Luke 5:12. And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy:
What a contrast there was between these two persons, the Lord Jesus full of purity, and this man full of impurity, full of leprosy! He could not be more than full; he had as much leprosy as a man could contain.
Luke 5:12. Who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
This was splendid faith. Here was adoration of the noblest kind; no angel before the throne of God could render the Son of God more honour than this poor leprous man did. He believed in Christ's power at once to rid him of that otherwise incurable disease: «Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.»
Luke 5:13. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
This is just what Christ can do also in the spiritual realm. If a man be full of sin, let him but fall down on his face before Jesus, and say, «Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,» and the Lord will put out his hand, and touch him, and he will be clean in a moment. «Immediately «not needing the lapse of a single hour, «immediately the leprosy departed from him.»
Luke 5:14. And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
As long as the ceremonial law was in force, Christ very diligently obeyed it, and bade others do the same. That law is now abolished, and the Jewish priesthood has also ceased to be. But mark the modesty of our Saviour. As a man, he sought no fame or honour, but, as far as he could do so, he suppressed the voices that would have brought him notoriety; yet grateful tongues could not all be silenced, even at his bidding.
Luke 5:15. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
There was a double attraction about the Lord Jesus, his sweet, instructive speech, and his gracious, healing hand. There is a somewhat similar attraction still in every true gospel ministry, not the attraction of the mere words of human eloquence, but in the truth which every faithful minister preaches, and in that matchless soul-healing power which goes with the Word wherever it is believingly heard.
Luke 5:16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
That is just what you and I would probably not have done under such circumstances. We should have said, «We must seize this golden opportunity of publishing our message. There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to plenitude of blessing; and we must take advantage of it.» But our Saviour did not wish for fame, he cared nothing about excitement and popularity; so «he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed» for more of that real power which touches the hearts of men so as to save them, caring nothing for that power which merely attracts a crowd, and excites momentary attention. O servant of God, when thou art succeeding best in thy service, imitate thy Lord, withdraw thyself and pray!
Luke 5:17. And it came to pass on a certain days, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
To heal the people? Yes, and to heal the doctors, too; and that was a far more difficult thing than to heal the ordinary folk. It must have been a time of great mercy and favor when Christ was ready to bless even the Pharisee and doctors of the law who were sitting by.
Luke 5:18. And, behold,
For it was a great wonder,
Luke 5:18. Men brought in a bed a man which was taken with palsy:
A paralyzed man.
Luke 5:18-19. And they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop,
There was, no doubt, a staircase outside, as there usually is to Eastern houses: «They went upon the housetop,»
Luke 5:19-21. And let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
Most true, O Pharisees; and, therefore he is God, for he can forgive sins, and he has forgiven this poor sinner!
Luke 5:22-23. But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, Why reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, rise up and walk?
«Does not each of these require the same divine power? If I am able to bid him rise up and walk, I am also able, by the same divine authority, to forgive his sins.»
Luke 5:24-26. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear,
With a reverent awe,
Luke 5:26-27. Saying, We have seen strange things today. And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom:
This Levi, or Matthew, was a tax collector; not like those of our own day, but one who farmed the taxes for the Roman governor, and made what he could for himself out of them; at least, that is what many of the «publicans» did.
Luke 5:27-28. And he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
This was just a parallel case to that of curing the palsied man; it is precisely the same morally as the other was physically. The office of a publican was disreputable in the eyes of the Jews, and this Levi was probably making money fast at the cost of his own countrymen. He was paralyzed morally as the other man was physically; but as soon as Christ said to him, «Follow me,» «he left all, rose up, and followed him.»
Luke 5:29-30. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
It seems that there can never be a great wonder wrought by Christ without somebody or other objecting to it. I suppose that the sun never rose without annoying thieves, who would like a longer time to perpetrate their deeds of darkness; and no miracle of mercy is ever wrought without somebody finding fault with it for some reason or other. Be not dismayed, therefore, now that in these modern days there have arisen many cunning objectors to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let them object to it, as the dog barks at the moon; but still the moon shines on in her silver brightness. So, when all objectors shall have howled themselves to silence, the eternal gospel will shine on with never-failing splendor. These scribes and Pharisees murmured against Christ's disciples, and said to them, «Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?» Their Master did not leave there to defend themselves, but he took the case into his own hands.
Luke 5:31. And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole
«Such as you scribes and Pharisees claim to be
Luke 5:31. Need not a physician; but they that are sick.
«You regard them as sick, and I regard them in the same way, and therefore am I found where these sick ones are. Why should I turn aside from them to insult you, who are so wonderfully healthy and think yourselves so good?»
Luke 5:32. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.