Well, good morning, church.
Turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We are looking at Luke chapter 5.
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.
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.
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.