Matthew 8:1-3
Jesus Heals A Man With Leprosy (literal from Greek)
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"When He came down from the mountain, a large crowd of the common people followed Him. And a leper came and fell prostate(1) on the ground before Him, and said, 'Lord, if you are willing(2), you have the power to make me clean(3).' Jesus stretched out His hand and touched(4) the man, saying, 'I AM willing(5)... be clean!' And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."
(1) proskuneó (pros-koo-NEH'-o) - from the Greek prós - To worship, to bow down, to be prostrated on ground,
(2) theló (eth-EL'-o) - as in "if you wish it", "if you so desire", "if it be your will to do so", "if you want to", "if it delights you", "if you are inclined to", "if it pleases you", etc.
(3) katharizó (kath-ar-ID'-zo) - from the Greek kath-ar-OS' - to cleanse, to make clean, to purify, to remove all filth, to make unstained, to cure.
(4) haptomai (HAP'-tom-ahee) - To fasten onto, to lay hold of, to cling to, to adhere to, to attach oneself to.
(5) Connect this to John 5:19 and John 8:28, where Jesus says He only says and does what He has seen and heard the Father do and say.
Notes and thoughts:
Most translations of this verse describe the man with leprosy as kneeling before Jesus, or bowing from the waist as in a gesture of respect or worship. It can mean those. But the Greek uses a much more descriptive word taken from the root word "prós" which means to literally fall fully prostate to the ground, as in "kissing" the ground before a leader. Most translations use the English words "worship" or "kneel before" but the actual interpretation of the word more rightly describes this person as throwing themselves totally head first, full body, face to the ground in front of Jesus. That is the highest form of demonstrative worship.
When Jesus responds to this man's request, most English translations use the word 'touch' here. The actual Greek is much stronger, implying that Jesus used his whole hand, fingers spread and grabbed the crown of this man's head in a strong grip. I believe that is the picture of what Jesus would do, rather than a light touch with a finger or two. He grabbed hold of this man's head, demonstrating to him that He would heal him thus instantly building the man's faith and trust to receive, backing it up with the words "I AM willing.. be cleansed." Jesus was not afraid of leprosy and not concerned with being called 'unclean' by touching it. His strong "touch" probably shocked more than a few of those who were there watching.
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