James Nisbet Commentary - Matthew 8:2 - 8:2

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James Nisbet Commentary - Matthew 8:2 - 8:2


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

THE SIGNIFICANT UNIT

‘And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.’

Mat_8:2

I. Alone with the Saviour.—Out of the great multitude there came a leper. Here we have a broad plural—the great multitude, and the significant unit—a leper from out of the midst. Out of the multitude—they always make room for him. There is always room for the leper. He was avoided by everybody, that is the natural tendency; there is a solitariness about him. We are absolutely alone in our own sins, and that is why we should be alone with our own Saviour. So the man forced his way through the multitude, and came to the feet of the Saviour.

II. The leper’s prayer.—There was no difficulty about his prayer. Leprosy sharpens wit; leprosy gives point to prayer. The leper’s prayer, ‘Lord, if Thou wilt,’ is like the Lord’s prayer, Who became sin for us, when he said, ‘Father, if it be possible … Thy Will, not Mine, be done.’ ‘If Thou wilt’: you cannot add one touch of beauty to this short prayer. It is the depth of misery crying to the depth of mercy. Take away the personal petition, and put our own in. Let us fill up the form with our own need. What shall we say? ‘Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me strong … penitent … happy.’

III. Trouble drives to the supernatural.—The great, big, strong, healthy man cannot help the poor leper. No; what we want is the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief to help us in our trouble. It is not God’s will that there should be sin and sicknesss, and suffering and death. It is not God’s will that there should be a loathsome leper. Sickness and sorrow, repentance and death, are here judicially. They cannot be dispensed with; without them the world would go mad. They are God’s constables, and they cannot be dispensed with. This is the answer to the strange frequent question, Why does God allow leprosy, suffering, and death? We shall see these things when we stand on the steps of eternity.

IV. The Lord touched him.—His healing touch, could it be contaminated? No. Would the Lord Jesus ever say ‘No’ to a leper who asked to be cleansed? He has said ‘No’ to Scribe, Pharisee, Sadducee, and Herodian. But the poor leper came to Him in trust and trouble, and got ‘Yes.’ So we see Him, and so He is always. Go to Him in whatever trouble you have.

The Rev. A. H. Stanton.

Illustration

‘Our Lord wills in heaven all that is done on earth in His name by His Church, which is His Body; but He, nevertheless, or rather for that very reason, puts forth the hand of His Body upon earth, the ministers and stewards of His mysteries, and by them touches and heals the leprous soul.’