Three gospels tell of Jesus healing a leper (Matthew 8:2; Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12). Why was healing this particular disease significant?
The leper’s healing emphasizes Jesus’ miraculous power over disease, since leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of antiquity. Lepers were considered ceremonially unclean and were outcast from society (Leviticus 13:11). While the Old Testament term for leprosy includes other skin diseases, this man may have actually had true leprosy (Hansen’s disease), or else his cure would not have created such a sensation (Mark 1:45).
What makes Mark’s account of this cleansing of a leper distinct from the others?
Only Mark records Jesus’ emotional reaction to the leper’s desperate plight: “Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him” (Mark 1:41). Unlike rabbis, who avoided lepers lest they become ceremonially defiled, Jesus expressed His compassion with a physical gesture.
Why did Jesus command the leper to “show yourself to the priest” (Mark 1:44)?
The priest was the one on duty in the temple. Jesus commanded the healed leper to observe the Old Testament regulations concerning cleansed lepers (Leviticus 14:1–32). Until the required offerings had been made, the man remained ceremonially unclean. The priest’s acceptance of the man’s offering would be public affirmation of his cure and cleansing.
Why did Jesus not want word about such healings to spread?
When Jesus healed the leper, He specifically said, “Say nothing to anyone” (Mark 1:44 NASB). Jesus knew that the ensuing publicity would hinder His ability to minister and divert attention away from His message—and that is exactly what happened. (Only Mark records the leper’s disobedience, although Luke hints at it [Luke 5:15].) The result of the leper’s disobedience was that Jesus could no longer enter a city without being mobbed by those seeking to be cured of diseases. Jesus’ ministry of teaching in that area thus came to a halt (Mark 1:45).