Untouchable!

Jesus doesn't heal Spanish to be arrested and taken outside the city violated the protocol daughters of the file violated the laws of excommunication. If she is not the Savior. This man does not have a prayer. This is this is the gospel.

Jesus is the Savior you don't have a prayer knew all about. He knew that this incurable disease, suffering as it ate away at the body, but he knew the religious leaders of the day taught that only God himself could heal a leper so when a leper boldly approached him asking for help. Jesus had an opportunity to display his power. Stay with us as Steven David explores yet another way, Jesus declared himself to be God. This time through his healing parts of the world like regions in May. Paul in India. Entire populations of people are considered contaminated from birth called Day-Lewis term literally means broken Day-Lewis were simply unfortunate enough to be born outside of or beneath the caste system which includes four primary tasks Brahman priestly caste of the warrior Princess cast the artisan cast and the servant cast the daily was lower than all according to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs in reincarnation. These people were born into their station of life because of the former life of corruption, crime, some cruelty or sin. Some great sin.

So, now reincarnated as dailies they are paying for their sin because they are considered broken. They have not been allowed only in recent years. Are there some improvements. The opportunity to learn even how to read and write. They can eat or drink in the same room as a cast member.

In fact, they're not allowed to touch anyone in the caste system or be touched, even a shadow is considered contaminated. They have come to be known by term or more familiar with it is simple, tragic term simply this untouchable in India alone there are more than 200 million untouchables there probably wasn't any person in the ancient world more untouchable than a leper. The Bible records both Gentiles and Jews suffering from this dreaded disease. According to Levitical law. A leper lived outside the camp or village exiled he would lose all contact with his family. His loved ones is nation's life could be characterized by the meaning of a they live. His world was indeed broken his dreams, his hopes all – a two pieces is world shattered, broken, he would be of use it without any desire observed in my travels in India. Why is the prevailing belief would be that he was under the judgment of God. There, there has to be some horrifying horrible sin somewhere in their pastor, decaying bodies are proof enough that their corruption has caught up with them they're paying for their sin. One author put it this way. Leper C might begin with the loss of sensation, the sum part of the body. The nerves would be affected. The muscles would begin the waste away. The leper would develop ulcers on their hands and feet, their hair and eyebrows would fall out their vocal cords become ulcerated so that when they talk to their voices would be raspy and hoarse in their breathing strained extremities like ears and noses and fingers and toes would become infected diseased and often simply fall the duration of last 20 to 30 years. It was the kind of death in which a person dying by inches, but death was certain even in the medieval period of the Middle Ages. If someone became a leper.

The priest would bring them to the Cathedral and read a burial service over them because for all intents and purposes, they were as good as dead during the days of Jesus and no one feared any disease like they feared leprosy a leper's only friends were other leopards, family members and people in general that took pity on them would deposit food at certain locations for them to eat, but whenever anyone approached a leper or a leper approached people. The leper was to shout that word. We all know the word unclean on clean one author helped me by putting it in the contemporary terminology to describe that that that sense of worthlessness that would have wrapped around them like a shroud terrible despair. Imagine, he wrote, walking down the sidewalk.

Imagine walking into a grocery store and having to shout playing. Imagine being so despised and exiled, feared and alone we can imagine the physical and emotional effects of being an untouchable effect.

One author put it this way a leper was hated by others, and he eventually came hate himself during the days of Christ. The rabbis were teaching that the cure of a leper was as difficult as raising a person from the dead, get this, the rabbis were teaching and I quote, leprosy can only be healed by God.

This is going to be magnificent.

Let me show you. Luke chapter 5 is where we left off. Jesus is continuing on with some of his newly called disciples he's teaching in some unnamed city verse 12. Rather suddenly rather unexpectedly. Luke describes what happens while he was in one of the cities there came a man full of leprosy. Now, finally, both Matthew's gospel and Mark's gospel word this account. They only refer to the man is a leper but Dr. Luke the positions is all know now he was all of leprosy. He was, we would say not with leprosy that uses the same phrase he used back in chapter 4 and verse want to tell us that Jesus was fall off.

The Holy Spirit so easy he's telling us here that is leper is inundated. He's desaturated. He's evidently in the final stages.

Dr. Luke wants us to know each other. The complete control of leprosy reps after living 20 or 30 years with this disease. He probably doesn't have much time left with this kind of descriptive phrase literally with this horrifying disease.

Let's not go too quickly. Let's imagine the unwritten volume here of this man's life. It's possible that he is now gone. 2025 30 years since he's held his children talk to his wife, eaten a meal at his home slept in his own bed.

He watched his family grow up at a distance. No closer than about 50 yard. We cannot imagine.

Frankly, this man's broken heart and his broken world. He was in every sense of the word and untouchable.

This is now the moment that you need to understand with me, which is nothing less than an act of total desperation verse 12 again and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, Lord, if you will. You can make me clean and were not told here. You notice that we have no idea how we got this close to Jesus that that'll remain a mystery. There's no mention of him warning the crowd, but by shouting as he approaches unclean.

He is made up his mind that it does not matter anymore. This is the last act of a desperate broken life.

I'm sure people stop coming. They parted you know like like the Red Sea, he gets close to Jesus. Everyone I'm sure would've expected Jesus to tell you to get lost one of those amazing Bible moments to me when when you have a terminal man encountering the true Messiah.

This is the essence of fill meeting. The essence of of purity you're watching hopelessness fall down at the feet of hope.

Did you notice what he says here in verse 12, Lord, if you will. You can make me clean. He didn't say Lord if you can.

Lord, if you will.

Lord Curry's God incarnate an incredible statement or what Lord it is entirely in the power of you are will to make me clean. Tells us here that he falls on his face.

The verb means the bow literally to kiss the ground. It was reverence. He's on his face.

No doubt the disciples a pullback of 50 shepherds away in the crowd is shocked there there disgusted you notice he's not asking to be cured. Leprosy was viewed as a spiritual judgment from God. Maybe had come to believe that I probably deserve this of corrupt and sinful. The rabbis even in this generation were calling leprosy. The stroke of God. He's asking to be clad in his from the inside out. Lord, it's entirely your power to clean me from the inside out what you have is an unbelievable statement of faith. Lord, if you want to.

I know you can and cannot just you know at this this is this is putting his life at risk if Jesus isn't the Messiah Jesus doesn't heal this man to be arrested to be taken outside the city started that these violated the protocol he has threatened others of the file is come without warning. These violated the laws of excommunication. Jesus is not the Savior.

This man does not have a prayer. This is this is the gospel is the sin of Jesus isn't the Savior you don't have a prayer and neither do Y.

Mark's gospel adds to the emotion of Jesus.

It says, and that encounter more chapter 1 verse 41, moved with compassion. Jesus stretched out his hand and touched good Jesus and simply said he did it before I do it again. Just the words like touching thought about the fact that this is perhaps the first time in 30 years. This man has been lovingly touched by another person.

Have you run out of options to be decided. There's no other alternative. No other choice.

If you arrived at that desperate place in your life where you realize that religion and a little water and maybe a candle or two-person ceremonies or good deeds or whatever I can do to do my best if you come to understand you are terminally infected. Did with sin and it will kill you because the wages of sin is what death terminally infected. The come to the point where you and desperation. Now it's burying you that terminal sin is destroying you the guilt and the shame, and you don't want to live with it any longer and you.I Jesus and say I believe you can, well you say Bible says whosoever will may come. Have you look right at the end of verse 13, that the leprosy immediately left him not know Luke he he saw the immediate physical effects of leprosy reversed. We need to understand there's a lot that little phrase implies that we would love more commentary on the let me tell you what he saying this indicates that one moment you would've seen this man with his body eaten up rabbit by this corrosive disease but immediately he's literally restored that this is a cascading series of miracles and is no wonder that the word takes off following this one author puts it this way, the flash that had been the way the fingers that had decayed and fallen off the raw sores that spread over his body.

All of it was instantly cleansed, restored and made whole wheat week we can imagine the scene curve.

The limbs are suddenly straightened missing toes and fingers. No finger suddenly toes ears, nose, all the corrosive signs or someone in the final stages of this disease is then Jesus says be playing and why entirely physically made whole by the way, Jesus did something similar. It occurred to me as I thought about this in the garden of Gethsemane is going to do this later. Remember when they they come as a mop to arrest Jesus and and you know Peter pulled out a sword. Definitely much better with a fishing pole. The sword because he takes one swinging Knox's guys ear off and and and I can just sort of picture time freezing at that moment. What we do now and were told, Jesus steps forward. He doesn't pick up that year he touches the man who was restored. There's a new year created see this is incarnate, God capable of creating something out of nothing. This is this is God the son were told in Colossians who was the one with a member of the triune God in Genesis 1. He was saying, let there be light and light winds you could rent. He speaks a word in this warming, creating everything out of nothing. He's demonstrating he is creator God.

This is the Messiah practices. This is one of the reasons why Jesus is going to make this demand of the leper look down in verse 14 told them he charged him to tell no one. But going show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for proof for for them but now even more. The report about him when abroad in great crowds gathered the hearing and to be healed of their infirmities. Isn't it a little convicting. If not a lot, convicting, by the way, the Jesus commands this man to tell no one. And yet the word is spreading in Jesus commands us to spread the word and we tell no. Now we have to understand that even though Jesus has cleansed this man he sees in this social, religious, limbo, so to speak until a priest examines him and declares him clean. He can reenter his life. He can't rejoin his family to go back to the synagogue.

He's he's still in exile in the Lord here essentially tells them to follow the directions of Leviticus chapters 13 and 14. You can read on your own if you wanted some point the restoration processes of up of a leper. But here's the point I want to make Jesus knows what's going to happen. He knows that some trees for which a casino you some phrases that would counter this man is totally mystified, totally shocked beyond words you want to know how tell me again now.

Who was that he did what touched you to Jesus understands here descending this man back to the priesthood because he is beginning he's going to beat again. He is going to generate an investigation of himself to this priest would collect the evidence and then he's going to take the Sanhedrin. This is the meaning of Jesus telling him to take the proof of his cleansing that latter part of verse 14. Jesus knows this is going to generate a firestorm. Why because the priests and the rabbis and the religious leaders been teaching the people already for generations that healing leprosy get past is a sign that the Messiah has arrived here comes this man the Messiah has arrived. He's here in Jesus as you get to be proof to them all the way up the ladder to the Sanhedrin.

It occurred to me when John the Baptist was languishing in prison by order of Herod soon to be executed. He sent a message to Jesus because he was doubting I find it very encouraging that the great prophet doubt and despair and discouragement.

Are you the one we been looking for and what did Jesus do Jesus sends a message back recorded in Matthew chapter 11 that essentially said John, haven't you heard the leopards are being clans no more with this stunning demonstration of divine power, Jesus now does what every believer ought to do the models for us this quiet time with the father for 16 tells us Jesus did. Next he would withdraw to desolate places and and pray he he withdrew way. The crowds are thronging the paparazzi area not in a lined up out outside. You know all everybody want to write a book. They think they're clamoring to see you Jesus. They they want to hear you he would say all I I need to hear the father first in four months. It's ironic perhaps maybe a play on the scene that the word for desolate places. He with he would withdraw to desolate places can be translated lonely places struck me. The Jesus voluntarily went to lonely places and in this in this case, he went to a lonely place after ending the loneliness of this we didn't give us any details but as a man reunited with his family would no doubt stop praying for him years. Years ago, rabbis ran from the synagogue and long ago taken his name from the roster raises good is dead friends. It stopped waving him but here there came Jesus into the shock of of this massive crowd here comes this untouchable in their paths cross hopelessness, bowing at the feet of holiness sinfulness prostrate the feet of grace. Whenever we come to the realization that we are terminal and we are incurable and we are untouchable by becoming valid, the feet of Jesus and we say Lord I know you can save we're immediately and permanently and completely forgiven in every case, there's no such thing as a hope this case, the feet of Jesus in every case, just as we sang earlier, broken lives in your kingdom are they. Every time every untouchable sinner who comes to Jesus is for forever.

I hope this time in God's word has been encouraging today the message you just listen to was called untouchable and it comes from Steven Davies exposition in a series called the ministry begins. I'm glad you took the time to join us today. In addition to equipping you with these daily Bible lessons. We also have a magazine that we produce each month. Every issue includes articles written by Stephen to go deeper into various topics related to the Christian life.

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