The world into which the Sovereign Savior came was DISENFRANCHISED. Man had fallen from his native environment, and thus, had become raped of his righteousness, enslaved by his egotism, dehumanized by his disobedience, demeaned by his demeanor, divested of most vestiges of self-worth, denied access to the mainstream of life, and demonized. This was true in the social, political and spiritual arenas of life. So, Jesus encountered a people Deprived of the Privilege of Personhood.; He tabernacled among a people Minus the Freedom of Wholeness. Everywhere He pivoted, He was pursued and pressed by Fragmented Pieces of Clay. The world of Mankind was Disenfranchised.
I suggest to us that Someone Is Deprived Of The Privilege Of Public Interaction. Someone has been judged Socially Unacceptable. Now my reason for saying that is because when Church was out, when the sermon was over and the Invitation extended; when Jesus and the multitude came down from the high on the mountain, a man who was Socially Unacceptable was Denied Access to the Meeting. Matthew says that when the meeting was over, "Behold, there came a Leper." This man, because of his Condition, was Disenfranchised!
However, the story has a happy ending. Verses 2-4 attest the fact that ONE CAN BE SOCIALLY AND RELIGIOUSLY EXCOMMUNICATED, AND YET BE ETERNALLY ACCEPTED. The Low-Downs, the Outcasts, the Throw-Always, the Uncleansed, the Socially and Religiously Deprived MUST BE DISCIPLED! Indeed, in the Parable of the Great Supper, our Lord stresses the Urgency of Discipling the Disenfranchised, when He commanded His servant to search the city streets and highways for the Poor, Maimed, Halt and Blind.
THREE THINGS I want you to consider:
THE TRUSTING TEMPERAMENT OF THE LEPER,
THE TENDER TOUCH OF THE LORD,
THE TELLING TESTIMONY OF THE LAW.
All three demonstrate the Necessity of Discipling The Disenfranchised. This Leper was Disenfranchised, and he experienced THE TENDER TOUCH OF THE LORD and THE TELLING TESTIMONY OF THE LAW.
I. SO FIRST, LET’S CONSIDER THE TRUSTING TEMPERAMENT OF THE LEPER.
1. At the very outset, His Temperament Testifies that HINDRANCES CAN BE OVERCOME. In verse 2 Matthew says this Leper "Came." When anyone in any condition comes to Jesus, there are always Some Hindrances.
This man was Socially Unacceptable, yet He Came!
He was Physically Repugnant, yet He Came!
He was Ceremonially Unclean, yet He Came!
He was Religiously Unfit, yet He Came!
He was Economically Poor, yet He Came!
He was Hygienically Odorous, yet He Came!
GENUINE FAITH OVERCOMES ANY HINDRANCE! Whether it be a crowd, a roof, a walled city, a wide sea, a high mountain, a deep valley; a fear, a doubt, yes, even Leprosy; Faith Will Find A Way! "For what is it that overcomes the world? Even Our Faith." So, in spite of His Hindrances, Matthew says he "Came."
2. And then again, his coming to the Lord indicates AN AGGRESSIVE FAITH. Matthew calls attention to his aggressive faith by that word "behold." Its as if Matthew says ’Don’t you dare Miss This! Look at this Bold Leper with scaly skin and musky odor Aggressively making his way to the Lord!’
He had a Bold Confidence about him. He approached the Lord without fear of being stoned to death or being turned away. He didn’t shout to Jesus from a distance as he was supposed to do; but he approached Him directly and, without hesitation. He Came With Confidence because he Believed Jesus Was Compassionate.
3. And then again, HIS ADORING WORSHIP shows that he’s disciplinable. FAITH ALWAYS CONTAINS WORSHIP. Now here is a man who had been denied access to the Temple and Synagogue, a man deprived of the freedom of assembly, falling down at the feet of Jesus WORSHIPPING. He understood the Theology of Worship. He knew that the ’Where and the When’ of Worshipping were not important; but the ’Whom and the How’ you Worship. So, he fell at the feet of Jesus and WORSHIPPED!
Worshipping, then, is AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF GOD. It is ascribing to Him His Worth, stating His Supreme Value. Therefore, this Leper:
Did not Whine, he Worshipped!
Did not Wail, he Worshipped!
Did not Whimper, he Worshipped!
Did not Whisper, he Worshipped!
Did not Waiver, he Worshipped!
Did not Worry, he Worshipped!
In spite of His Condition, He Broke Down and Lifted Up! Despite His Problem, He Stroked the Lord! He Admired the Lord! He Hallowed His Name!
And if that wasn’t enough, while Worshipping-
4. HIS MOUTH CONFESSED. First of all, he said "LORD." He felt he was in the Presence of God, so he CONFESSED JESUS AS LORD: Thou art the OWNER of everything, the RULER of all, the HEAD of all - "LORD!" You, Lord; me, servant. So that’s why I’m down in the dust at Your feet - "LORD!"
He said "LORD, I KNOW YOU CAN! You have the Power to make me clean because You are Lord. I Know YOU CAN. What I don’t know is "If You WILL." I’m willing to remain a leper if that’s Your Will; and I only want to be healed of leprosy if its Your Will. I Know You Can, but I don’t know if You Will. So, I’ll just leave it up to You - THY WILL BE DONE!"
And when Jesus perceives A TRUSTING TEMPERAMENT like that from the Disenfranchised, He Always Responds With A TENDER TOUCH.
II. Hence SECONDLY, Let’s Scrutinize THE TENDER TOUCH OF THE LORD.
Matthew says the First Thing the Lord did, in verse 3, in Response to the Leper’s Coming was that:
1. HE PUT FORTH HIS HAND. The Leper CAME and the Lord EXTENDED HIS HAND! In putting forth His hand, this action implied THREE THING.
a) EXTENSION OF NEARNESS. The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand. If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us!
b) EXTENSION OF REACH. The Lord is always Within Hand’s Reach; ask Peter! He can reach you no matter how Unreachable You Think You Might Be. "His Hand is not shortened that it cannot save."
c) EXTENSION OF DIVINE ASSISTANCE. His Outstretched Hand Means Help! He stretched out His Hand round about midnight, and Israel walked out of the Egyptian prison-house. Stretched out His Hand and divided a Raging Red Sea. Stretched out His Hand and the sun stood still allowing Israel to conquer her enemies. Stretched out His Hand in Help and invited All that labor and are Heavy Rest. Stretched out His Hand and sent Mercy and Truth from heaven. Now He Stretches Out His Hand to the Socially Unacceptable. "Here’s My Hand! I Will Help You Out!"
Not only that, the LORD EXTENDED HIS HAND TILL HE MADE CONTACT!
2. So, the Second Thing Matthew says He did was "TO TOUCH HIM." Thus, let’s examine THE TENDER TOUCH OF THE LORD. He Extended Till He Touched! The Greek translation says the Lord "Grasped Him, Held Him."
a) TOUCH OF IDENTIFICATION. Jesus identified Himself with this man’s Infirmities. He Took It by Touching Him! JEHOVAH-RAPHA: THE LORD YOUR HEALER.
b) TOUCH OF COMPASSION. Nobody else would touch him! Fear of Leprosy. Fear of becoming Unclean. No Sympathy for the Lost. But Jesus Reached Out and Touched Him!
c) TOUCH OF RECONCILIATION. God was in Christ reconciling this Leper to Himself, not imputing to him his trespasses.
d) TOUCH OF ACCEPTANCE. No longer a stranger and alien. Accepted in Jesus.
Hence, THE LEPER WORSHIPPED AND THE LORD TOUCHED! When You Worship, THE LORD WILL TOUCH! And when you come to Him, the Lord Will Put Forth His Hand; He Will Draw, Invite and Touch!
So, the Disenfranchised must be Discipled by THE EXTENSION OF THE HAND AND THE TENDER TOUCH OF COMPASSION. But there is a Third Factor to be considered.
3. So Thirdly, we must examine THE LORD’S MESSAGE. After He had Extended and Touched, the Lord also SAID.
a) So while in His Grasp, the Lord COMMUNICATED HIS SOVEREIGN WILL - "I WILL" says Jesus.
b) ’Since you have acknowledged My Awesome Ability, My Pertinent Power, Sovereign Skill and Eternal Expertise by Confessing "I know You Can," but you didn’t know if I Would: while Touching you, I’ll Manifest My Perfect Will for Your Life. "I WILL YOUR CLEANSING!" Since you left the resolving of this issue up to Me, to resolve it as I see fit, then I WILL RULE THIS SITUATION. MY KINGDOM HAS COME TO YOU!’
c) While in the Grasp of Glory, the LORD PRONOUNCED HIS PARDON - "BE THOU CLEAN." This Leper received the SOVEREIGN’S WILL AND WORD.
If the Disenfranchised are to be Discipled they, then, must Know THE WILL OF GOD FOR THEIR LIVES; and that is discoverable thru the PROCLAMATION OF HIS WORD.
They must know that HE IS WILLING that ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE; and that, HIS WORD IS WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTANCE. But not only that, if the Disenfranchised are to be Discipled, they must know that HIS WILL AND WORD ALWAYS EFFECT A WORK!
4. So the Lord not only EXTENDED, TOUCHED and SAID. Fourthly, HE WORKED!
a) The Work was IMMEDIATE - Leprosy usually ran its course, Death.
b) The Work was MIRACULOUS - JUST HIS WORD! No drugs. No operations. No treatments. No rehab. Just a Supernatural Word for an Incurable Disease!
c) The Work was COMPLETE. Not by degrees. Not in stages. Whole at Once! Compete for All Times! No Second Work Needed!
d) The Work was GRACIOUS. The leper had already implied that he was not worthy or deserving - "If Thou wilt." Jesus healed as a Free Favor. He demanded no payment for services rendered.
So then, the Disenfranchised Must Be Discipled By:
THE CHURCH EXTENDING HER HAND IN EVANGELISM,
TENDERLY TOUCHING AND POWERFULLY PROCLAIMING THE WILL AND WORD OF THE LORD JESUS; and ultimately
WORKING BY FAITH THE WORK OF LOVE.
I have shown you THE TRUSTING TEMPERAMENT OF THE LEPER and THE TENDER TOUCH OF THE LORD. Now as I prepare to take my seat, I want you to consider my THIRD and FINAL POINT.
III. Ponder with me THE TELLING TESTIMONY OF THE LAW.
I find it strangely remarkable that Jesus didn’t desire THE TESTIMONY OF THE LEPER TO HIS WORK. Says Jesus to the leper: "You are dismissed. Our conversation has ended. Leave Me now and go your way. But do it without any noise and without being noticed by men. Don’t call attention to yourself. Just Don’t Tell Anybody! I don’t want your Verbal Testimony: SEE THAT YOU TELL NO MAN. Not that your testimony is incredulous or fickle. Not that you can’t now sing ’Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.’ Not that you can’t testify ’What can wash away my sins? What can make me whole again? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’ But the reason why,’ says Jesus, ’I don’t want you to Tell anyone just yet by Words is because I want you FIRST TO TESTIFY BY DEEDS. So, GO SHOW YOURSELF TO THE PRIEST, AND LET THE LAW TESTIFY THAT THE FULFILLER OF THE TYPES AND SHADOWS AND SACRIFICES IS ALREADY HERE. GO SHOW YOURSELF!"
1. Let THE LAW OF CLEANSING TESTIFY!
a) Says Jesus, I want THE TESTIMONY OF THE PRIEST: "Go Show Yourself to the PRIEST." I want your first act to be of REAPPLYING FOR CHURCH MEMBERSHIP DOWN AT THE TEMPLE OF THE FRANCHISED!
Jesus says, the Preacher/Pastor has the Keys to the Kingdom. The Preacher/Priest Pronounced you Unclean and put you out because the Law so Testified; and only the Preacher/Priest can pronounce you Clean and take you back in. So Leper, GO SHOW YOURSELF TO THE PRIEST! Not to the Levite- the Deacon. GO SHOW YOURSELF TO THE PRIEST!
Because I want those hypocritical Church Folk to see a Real Work of Grace. They need to see Genuine Salvation. They need to see a New Creature in Christ Jesus. They must view a Specimen of Deliverance. So, Go on down to the First Church of the Franchised and SHOW YOURSELF! Go down there and Present your Body as a Living Sacrifice, for you are now Holy and Acceptable to God. And since God has accepted you, they Must ’Put Forth Their Hand In Fellowship!’
2. Then, let your Second Act be that of GIVING. "OFFER THE GIFT" says Jesus. Let YOUR TESTIMONY BE YOUR GIFT.
Jesus knows that Our Giving the Way We Give, Why We Give and the Quality of Our Giving Is Our Testimony To The Worth of God. LET THE LAW OF YOUR LIBERALITY TESTIFY! THE LAW OF YOUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS TESTIFY: "OFFER THE GIFT" says Jesus. Not grudgingly nor out of necessity. But Voluntarily as an Expression of a Grateful Heart. "OFFER THE GIFT!"
Well, What gift shall I offer, Jesus? Can I give Whatever I Feel Like giving? Can I give whatever I want to? No! says Jesus. "Offer the gift Moses commanded you." So then, OUR GIVING IS DICTATED BY GOD’S LAW. GOD ONLY ACCEPTS WHAT HE HAS PRESCRIBED: "OFFER THE GIFT."
Says Jesus, I want the Testimony of Two Birds: Leviticus 14:4-6.
Says Jesus, I want the Testimony of Two Lamb: Leviticus 14:10, Reconciliation.
Says Jesus, I want the Testimony of the Law to be a Witness unto Them!
Tell them:
"In Loving-Kindness Jesus came, My soul in mercy to reclaim,
And from the depths of sin and shame Thru Grace He Lifted Me."
Tell Them:
"He called me long before I heard, Before my sinful heart was stirred.
But when I took Him at His Word, Forgiven He Lifted Me."
Tell Them:
"His brow was pierced with many a thorn, His hands by cruel nails were torn,
When from my guilt and grief forlorn, In Love He Lifted Me."
Tell Them:
"Now on a higher plane I dwell, And with my soul I know ’tis well;
Yet how or why, I cannot tell, He should have Lifted Me."
Tell Them:
"From sinking sand He Lifted Me,
With Tender Hand He Lifted Me;
From shades of Night to Plains of Light,
O Praise His Name, He Lifted Me!"
Tell Them:
"Saved by His Grace Divine, Saved to New Life Sublime!
Life now is Sweet and my Joy is Complete,
For I’m SAVED, SAVED, SAVED!"
