Only Believe for HealingSample

The Living Word

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:1–3)

When I read these words, my heart is moved, for I realize that Jesus is just as much present with us as He was in Jerusalem when He walked the earth. How it changes our whole nature as we comprehend what Jesus meant when He said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).

This living Word is not given to us just because of the narratives or the wonderful parables that Jesus taught, but so that we, through it, might be changed. Beloved, His presence is so remarkable that if we will but call on Him, believing that He has the power to give eternal life at His command, we will be changed in body, soul, and spirit.

When Jesus was on earth and beheld suffering humanity, He was moved with compassion. He met the most difficult problems; one of the hardest conditions to meet was leprosy. The moment that leprosy was pronounced upon a person, it meant that he was doomed. Just as there was no remedy at that time for a leper, there is no earthly power that can deliver us from sin. Leprosy was the disease that had a death sentence, and sin means death to the spiritual man unless it is cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Here was a leper with the seal of death on him, and there was only one hope. What was it? If he could come to Jesus, he would be healed. But how could a leper come to Jesus? When a leper came near other people, he had to cry out: “Unclean! Unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45)—so how could a leper ever get near to Jesus? The difficulty was tremendous, but when faith lays hold, impossibilities must yield.

When we touch the Divine and believe God, sins will be forgiven; dis­eases will go; circumstances will change. I can almost read the thoughts of the people as they passed by the leper: “You poor leper! If you had been where we were, you would have seen the most remarkable things happen, for people were delivered from all kinds of diseases today.” The leper might have asked, “Where were you?” They would have answered, “We have been with Jesus!” Oh, the thrill of life when we have been with Jesus.

The leper, too, had come to see Jesus, but the eyes of the people were not on the leper now. They were watching for Jesus. When the leper cried out, “Unclean!” the crowd immediately moved away from him, leaving the path clear for the leper to be the first to get to Jesus. No one could turn him back.

No one can stop a man whose heart is set on reaching Jesus. No power on earth can stop a sinner from reaching the side of the Master if he has faith that will not be denied. Perhaps some have awful diseases in their bodies, or their souls are far away from God. They have been prayed for, and have prayed themselves, but the thing is not removed, and they are in the place where the leper was. He knew that Jesus could heal him. All he had to do was get close enough to Jesus, and He was made whole.

Thought for today: Oh, the thrill of life when we have been with Jesus.