Out of the Crowd . . . a Leper!

In this message centering on Matthew 8:1–4, Chuck Swindoll transitions from the exhilarating heights of the Sermon on the Mount to the gritty reality of human suffering in the valley below. He sets the context by reviewing Matthew 4:23–25, illustrating that Jesus was already exhausted by crushing crowds and intense ministry demands before He even delivered His famous sermon. Swindoll notes that “life doesn’t stop” for the preacher or the Savior; immediately after speaking with divine authority, Jesus is confronted by the ultimate outcast: a leper [2, 6–8].

Swindoll vividly describes the horrors of leprosy—the physical disfigurement, the foul odor, and the social isolation—to highlight the desperation of the man who approached Jesus. Unlike the crowds who were merely “amazed” by Jesus’ teaching, the leper worshipped Him. The man’s plea, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean,” acknowledged Jesus’ power while humbly questioning His willingness to engage with someone so “unclean” [15–18].

The sermon focuses on Jesus’ compassionate response: He reached out and touched the untouchable man. Swindoll argues that while Jesus could have healed with a word, He chose to touch the man to restore his human dignity before cleansing his physical disease. The message concludes with three applications: the magnetic presence of Jesus draws the unworthy close; His quiet compassion invites us to ask for relief; and His transforming touch changes us from deep within. Swindoll invites listeners to embrace the “contrite heart” of the leper—offering no excuses or conditions—and simply trust in the willingness of the Savior to cleanse them [22–26].

Message Key Facts:

• The Context of Exhaustion: Swindoll highlights that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount after a period of intense healing ministry described in Matthew 4. The crowds were “gathering momentum,” bringing demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics. Jesus went from the “crush of the crowds” to the pulpit without a break, making the subsequent encounter with the leper even more poignant [7–10].
• The Okinawa Experience: Swindoll shares a personal memory from 1958 while serving in the Marine Corps band on Okinawa. They performed a concert at a leprosarium in the northernmost part of the island. He recalls the “dull thumping of the nubs of an arm” as the lepers tried to applaud, illustrating the tragic reality of the disease [14–16].
• The Horror of Leprosy: Describing the disease, Swindoll notes that it causes numbness, loss of skin color, and a “lion-like” thickening of the face. The vocal cords are attacked, causing a raspy voice, and the sufferer emits a foul odor. Lepers were required to shout “Unclean!” and stand 150 feet away if downwind [15–16].
• Cleansing vs. Curing: Swindoll makes a theological distinction: in Scripture, leprosy is often a picture of sin. Therefore, one is not “cured” of leprosy but “cleansed.” Similarly, Christ cleanses the sinner from guilt, though the “cure” (freedom from the presence of sin) awaits eternity.
• The “Elephant Man” Moment: Swindoll references the film The Elephant Man, specifically the scene where the protagonist cries out, “I am a human being!” He likens this to the leper’s internal state—a human trapped in a body that everyone rejects.
• A Contrite Heart: Connecting the leper’s attitude to Psalm 51, Swindoll defines a “contrite heart” as one that makes no demands, nurses no grudges, offers no conditions, and anticipates no favors. It is the attitude that says, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling” [20–21].
• The Touch: Jesus’ first action was not to speak, but to touch. Swindoll speculates this may have been the first human touch the man had felt in years. Usually, touching a leper made a person unclean; in this case, the touch of Jesus made the leper clean [22–23].
• The Messianic Secret: Jesus commanded the healed man to “tell no one.” Swindoll explains this was because Jesus’ time had not yet come; He did not want to be crowned King simply because He was a healer, nor did He want to incite a circus atmosphere that would disrupt His timeline.
• “Knocking at the Door”: Swindoll quotes a commentator noting that Jesus “will not storm Israel with Messianic claims; instead, He will knock quietly at its door, leper by leper”.

Message References:

• Matthew 8:1–4: The main text recounting the healing of the leper.
• Matthew 4:23–25: The context preceding the Sermon on the Mount, describing the large crowds and various diseases Jesus healed.
• Psalm 51:1–17: Referenced as the parallel for the leper’s attitude; David’s prayer for cleansing and a “broken and contrite heart” [19–20].
• Leviticus 14: (Implicit) Referenced regarding the offering Moses commanded for cleansed lepers.
• Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll