The Healing of the Leper- Matthew 8:1–4, Sermon by Father.Mungamuri Devadasu

 

Sermon . The Healing of the Leper

As Jesus was coming down from the mountain after giving His sermon, a leper approached Him, bowed down, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:1–4)
In this short and powerful moment, the leper recognized two vital attributes in the Lord Jesus Christ: His willingness and His power. These two qualities—will and ability—are both necessary for healing to take place.

If someone desires to heal but does not have the power, nothing can be done. On the other hand, if someone has the power to heal but does not have the will, still nothing will happen. Let’s consider two simple examples to understand this better:

1.      Imagine an old woman falling into a river. A bystander sees her and truly wants to help, but he doesn’t know how to swim. Out of fear for his own life, he does nothing. In this case, the man has the will but not the ability—so the rescue fails.

2.     In another example, a poor man approaches a rich man asking for help. The rich man certainly has the means to help, but has no compassion or willingness to do so. Again, nothing is achieved.

In both cases, the outcome is failure—because one had willingness without ability, and the other had ability without willingness. Only when both qualities are present together can a meaningful action take place.

That’s why the leper’s statement is so powerful—he rightly believed that Jesus had both the desire and the power to make him clean. And Jesus, full of mercy and might, touched him and healed him instantly. What a lesson for our faith: when we come to Christ believing in His heart and His hand, healing flows freely.

In the story of the leper, he knew that Jesus had the power to heal. He acknowledged the Lord as one who was mighty and able to make him clean. And that is crucial—for healing to occur, both power and willingness must be present.

This leper had a certain kind of spiritual understanding, a form of “knowledge”—that Jesus was powerful. But then the Lord, rather than affirming what the man already knew, taught him a new and precious lesson: not only do I have the power to heal you, but “I am willing. Be cleansed.” This was the lesson the leper did not yet know.

In the Old Testament mindset, leprosy was often considered a punishment for sin and a sign of divine curse. This man, carrying the weight of guilt and rejection, may have thought to himself, “Since I am a sinner and this disease is a curse, will the Lord even desire to heal me?” And so, in response, Jesus deliberately says, “I am willing.”

This simple but powerful phrase brought great comfort to the heart of the leper. He had already learned that Jesus has power; now he learned that Jesus also has compassion and desire. He now knew: “This man not only can heal me, He actually wants to.”

Even more, the Lord placed responsibility on the leper himself when He said, “Be cleansed.” Though the man had come to Jesus expecting healing, Jesus entrusted the outcome into the man’s heart by giving a direct word. The burden of believing and receiving was now on him.

In essence, when someone comes to the Lord believing, “He can heal me,” the Lord turns to them and says, “Yes, and I am willing—now you be clean.” The leper thus received not only a miracle but a lesson in faith, grace, and divine willingness—a lesson that still speaks to every heart today.

In the Old Testament, the healing of Naaman also follows a similar pattern. The prophet Elisha simply gave a word, expecting obedience and faith. Today, those who come seeking healing must ask themselves: “Do I want to heal myself, or do I want the Lord to heal me?”

The Lord has placed the burden of healing upon the patient. Why? Because the Lord already possesses both the willingness and the power to heal. If healing does not occur, the fault does not lie with the Lord, but with the individual.

When Jesus came down from the mountain after giving His sermon, it was time not just for teaching, but for action. If there is only teaching without application, it remains a mere sermon without fruit. Jesus came into the world not only to preach but also to demonstrate—His teachings were followed by actions.

The leper came to Him without fully understanding, yet Jesus healed him to demonstrate His power and mercy. Every teacher must not only teach the Word but also manifest God’s works—including healing the sick. That’s exactly what the disciples on the road to Emmaus said (Luke 24:19): they spoke of Jesus as a great prophet in word and deed. However, because they did not believe in His resurrection, they said He had died, unaware of the living Christ beside them.

The leper was considered great because he believed that Jesus had the power to heal. But the disciples on the road to Emmaus failed to believe—and so Jesus rebuked them, saying, “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe!” (Luke 24:25). In the same way, those who come for healing today but do not receive it, not because of the Lord’s failure, but because of lack of faith or spiritual insight, are also spiritually dull and lacking understanding.

So, the failure to be healed is not the fault of the Lord—it is the fault of the one who doubts. The lesson of the leper contains several profound spiritual truths that every believer must learn.

The healing of the leper reveals not just a miracle, but deep spiritual truths—many of which can be seen as two-fold principles that carry great meaning for every believer:

1.      First, we see that Jesus possesses both willingness and power. These are two essential qualities. Only when both exist together can healing take place.

2.     Second, we as believers must have both teaching and action in our lives. Preaching alone is not enough—faith must be lived and demonstrated.

3.     Third, the Lord rebuked the two disciples on the road to Emmaus with two sharp words: “foolish ones” and “slow of heart” (Luke 24:25), for failing to believe. These rebukes warn us to not remain in ignorance or unbelief.

4.     Fourth, all people should be healed, but in reality, only some are healed. These form two groups: those who receive, and those who miss the blessing.

5.     Fifth, Matthew chapter 8 is like a charter for healing—a written covenant. Matthew, once a tax collector who wrote records for the government, now writes this divine document for the sick. Just as Isaiah 53 was the healing covenant in the Old Testament, Matthew 8 becomes the healing charter in the New Testament. These are two essential documents for the sick to read and believe.

6.     Sixth, some are healed immediately, while others are healed along the way, like the ten lepers (Luke 17:14). Healing comes in different timings—these are two paths.

7.      Seventh, if Jesus can heal great diseases, will He not also heal small ones? These two must not be separated. He who can do the greater can surely do the lesser.

8.     Eighth, not all who hear the teaching receive baptism, and similarly, not all who attend healing gatherings receive healing. Again, two kinds of responses are seen—attending is one thing; receiving is another.

9.     Ninth, evangelists must not only preach the Word but also practice healing. The ministry must be complete—word and deed together.

It is the teacher’s role to teach, the sick person’s role to believe, and the Lord’s role to heal. Healing depends on a person's willingness to receive. Among all divine works, the act of healing by Jesus is one of the greatest.

In Matthew 8, we see various kinds of diseases recorded. Know what they are, and you will see how vast the Lord’s healing touch truly is.

10.   Tenth, there are all kinds of sicknesses in the world, just as there is both good and evil throughout the earth. Humanity stands in between. No man is so blind as to not recognize good. God, who created mankind, has not abandoned them like orphans. He did not cast us off while He remained seated in heaven. Rather, He promised, “Surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). As it is written in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Therefore, the same Jesus is willing and able to heal us even today.

To every reader, may the Lord grant you this grace in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.