Jesus Will Be Jesus

There is an account of a man’s healing from leprosy found in three of the four New Testament gospels.  The books where this account is found include Matthew, Mark and Luke. The details of the account are very similar in all three books.  But there are some writer perspectives that differ - on these we will focus.  

Let’s take a brief look at each writer's account, analyze the perspective of the writer, and then discuss the point of it all.  First, Matthew:

Matthew’s eighth chapter begins with this account.  He talks about a man with leprosy seeking out Jesus. According to Matthew the event happened immediately following Jesus' sermon on the mount. The leper takes a very humbled posture on his knees before Jesus and says, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (vs 2)  Jesus reached out His hand, touched the leper and replied, “ I am willing.  Be clean!”  The man was immediately healed.  While many Biblical accounts of miracles make reference to Jesus’ acknowledgement of faith within the recipient of the miracle, this account does not make note of it.  We simply have the leper requesting the healing and Jesus touching the leper and healing him.  Of course, we can surmise from the man’s words that he believed Jesus could make him whole, but there was no indication that Jesus accounted the man’s statement as faith.  Jesus was willing to heal the leper and He did.  Matthew’s account goes on to state that Jesus gave instruction to the healed man, “see that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony to them.” (vs 4)  Matthew’s account ends right there.  

Don’t try to put a box around Jesus. Jesus will be Jesus.

Now let’s look at the account in the book of Mark.  This time the account is found in the first chapter of the book.  Beginning with the 40th verse, Mark describes the man in the same manner as Matthew and says the man takes the same posture - “on his knees'' - before Jesus.  There is no indication in Mark that this event followed the sermon on the mount.  The leperous man says to Jesus the same thing as described in Matthew and Jesus’ reply was the same.  Jesus touched the leper and immediately the leprosy was gone.  Mark says that Jesus gave the healed man instruction to “ tell no one” and “show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.” (vs 44)  Just like Matthew’s account.  But then Mark continued by saying, “Instead he [the healed man] went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news.” (vs 45a)  And what was the result of this man’s insolence?  “Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.” (vs 45b)  Well, Mark’s account certainly does not end on a high note.  It is worth stating that while the book of Mark was written by John Mark, an early companion on Paul’s missionary journeys, the book is actually a transcription of Peter’s testimony.  John Mark, for whom the book is named, assisted the apostle in Rome late in Peter’s ministry.  

The last version of this encounter is in chapter five of Luke’s gospel.  In Luke’s version there is also no reference to the sermon on the mount but the posture of the man was described similarly to the other gospel accounts.  The man came to Jesus and “fell with his face to the ground and begged him [Jesus], ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’” (vs 12)  Luke continues the account by describing Jesus’ response, which is exactly as described in the other accounts - no telling, show yourself and make the sacrifices.  Then Luke goes on to state, “Yet the news about him [Jesus] spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and be healed of their sicknesses.” (vs 15)  The result once again was that Jesus would withdraw to “lonely places and pray.”  So Luke also finishes the account with Jesus’ ministry becoming more known.  However, Luke does not ascribe the result directly to loose lips of the healed man.  

So with all three accounts fresh in our minds, let's do some analysis and see if the Spirit has anything to show us through them.  First of all, it is important to reiterate the result of this healing described within the accounts.  Of course we have an individual who was healed of leprosy, and the healing was immediate, making it evidently miraculous.  We also know there was a spike in Jesus’ notoriety following this healing.  Matthew does not make reference to it, but both Mark, transcribing for Peter, and Luke do make note of it.  Mark’s gospel seems to set the blame for this new, “unfortunate” fame squarely on the healed man’s shoulders.  It seems that Peter was very much of the opinion that the man brought hardship on Jesus.  Luke, on the contrary, seems much more reluctant to blame the man for Jesus' fame and resulting hardship.  This is absolutely true to form for Luke as a physician and historian.  Just as Peter’s “bull in a china shop” character is represented in Mark’s gospel.   

Also, I believe the timing of this healing was not coincidental, nor was its inclusion in these certain gospels.  We see in Matthew’s account, the event occurring directly after the sermon on the mount.  The ex-tax collector, disciple of Jesus Christ dedicated 3 full chapters of his epistle to this single sermon.  The account of the man healed from leprosy follows these three chapters, and Matthew makes no inclusion of Jesus' popularity rising or the hardship brought.  Peter, through the gospel of Mark, seems much less concerned with recording the sermon given on the mount and more concerned with the healed man’s disobedience to Christ Jesus.  Peter sees the man’s disobedience as the cause of hardship throughout the rest of Jesus’ time here on earth.  No more comfortable living in towns.  Only lonely hardship from now on.  Luke, not having been an eye witness to this event, wants to make sure his writings provide an accurate accounting of what happened that day and of the apparent manner of living Jesus took from that point forward.  He would not point the finger at the actions of the healed man but could not overlook the fact that Jesus’ fame exploded during this time frame.  

So what about Jesus?  His was the pivotal role in this healing event.  What was His perspective?  If we put ourselves in Jesus’ sandals at this event, we see before us a human being, a creation of the Father, oppressed by a physical sickness that is literally destroying his body.  We see this man not as a leper, but as one who has faith in the healing power of God.  We also understand the man believes that I Am the vehicle through which that power will impact his life, bringing him wholeness and peace from the disease.  Jesus was willing and so He healed the man.  

One would imagine that Jesus perceived, even as He instructed the man to keep silent on the miracle, the healing would not be secret for long.  People were going to know.  The man himself must have ached with the desire to shout it from the rooftops - “Jesus Healed Me!”  Jesus was certainly not in the dark on how knowledge of this healing and the other miracles He had and would perform were going to impact His life.  He knew the healing lines were long already and they were about to get much, much longer.  But He did it anyway.  

I believe this is the point the Holy Spirit wants to make here.  We each have our own ideas of what Jesus should do and, just as importantly, what others should do in response to what Jesus does.  We all, just like Matthew, Peter and Luke, have our own perspective on each and every event that Jesus causes when He acts to heal the sick and save the lost.  But we must understand: our unique beliefs and perspectives which cause us to judge Jesus’ actions as well as the results of how others handle those actions, are of no account. Jesus is going to be Jesus.  

Jesus has one directive - to glorify the Father.  That is it.  He does not ask permission and most of the time gives no warning of His plans.  He does what Jesus does.  He serves the Father.  You can get riled up about how things work out when Jesus’ power is displayed in a person’s life.  Jesus will forgive you.  But He is not going to change the way He does things on account of how you will write your gospel.  Jesus is Jesus.  It would be best for us to write what we see and leave the judgment of the results out.