I went to a conference in Brisbane once in a large Church lead by Pastor Reg Kliminiok. After he spoke, I went to him to thank him for his message. I finally got my opportunity after others had finished speaking with him. He took an interest in me and asked me about my Church.
Halfway through the conversation one of his conference secretaries came and interrupted our conversation. The young man wanted Pastor Kliminiok to be somewhere in a hurry due to some emergency that had arisen or some meeting that was happening. The Pastor interrupted the flustered secretary and calmly said, "I will be with you in just a moment but I am presently speaking with this man" as he looked at me. I have always remembered that moment when I felt cared for as an individual in a conference where this Pastor was looking after the needs of thousands of people. It was only a small thing but it made an impact on me as a Pastor.
A crowd of people had been waiting to hear Jesus speak. What I like about Jesus is that He cared for this rejected, shunned individual, a social outcast who was probably abandoned by family and friends BEFORE He ministered to the crowd. A person with leprosy was considered completely unclean-physically and spiritually. He could not approach within six feet of any person including family members. According to Leviticus 13:45-46 (NLT) "Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!' As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp." Jesus never caters to the crowd. First He spends time teaching His disciples on the mountain. Then He takes time to heal this man with leprosy. And rather than advertise an amazing miracle in front of an expectant crowd, He asks him to keep it secret. It's all back the front, but it shows me that Jesus cares for the needs of the individual. And He cares for me.
Apparently only a few people must have noticed that a man with leprosy had been healed that day.