The healing of leprosy as a Messianic sign was of fundamental importance to the Jewish people, because (a) it was a visual of the judgement of God on sin, and
(b) it had been an attesting sign for Moses, and
(c) the Law of Moses had a prescribed ritual for the atonement of a cleansed leper.
Remarkably, there is no record in the T’nach of any individual healed of the living death under the Mosaic Law. Some argue from the silence of Scripture that the priests never once performed the cleansing rite of Leviticus 14. If Jesus could heal leprosy, it could be the single most powerful evidence of His Messianic credentials.
The case of the leper was dire. The isolation imposed on him not only took him out of any social contact with others, but also removed him from any support the Temple and its sacrifices might give. Rabbinism confessed itself powerless in the presence of this living death.
If the first attesting sign (the healing of those demon possessed) is prominent in Luke 4, then the second attesting sign (the healing of leprosy) is prominent in Luke 5. “Behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Then He (Jesus) put out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. Immediately the leprosy left him.” (Luke 5.:12,13) It is significant that this first recorded case of leprosy treated by the Messiah was a person “full of leprosy”. The disease had such a hold that it had almost extinguished life. It had run its course and had the decaying man firmly in its grip. Since leprosy is called the ‘living death’ and is, according to the Mishnah, a “father of uncleanness”, and is listed next to “corpse uncleanness”, how remarkable is the action of the Messiah, “He put out His hand and touched him”. The creeping death fled before the Lord of life. The touch of “the resurrection and the life” regenerated the dying body of the diseased man. Jesus instructed the leper to report to the priest, and offer those sacrifices that were required by the law.
The ministry to lepers does not have as much prominence in the gospels as the ministry of exorcisms. Nevertheless, there are those touches to show that it was an integral part of the overall mission of the Messiah. When John sent to Jesus for confirmation of His Messiahship, the Messiah offered His miraculous ministry as proof. Included in the catalogue of attesting signs was the ministry to lepers. “Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things that you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matt.11:4,5) Observe again that Jesus used the word ‘cleansed’ not healed.
The most prominent case is the incident when the Messiah, having been rejected, sends ten healed lepers to the Temple to demonstrate this Messianic sign in all its fullness. The ten (a significant number) were healed together, healed from a distance and healed completely. Jesus was demonstrating to the Sanhedrin in no uncertain terms, that He was truly their Messiah and that they had made a terrible mistake.
Like the casting out of demons, Jesus also delegated this ministry to the apostles, to offer further proof to the nation that He was truly Israel’s Messiah.
THE THIRD ATTESTING SIGN – WATER INTO BLOOD
In the case of Moses the first two attesting signs were performed immediately at the bush, but the third attesting sign was not used until he had travelled back to Egypt. Similarly, in the ministry of the Messiah, the first two signs have early prominence, but the third sign does not feature until the conclusion of His ministry and life. We need wait a little before examining the purpose of this third element of the attestation of the Messiah. It will occupy our attention in chapter ten.
OTHER ATTESTING SIGNS
As Moses performed other miracles so too did Jesus. His were performed, (i) for the population generally, (ii) for disciples and (iii) for individuals. There was deliverance for those that were ‘bound by Satan’, the most prominent of which we will examine later. But there are two groups of miracles that deserve special mention – the healing of those that were blind and the raising of the dead. Light and life are the twin motifs of John’s gospel, and to support them there is the healing of the blind man and the raising of Lazarus. In the synoptics the examples are multiplied.
Giving Sight to the Blind
As previously intimated, Jesus included the healing of the blind in His catalogue of miracles that was evidence of His Messiahship. He also inserted the healing of the blind into the Messianic passage that He quoted from Isaiah 61.1,2. In Isaiah it reads: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”. Whereas Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18).
Multiple healings of the blind were among His Messianic signs. “Great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marvelled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel,” (Matt.15:29-31)and “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them” (Matt.21:14).
Then there were specific healings that one or more of the synoptic writers recorded for us. They are:
Two blind men healed together, before the Messiah’s rejection.
A blind, demon possessed man that was a Pharisaical test of His Messiahship.
Two blind men healed together, after the Messiah’s rejection.
A blind man healed in two stages.
On most occasions, Jesus touched their eyes and they received sight. However, Mark recorded an incident when Jesus took a blind man to a location outside the centre of population and performed the miracle in two stages. The first stage brought light without clarity. A further touch of the Messiah completed the healing. In some ways, it was an illustration of what was happening in the personal experience of many who heard Him.
Israel’s Messiah received great opposition from the ruling classes. Jesus called them thieves, robbers and fools. One of His most used epithets was ‘blind’. They were “blind leaders of the blind” (Matt.15:14). “Woe to you, blind guides … fools and blind … fools and blind … blind guides … blind Pharisee” (Matt.23.16-26). The Pharisees, protectors of the traditions of the elders, believed they had the most light. They were the ones to lead Israel into the good graces of God via the paths of Pharisaic righteousness. Jesus Messiah advised the population not to follow them. They were blind guides, living and walking in darkness, following a path that would lead to destruction.
As the “Bread of Life”, He fed the multitude with bread; as the “Resurrection and the Life” He raised the dead; but as the “Light of the World” He gave sight to the blind. The individual healings chosen by the writers of the gospels not only demonstrated the compassion and ministry of the Messiah but were also object lessons of what was occurring in the spiritual realm.
The incarnate Son of God came to give Israel sight. He offered to open their spiritual eyes, to give them light, the light of God. If they received Him as Messiah, they would receive further illumination from the Word of God. He would lift the veil from their eyes. Rabbinic teaching understood Messiah’s name to be ‘Light’. The light that illuminated the hills of Bethlehem at His birth, and seen as far away as Babylonia, was emblematic of the light He offered. He would provide them with light to illuminate, to enlighten, to educate and to guide - light for the mind and light for the spirit. The Messiah, who would sit on David’s throne in the Messianic kingdom, would be clothed in light as He was on the Mount of Transfiguration. Citizens in the Messianic kingdom would bask in that light.
But the leaders said they were not blind! They asserted they did not need their eyes to be opened – they could see very well. Therefore, Jesus left them in darkness! Their condemnation was that they loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
Others, that by faith asked for light, like the blind men that called upon the Son of David for healing - these were granted light. For some, their early encounters with Jesus brought light without clarity. Like the blind man who was healed in two stages, they needed a second touch. Like the two on the road to Emmaus, whose saw Jesus but did not recognise Him, they needed further ministry. Jews like Nicodemus, first saw Jesus as a teacher sent from God – but later came to full discernment of His Messianic office.
Perhaps the two stage healing was more pertinent to the two stage ministry of light to the nation. The first touch was symbolic of the ministry of John the Baptist. He was a “burning and shining light” and the Jews rejoiced in his light. But “he was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light” (John 1:8). The second touch was symbolic of the ministry of the Messiah, “the true Light” (John 1:9).
Next time: Raising the dead
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