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Luke 5:12-6:16
Introduction
The Parallel
Passages:
Luke 5:12-6:16 and
Mark 1:40-3:19
The similarities between the
parallel passages of Luke
5:12-6:16 and
Mark
1:40-3:19 are:
(1).
The
inclusion of
the same
incidents in
the narrative:
the healing of
the leper and
the paralytic,
the call of Levi
and
the dinner
with Jesus
and
the
tax-collectors,
the question
about fasting, the Sabbath
disputes
and
the healing of the
withered hand; and
(2).
The
relative indifference of both
narratives to
the
geographical
and temporal setting and the
chronological order.
t
is
unusual for Mark
not to
give
some signs of time and place,
but
Luke shows his usual lack of
interest
in
fIxing the time and
place of the incidents.
The differences between these
two parallel passages are: (1).
The different arrangement of
events to fit the purposes of each
Gospel;
and
(2). The differences
in the account of the healing of
the paralytic. Luke omits any
reference
to
locality and Mark
specifically places i t in
Capernaum. And in reporting
this incident, Luke, as would be
expected from one trying to
reach t
he
non-Jewish world with
the gospel, seems to show a
special interest
in
the wide
geographical distribution of the
effects of Jesus' ministry, for
where Mark merely speaks of a
concourse of man, Luke reports
the gathering of Pharisees and
scribes 'out of every village of
Galilee and Judaea and
demands and commission of the
Sovereign Jesus
on
His disciples
is presented. And now in Luke
5:
12-6:16, Luke establishes the
bounds and extent of the
Sovereignty ofJesus: His
sovereignty has no bounds or
limits. It is life-embracing and
invincible , i.e., nothing can
thwart the purposes or resist the
powerful ad
vanCe
of the
Kingdom of God, neither the
powers of the demonic
nor
the
weakness
of
the human.
Therefore, the kingdom Christ
brings to
Hi
s people
is
a kingdom
of cleansing
.
- -
Joe Morecraft
of
human
depravity,
5:12-15,
forgiveness of
sins, 5:16-26,
joy
and
repentance,
5:27-32,
newness of
life, 5:33-39,
Sabbath-rest,
6:1-12, total
health,
6:6-12, and
Jerusale
m; vs.
17. - Stonehouse
The Purpose of
Luke 5:12-6:16
In Luke 4:1-15,Jesus Christ
establishes Himself as the Victor
over Satan, the promised Seed of
the Woman, Who would crush
the serpent's head, Gen. 3:15. In
Luke 4:16-30, He identifies
Himself
as
the kingly-prophetic
MeSSiah Who is the Bringer of
the Jubilant Kingdom of God. In
Luke 4:31-44, the authority and
power of the
Word ofjesus is
manifested
as
that which brings
the Presence of God into the lives
of people. In Luke 5:1-11, the
the renewal
of the church, 6:13-16. God
gave His Son sovereignty over
everything, Psalm 2:6-9; John
17:2; Matthew 28:
18f,that
He
might glOrify God in the eternal
salvation of His people and His
redemption of creation from sin.
Nothing can stop Him from
reaching that Divinely-appointed
goal. No area of life exists
outside the domain of His
sovereign and saving rule. We
are accountable to
His
lordship
in every area oflifli:-Aiia-rliere--
will be no area of life untouched
by
the saving power of His
sovereign rule.
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Exposition
(5:12-15) The Sovereignty
ofJesus
Over
Human Depravity
The Relation
of
5:12-15
with
5:1-11
Just
as
Peter felt his total
unworthiness before the
sovereignJesus and totally
submitted himself to His
command, 50 this same humility,
sense of unworthiness, and total
submission to the will ofJesus is
manifested in the leper whom
Jesus healed. Luke follows this
inner connection and
is
not
concerned about the connection
oftime.
-
Lenski
Moreover, his leprosy was
considered phYSically conta
giOUS.
The Hebrew
word
for leprosy,
TSARA'ATH, includes such
diseases as leprosy, syphilis,
smallpox, boils, scabies, fungus
infections, all
of
which are
contagious,
and pemphigus,
dermatitis herpetiformis, and
skin cancer, which
mayor
may
not be contagious.
Because of the nature of
leprosy,
t
is presented in the
Bible
as
a symbol
of sin and
human depravity. More
specifically, it was a symbol of
the loathsomeness and ugliness
of sin, and of its defacing,
and all its effects
on
the
individual
and
society. Depravity
is
a powerful evil,
but
it is
no
match for the omnipotence of the
sovereign Christ. ''Where sin
abounds, grace abounds all the
more,')
This incident establishes the
nature of the salvation Jesus
Christ
brin
gs, for while the Law
of Moses prOvided for the ritual
pUlification of a leper it was
powerless to actually purge a
man
of
the disease.
In
all
of
the
O.T. only twice is it recorded that
God had healed a leper,
Num
12:10f;
II Kgs.
5: 1
and
the
rabbis affirmed
that
it was as
The
Significance
of the
Healing of Leprosy
The Power
of Jesus
to Cleanse the
Corruption and Effects
of
Human Depravity
Anyone identified as
a leper in Israel was
Depravity is a powerful
evil ut it is no match for
the
omnipotence
of
th
sovereign Christ.
difficult to heal the leper
as
to
raise
the
dead. The
cleanSing of the leper
indicates the new
character of God's action
in bringing Jesus among
men. Salvation
transcends cultic and
ritual regulations, which
were powerless to arrest
educed
to
a most pitiful
state of existence. (Lane on
MARK). Besides the physical
ravages of leprosy isolating him
as an outcast, he was ritually
unclean, Leviticus 13:45f, i.e., he
could not participate in Temple
worship, nor could he enter
Jerusalem, although he could
attend the synagogue services if
a screen was provided to isolate
(him) from the rest of the
congregation. - Lane. The leper
was not allowed
to
enter anyone's
hou
se, for his presence would
render the persons and things in
th
e house ritually unclean.
Leprosy brought deep physical
and
mental anguish for
both
the
afflicted individual and
th
e
community in which or near
which he lived. - Lane.
deforming effects on the
individual, and the separation,
division
and
alienation
t
caused
in SOCiety
.
As
].A. Alexander has
written, The design of this
extraordinary prevalence
..
was to
furnish a symbol
of
the
loathsomeness of sin, considered
as a spiritual malady, and
by
the
rites connected with its
treatment, to suggest the only
mean
s
of
moral renovation. The
rules of procedure in such cases
form a prominent
part
of the
Mosaic Law, Leviticus 13-14, and
were st
ill
in full force at the time
of Christ's appearance.
Therefore, Jesus ability to heal
a
man
full of leprosy testifies to
His desire and ability to cleanse a
person from sin, from its ravages
the hold that death had upon the
living, and issues
in
radical
healing. - Lane
The
Sign of
the
Powerful Presence
of
the
Kingdom
of God
By Jesus' power to work
miracles, the coming kingdom of
God is realized and its presence
made evident.
For
the kingdom
of
God revealed in miracles
signifies the REDEMPTION from
all evil
and
the RESTORATION
of the whole of life. - Ridderbos,
The Coming o the
Kingdom
pg.
68
.
lnJesus
' coming the
kingdom of heav
en
not only
reveals itself
as
a power that
brings the rule
of
the evil one to
ruin, a
nd
restores life
up
to now
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liable to disease and death, or as
a message of salvation and bliss
preached to the poor in spirit. t
is also a gift in which those who
receive
it
from God may delight
as in an already present
possession
of
a future salvation
one
day fully to be given them.
RidderlJos, pg . 76.
The Request of the Leper
The Prostration
of
the
Leper Before his Lord
When the man with advanced
leprosy. ( fu1l9f leprosy ), saw
Jesus, he fell on his
face
and
implored Him, saying, 'Lord, if
You are willing,
You can make
me clean.''' His request places
his cleansing entirely into the will
ofJesus. Lenski. Everything
about the leper's response to the
presence ofJesus revea
ls
his total
submission
to
His sovereignty.
He prostrates himself before Him
and calls him Lord. Although
this title can mean only,
S
ir,
however the leper's attitude and
request reveal that his falling on
his face and his calling Jesus,
KURIOS, means far more. It is
less WHAT he asks that reveals
his attitude than THE
WAY
in
which he asks. - 1-enski
The Submission of the Leper to
the Will of his Lord
The leper confesses that he
believes fully in the power of
Jesus
to
heal his advanced
leprosy:
You
can make me
clean. Yet
he
adds,
..
if
yo
u are
willing ... He is not voicing
doubt in regard to the will of
Jesus
but his own humble
submission to that wilj1 --
Yet
he leaves his healing to the will of
Jesus, to determine whether in
his superior counsel it be best to
grant him healing. --- The man's
. humble subrrtission, his placing
his own sad case completely into
the hands ofJesus just as a true
child of God must always place
himself into God's hands, mark
his faith in Jesus
as
being ofthe
highest type. And it is thus plain
that a petition such as this can be
addressed only to a divine helper,
to one whose will is the very will
of the all-loving and all-wise
God. The leper is willing, ifJesus
so wills, to remain in his living
death. Submissive faith can
go
no
farther. --- Who is able to say
how this leper came to such a
faith? But his case is one that
shows clearly how the teaching of
Jesus produced the mos t blessed
effects. - Lenski
The Healing of the Leper
Mark 1:41) The
Compassion ofJesus
Mark adds that Jesus was
moved with compassion at the
plight of the leper, and
therefore
healed
him.
The more correct
translation of the Greek here
probably should be moved with
indignation. Assuming that
Jesus is the subject, the anger can
be understood
as
an expression
of righteous indignation at the
ravages of sin, disease, and death
which take their toll even upon
th
e living, a toll particularly
evident in a leper. -Lane
The Touch ofJesus
.The healing of the leper
consisted simply in a touch and a
declaration. The touch ofJesus is
significant from two perspectives:
(1). it was an unheard-of act of
compassion which must have
moved him, (the leper), deeply
and strengthened him in his
conviction he had not asked
for
help in vain. - Lane. (2).
t
6 THE COUNSEL
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shows thatJesus did not hesitate
to act in violation to expected
cultic and ritualistic procedure
when rescuing the perishing
demanded it. The ceremonial
law gives plate to the law of love
when the two come into
co llision
.
- Schrenk
in
Lane.
There was
fl
magic in His
touch. The healing power did
not originate with Jesus' fingers.
It came straight from the divine
and human Jesus, for His
alrrtighty will
and
infinitely
sympathetic heart. There was
healing power in that touch
because He was, and is 'touched
with a feeling of our infirmities,
Heb. 4:15. - Hendriksen
When the Son of God took
upon Himself our flesh ,
he
did
not only deign to touch
us with
his hand, but was united
to
one
and the same body with
ourselves, that we might be flesh
of his flesh; Gen. 2:23. -Nor did
he only stretch out his arm to us,
but descended from heaven even
to hell, and yet contracted
no
strain from it, but, retaining his
innocence, took away all our
impilrities, and sprinkled us with
his holiness.
By
his word alone
he might have healed the leper;
but
he applied, at the same time,
the touch of his hand, to express
the feeling of compassion. -- The
stretching out of his hand was
therefore an expression and
tOken of infinite grace and
goodness. - Calvin
The CommandofJesus:
I
am
willing; be cleansed
Two words, full of majesty,
sovereignty and omnipotence, are
all the leper needs: THELO, ( 1
am willing ),
KATHARlSTHETI,
( be cleansed ). This
is
the only
case
in
which Jesus utters
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THELO, (I will), which reveals It comes from a word meaning, his heart . But his testimony
that His own will and power do
to snort with anger, therefore
would have already been given,
the deed and not a power that
the word is to be translated, to
which could be used with the
has merely been delegated to him sternly enjoin, to strictly charge. people regarding the truthfulness
for a moment only. Others work The word Luke uses in Luke 5:14 ofJesus' claims.
miracles in the name and by the is PAREGGElLEN, simply
(The priest would have been
power ofjesus; Jesus, God's Son, meaning to charge, command,
the one officiating
in
the Temple
has this power in Himself. His transmit a message. Why did
at Jerusalem.)
D
ei
ty shines out through the
veil
Mark use such a strong word?
The
Order
to Make
of His flesh in all His miracles, Mark's language is so strong that
In. 1:14. - Lenski. it seems more appropriate in an
Sacrifices for Cleansing
The Instant
of Healing
address to a demon than to a
Jesus is here ordering this
The leprosy completely and
man whom Jesus has just healed:
man to carry out the complex
'he inveighed against him and and detailed Biblical ceremonial
instantly disappeared in a split
drove
him
away.' - Lane. This reqUirements required
by
Mosaic
second. The brevity with which
haste and this stem order have legislation for the ritual
the astounding fact is recorded
only one explanation: the news
purification of leprosy, remOving
should be noted; throughout the
as
to how this man got rid of his
the ceremonial uncleanness of
Gospels the mighty miracles are
leprosy was not to reach the
the man, Leviticus 14:1-32.
recorded in this
way. That
is
one
priests in Jerusalem until they Jesus took every detail of Biblical
of the plain evidences of
had in all due legal form
Law seriously. The result of the
inspiration. No ordinalY writer
pronounced him clean of leprosy.
week of rituals and
sacrifices
of any age, if left to himself,
The priest to whom the man
would be the restoration of the
would be satisfied to state just
presents himself is not to know
leper to covenant society and to
the fact and nothing more. -
this man's story until afterward. -
covenant worship at the Temple,
Lenski
Lenski
because the physical examination
The Charge to the Leper
The Reason for Jesus Charge
of the healed leper by the priest
The modem reader is
to the Healed Leper
would be sufficient, legal
surprised atjesus' charge to this
The Order to Keep Silent
Until
tes timony t the now
healed leper-- And He oldered
the
Priest Has
indisputable fact that the man
him to
tell
no
one
, But
go
and
show
Seen
im
and
Testified
to
was free from the infection of
yourself to the priest,
and make an
His Good Health
leprosy.
oJJeringJor your cleanSing, just as
Jesus ordered him not to tell
Regarding the ritual with the
Moses commanded, Jar a testimony
anyone about his healing, but to
two birds recorded in Leviticus
to them.
14:1-8, John
Ca
lvin makes these
go and show himself to the
Levitical priest, and to make an
enlightening comments: The
The Sovereignty of]esus Over
offering for his cleansing, just as
sum of the rite respecting the two
the Healed Leper
Moses had commanded in the
birds tends to this, that the
Jesus understood His
Bible, for a testimony to them.
cleansing from leprosy was a
relationship to this healed leper
Why?
As
we have said, the priest
kind of resurrection. Two birds
as one of Master and servant,
for
to whom this healed leper was t
were placed before their eyes; the
He
ordered him to mention to
show himself was not to know
liberty of one purchased by the
no one what had taken place
how he was healed until he
had
blood of the other; because the
until he had shown himself to the
examined him and officially
former was not let
go
until it had
priest. The Greek verb in Mark
pronounced him healed and
been first dipped
in
the blood ... n
1:43 for ordered,
clean. Then he could tell the
Why the necessity for all the
EMBRIMESAMENOS denotes a priest about Jesus, and the priest
offerings and rituals in Leviticus
sternness, sharpness, and even
would be in a corner.
He
would
14:9-35? Some of these
harshness in the command given.
be forced to believe or to harden
offerings, such as the guilt
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offering, were concerned with
restitution and satisfaction for
loss of setvice done or for
transgression of God's law. By
being excluded from the Temple,
the leper had , as it were,
defrauded God of His proper due
in service, worship and offerings.
The offerings made reparation
and satisfaction for the default in
this service.
The Meaning of
for
a
testimony to
them
In keeping with the somber
tone of the narrative it seems
necessary to interpret the phrase
in the negative sense demanded
in the second instance
officially pronounced
him
clean
they will have a new testimony
regarding the Messiah whom they
rej
ect, a testimony that is backed
by their own findin
g.
- l.enski.
'Jesus' statement thus means that
if
th
e priests establish that
healing has taken place
and
accept the sacr
ifi
ce for
cleansing
but fail to recognize the person
and power through whom
healing has come, they will stand
condemned by the very evidence
which they have supplied. -
Lane. And thus , Jesus displays
His sovereignty over His enemies
and
critics by
fOl'
cing them into a
himself to the priest as Jesus
had
ordered him? We do not know.
However, we do know that he
blatantly disregarded the
injunction to silence, and
assumed
th
e posture of a
missionalY, declaling publicly
over an extended area
what
he
had experienced from Jesus.
Lane. t is understandable why
the man would have been so
zealous to s
pr
ead the good news
about Jesus
and
His healing
power, surely out of a desire to
honor and praise Him for the
healing, and to assist Him in His
ministry. However, the healed
leper would have
where it occurs, Mk.
13:9, 'as a testimony
AGAINST them .' -
Jesus displays
is
sovereignty
over
is
enemies and critics
assisted Jesus in His
ministry far more
effectively
had
he
simply obeyed jesus'
command. Instead,
o
ut
of zeal for the One
to wh
om he was
grateful, instead
of
La
ne. A testimony or
witness is an
incriminating testimony
which may serve as
evidence for the
prosecution.
t
is a
y
forcing them into a crisis
situ -
tion where they must choose to
elieve
or to harden their he rts
piece of proof which
may become an accusa tion.
To whom is jesus referring
when he says that the priest's
. pronouncement of the leper's
healing would be for a testimony
to
them? More than likely,
t
hem refers
to
the priests in
j erusalem who were increasingly
hostile to Jesu
s,
rather than to the
multitudes who witnessed the
mira
cle.
To these priests in
Jerusalem 'J esus sends this man
as a living testimony. Jesus, who
has been away from Jerusal
em
for
a long time, sends
th
em this
man
,
who for eight days is to be a
silent
pr
eacher to them, a living
witness of his gracious will and
power, and also of his reverence
for the law
of
Moses ....
When'
they finally learn this man's story
after they themselves have
g inst
Him,
clisis
si
tuation where they must
choose to believe or to harden
their hearts against Him.
The Effect of the
Healing
on the Region
But the news
about
Him
was
spre
ading
even
Jart
her,
and
great
mult
itude
s
were
gathering to
hear
Him and
t be healed oj
their
sic1messes, Although Luke does
not
mention it, Mark tells
us
why
the news abo
ut
Christ
and
His
healing miracles spread so
rapidly---
But he
(the h
ea
led l p l ~
went ou
t a
nd
began to
proclaim
it
Jr
eely and to
sp
read
the news
about,
to such an ex tent that Jesus could
no
lon
ge
r
publicly
enter a city but
stayed out in unpopulated
ar
eas;
and th
ey we
re
coming
to
Him
Jrom
eve lywhe
re,
Mark 1:45,
Did the man ever show
assisting
Him
, he
hindered His ministry
in the cities.
To say that j esus could no
longer publicly enter a city, is
NOT to say that His sovereignty
and omnipotence were anyway
restricted by the disobedience of
the leper. Could no longer
is
to
be taken in a moral sense, i.e.,
without defeating His
own
purpose by exCiting
tumult
in the
towns th rough which He passed,
and wh
ere the premature
announcement of His miracles
h d pr
edisposed the people to
undue excitement.- Alexander
on
MARK TO E
CO
NTINUED)
IThe leper uses the condition
of expectancy, EAN with the
subjunctive, which shows his
hopefulness.
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