Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed"

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." 

- Matthew 7:28-8:4

We have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which began with the post on The Beatitudes, and has continued since.  Yesterday, we read Jesus' final words in the Sermon:  "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a  wise man who has built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.   Jesus' "style" of teaching matches His identity, and this is what astonishes His listeners.  Scribes would customarily study under famous rabbis, and all teachings would be couched in reference.  But this is not the way that Jesus teaches. 

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   The biblical law regarding leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 teaches the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty of the priests.  Leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins; as lepers were unclean, they weren't permitted to live in community.  That would include being barred from worshiping in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21).  But Jesus touches this leper to cleanse him.  My study bible says that not only does Jesus show His compassion, but He also shows that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  It notes, "To the clean, nothing is unclean."

Jesus performs an astonishing miracle (even Moses' plea for  healing Miriam took seven days).  But what is notable here isn't just the miraculous healing, it's Jesus humility.  He's just finished the great Sermon on the Mount, and we're told that the people are astonished because Jesus doesn't speak like the scribes do.  He, on the contrary, speaks as one having authority.  Moses pleads with God to heal Miriam, but Jesus says, "I am willing; be cleansed."  This is divine authority, a Messianic authority that belongs to the human being who is also Son.  But His teaching to the leper afterward is one of extraordinary humility.  Just as we are told in Numbers 12 that Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. but Jesus performs a truly astounding miracle, and tells the healed man to tell no one.    The only thing He tells the man is to "show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  To the authorities, the law is followed; the only testimony is that which is given to the priest in following the law.  How do we face this paradox (to a worldly way of thinking)?  How can this extraordinary Man, who has just given the Sermon on the Mount, also be so humble?  We also observe something more about Jesus, His compassion and mercy.  We don't know exactly why His touch was necessary for this healing, but we do understand what touch conveys:  intimacy, inclusion, communion.  It is love that Jesus expresses, a kind of love that's not easily understood because it's not conventionally seen.  There's no selfish motivation here; He's not "getting" something, He's following the will of God which He shares as Son.  And that's also an act of humility.  Jesus isn't looking for fame, but He does show us what it is to "glorify your Father in heaven."  In some way, we could say that to really do that takes great humility.  He will be accused of blasphemy and making Himself equal to God, charges of extraordinary arrogance and spiritual blindness -- only in His case, although He will openly admit of His divinity, there is only humility expressed in Jesus.  All the spiritual gifts, His teachings, the miracles and wonders, everything He does:  it's all a product of humility -- the humility of serving God the Father.  And it seems to me that this is what we need to open up our eyes to see, because it's where He calls us as well.  The saints in the tradition of the Church call humility the greatest virtue of all.  It comes from the first great commandment according to Jesus:  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."  This is where humility comes from; the action it produces is in the second, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  This is the example Jesus gives us.  The true paradox is this perplexing combination of tremendous gift,  astonishing authority, and extraordinary humility.  If we can start to think about that, we are on our way to thinking about all He brings to us, and the life of the Kingdom He asks us to step into and share.  Those who cannot do so will not understand Him, nor those who follow in His way.