that's a little bit of what this man knew and felt who is talked about in this passage. Because this passage tells us that during this Galilean ministry of the Lord Jesus, he had these very personal and gracious dealings with a man who is described only by the term a leper. Verse 40, There came to him a leper. Now som...

5:21 - 6:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by asking listeners to imagine the horror of a loathsome, incurable disease and social isolation, drawing parallels to the miserable life of a leper…

The story of Miriam being smitten with leprosy as a judicial judgment from God, and Aaron's prayer describing her flesh as 'half consumed,' illustrates the physical horror and divine judgment associated with the disease.

They got kind of snotty and nasty, thought that Moses was taking too much on himself and they began to grumble and complain about it, and God smites Miriam with leprosy. It was a judicial judgment of God. And it's interesting that when Aaron prays for her, you'll notice something of the condition of this matter of leprosy in Israel. In the book of Numbers, chapter 12, verses 9 and 10, whatever leprosy was in Israel, it was something probably at least close to the kind of leprosy that we have heard about and the pictures we have seen, because as Aaron prays for Miriam, notice the language of hi...

9:54 - 11:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by asking listeners to imagine the horror of a loathsome, incurable disease and social isolation, drawing parallels to the miserable life of a leper…

The story of Gehazi being smitten with leprosy for his deceit illustrates leprosy as a judicial punishment for sin.

So you see the comparison he makes? Lord, if you don't touch and remove the leprosy, she will be as a stillborn child whose flesh is full of gangrene when it's born in that stillborn condition. So leprosy was indeed a tragic and horrible thing, and often associated with a judicial judgment of God. You remember Gehazi, we read about him last week, when he took those things and tried to lie to the prophet, he was smitten with leprosy.

11:17 - 11:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by asking listeners to imagine the horror of a loathsome, incurable disease and social isolation, drawing parallels to the miserable life of a leper…

The account of King Uzziah being smitten with leprosy in his forehead for his presumption in burning incense illustrates leprosy as a judicial judgment and its consequence of being cut off from the house of Jehovah.

And likewise with King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26, 19 through 21. Notice what happened to this king who turned away from the way and the word of God, 2 Chronicles 26, 19 through 21. Uzziah was wroth and had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priest in the house of the Lord beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead.

11:49 - 12:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: when Jesus looked upon this mass of human misery, when he looked upon this man afflicted with the living death of leprosy, he did not simply see another wreck of sinful humanity and say, well, when you've seen one, you'v…

Martin explains that the Greek word for 'moved with compassion' literally means the 'upper viscera' (heart, lungs, liver, spleen, stomach) were moved, conveying a more vigorous and total inner emotion than the English 'my heart was moved'.

You see, the Hebrews had a much more vigorous way of describing inner emotions. We say my heart was moved. We take one of the internal organs. Well, the word here in the Greek literally means the upper viscera that would include the heart, the lungs, the liver, spleen, stomach.

19:15 - 19:36 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Jesus gives the healed leper a 'strange and solemn charge,' strictly and vehemently commanding him to 'say nothing to any man.' Instead, the leper is to immediately go to the…

The word 'strictly charged' is explained as coming from a root meaning 'to snort at someone,' like an angry war horse pawing the ground, illustrating the sternness and vehemence of Jesus' command.

The word used in verse 43 he strictly charged him is a word which comes from a root which means to snort at someone. It's the picture of an angry war horse pawing the ground and snorting through his nostrils. That's why the margin of the 1901 says he sternly charged him. The translators fight for something that is an equivalent and they fish for it.

25:21 - 25:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not fall into the impudent, blasphemous notion that you can 'hammerlock' God with faith to claim what you want.

Martin uses the analogy of a father's tone when giving a command to his child ('sonny, come on over here' vs. 'son, come here') to illustrate how Jesus' manner conveyed the seriousness of His 'stern charge'.

When you as a father turn to your kids and say, hey, sonny, come on over here. Say it like that, the kid might think, well, you do or you don't. You say to him, son, come here. He knows that means business.

39:58 - 40:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Avoid unwise zeal; do not disobey the word of Christ in order to promote the knowledge of Christ, as it ultimately undermines His work.

Martin quotes David Brown's commentary on the gospels, which perceptively articulates the principle that 'our own sense of propriety is never to be carried out in opposition to commanded duty,' explaining why the leper's disobedience, though well-intentioned, was wrong.

The only thing the Holy Spirit underscores here is the terrible fruit of this man's unwise zeal. One of the old writers picked up on this and stated so perceptively the principle. I quote from old David Brown, his comments on the gospels. Our own sense of propriety is never to be carried out in opposition to commanded duty.

41:38 - 42:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not date or marry unsaved people with the view of witnessing to or winning them, as this disobeys Christ's word.

Martin uses the example of dating or marrying unsaved people with the intention of witnessing to them as a common instance of 'unholy zeal' that disobeys Christ's word to promote His knowledge, ultimately undermining His work.

Let me state it this way. Unholy zeal which disobeys the word of Christ in order to promote the knowledge of Christ always ultimately undermines the work of Christ. Unholy zeal which disobeys the word of Christ in order to promote the knowledge of Christ always ultimately undermines the work of Christ. Oh but you see if I date that unsafe fellow I can witness to him.

43:00 - 43:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Avoid compromising alliances with those who deny essential Christian tenets, even if it seems to advance the gospel.

Martin uses the example of joining hands with known deniers of biblical truth in 'mixed evangelism' as another instance of compromising alliances that constitute unwise zeal, ultimately undermining Christ's work.

Who knoweth, O man, whether thou shalt win thy wife? Who knoweth, O women, whether thou shalt win thy husband? We see it with respect to mixed evangelists people saying well we've got to get the gospel to the liberals. Oh so it doesn't matter if you join hands with them in order to get the gospel preached as long as they don't tell me to pare back on my message.

44:10 - 44:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to Jesus with your leprosy, knowing He is willing to save, as He has promised to cast out none who come to Him.

Martin quotes Bishop Ryle, stating that 'men are not lost because they're too bad to be saved but because they will not come to Christ that he may save them,' emphasizing the willingness of Christ to save.

I will give you rest. As Bishop Ryle so pointed out he admittedly said men are not lost because they're too bad to be saved but because they will not come to Christ that he may save them. Manasseh was a leper spiritually and morally. He came and found mercy.

54:58 - 55:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to Jesus with your leprosy, knowing He is willing to save, as He has promised to cast out none who come to Him.

Manasseh and Saul of Tarsus are given as examples of spiritually and morally 'leprous' individuals who found mercy, illustrating Jesus' ability to save the vilest sinners.

I will give you rest. As Bishop Ryle so pointed out he admittedly said men are not lost because they're too bad to be saved but because they will not come to Christ that he may save them. Manasseh was a leper spiritually and morally. He came and found mercy.

54:58 - 55:23 Read in full sermon

The point: If you would be used of God to take the gospel to others, be like your Savior and be willing to touch sinners where they are, manifesting compassion.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'chains of years' representing ingrained sinful mindsets, dispositions, and habits, to illustrate the power of Christ's word to snap them and bring freedom.

And that almighty Savior comes to you in his word and says to you you who have formed chains of years standing there is a mindset there is a disposition an attitude a perspective that is nothing short of one that is chained to this world to sin to the flesh to things to the realm of sense to the pine and you say the links are too big I penetrate them. That's right. But there is one who can snap them with a word. I will.

55:44 - 56:19 Read in full sermon