First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Lord’s Day June 1, 2003 Anno Domini

Matthew 8:1-4

The Cleansing of the Leper.

  I.  Setting: Christ’s ministry of healing and preaching. Matthew 4:23.
      A.  The people’s hope: Mt 4:24.
      B.    Christ’s teaching ministry: the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:1-2; 7:28-29.
      C.     Christ’s plan for ministry.
     

  II.  Who was the leper?
      A.  Leprosy defaces, destroys and  isolates.
      B.  The leper in Israel. Leviticus 13:45; Numbers 5:2; Lev 14:34ff.
      C.  Cleansing from leprosy. Lev 14:2ff.
      D.  The significance of the leper.
         1.  In the OT: a living testimony that being unclean cuts a person
off from communion with God and with the church.
         2.  Reflects our spiritual condition. Psalm 51:5; Romans 2:10-18.
         3.  In the NT: the leper takes on a significance of hope.
        

   III. Who was the healer?
      A.  The unclean can come to him to ask for cleansing.
      B.  He reaches out to touch even the untouchable. Matthew 8:3; Job
14:4.
      C.  He is Jesus the Messiah, promised to Israel for the salvation of
the world. Matthew 11:4-5; Isaiah 29:18-19; Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 61:1.

     

  IV.  Consider the blessings of this miracle for us.
      A.  God sent his Son into the world to save lepers.
         1.  The compassion of Christ. Philippians 2:6-7.
         2.      The closeness of Christ. Hebrews 2:14 .
         3.      The power of Christ. Hebrews 1:3.
             B.  Since we are all as lepers before God, we all can come
to Christ with the hope of the leper in Matthew 8:2; Matthew
10:8; 1Corinthians 6:9-11.
     C.    Remember that when Christ cleanses, he also commands
obedience to his law. Matthew 8:4; Luke 17:12-19
     D.  Obedience to the law of Christ means that we do not
shun lepers.
    

Pastor Christian Adjemian, Dipl.Div., Ph.D.

pastor@reformedprescambridge.com phone: 617.864.3185