Matthew 8:1 After Yeshua had come down from the hill, large crowds followed him. 2 Then a man afflicted with tzara‘at came, kneeled down in front of him and said, “Sir, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Yeshua reached out his hand, touched him and said, “I am willing! Be cleansed!” And at once he was cleansed from his tzara‘at. 4 Then Yeshua said to him, “See that you tell no one; but as a testimony to the people, go and let the cohen examine you, and offer the sacrifice that Moshe commanded.”
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Mark 1:40 A man afflicted with tzara‘at came to Yeshua and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, Yeshua reached out his hand, touched him and said to him, “I am willing! Be cleansed!” 42 Instantly the tzara‘at left him, and he was cleansed. 43 Yeshua sent him away with this stern warning: 44 “See to it that you tell no one; instead, as a testimony to the people, go and let the cohen examine you, and offer for your cleansing what Moshe commanded.” 45 But he went out and began spreading the news, talking freely about it; so that Yeshua could no longer enter a town openly but stayed out in the country, where people continued coming to him from all around.
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Luke 5:12 Once, when Yeshua was in one of the towns, there came a man completely covered with tzara‘at. On seeing Yeshua, he fell on his face and begged him, “Sir, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 13 Yeshua reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing! Be cleansed!” Immediately the tzara‘at left him. 14 Then Yeshua warned him not to tell anyone. “Instead, as a testimony to the people, go straight to the cohen and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moshe commanded.”
Here we have a laying on of hands in order to heal the man with tzara’at (commonly, but mistakenly, referred to as leprosy). No “hands” were used with the wine, the royal officer’s son, the man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue, nor Peter’s fish episode. The last time Yeshua laid hands on people was when Peter’s mother-in-law was healed from a fever and the masses came later that evening with illness and demonic possession.
As of now, we seem to have three things that bring forth miracles: trust (or lack thereof), the voice of the Messiah, and the laying on of hands. Faith, the Word, and transference (more on this one later on).
The servants “trusted” Yeshua to fill the vessels with water -- or were just good servants and were obedient. The royal officer “trusted” his son was healed -- or at least trusted afterward. The fish in the boats? It was done to build trust.
The voice of Yeshua delivered the man in the synagogue of an unclean spirit. The demonically possessed that came in the evening? Spoken to.
Matthew 8:16 When evening came, many people held in the power of demons were brought to him. He expelled the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill.
The others that came for healing trusted already and they just needed a touch of the power of God to bring their trust into its fullness.
Luke 4:40 After sunset, all those who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Yeshua, and he put his hands on each one of them and healed them;
Fair warning: we want to be careful trying to find a formula in order to box God up, but maybe there is value (for now) in understanding how Yeshua engaged with these varying ailments. As we continue through the miracles, I’m personally looking forward to this model being broken…
This miracle was a bit unique. It was a huge no-no to touch someone with tzara’at. Not according to the Torah, but according to the culture. They added the extra hedge of not touching to help ensure they were keeping the following command:
Numbers 5:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Order the people of Isra’el to expel from the camp everyone with tzara‘at, everyone with a discharge and whoever is unclean because of touching a corpse. 3 Both male and female you must expel; put them outside the camp; so that they won’t defile their camp, where I live among you.” 4 The people of Isra’el did this and put them outside the camp — the people of Isra’el did what Adonai had said to Moshe.
People with tzara’at were outcasts. Thrown out of the community and forced to live out on their own. While the direct cause of tzara’at is not mentioned, the Biblical narrative seems to swirl around this condition being the direct result of a slanderous/accusatory tongue. So the body is telling on the person. Tzara’at is hence a spiritual disease. Meaning it isn’t contagious unless you share in the slander yourself. But we all know how easy it is to jump in on the latest gossip so it makes sense to put them out of the camp to keep it from spreading.
This putting-outside-of-the-camp command is to separate the slanderer/accuser from Abba’s people:
Numbers 5:3 Both male and female you must expel; put them outside the camp; so that they won’t defile their camp, where I live among you.
Defilement. That’s what we’re trying to prevent. Not an outbreak of the disease, but an outbreak of slander/accusations. An outbreak of the true disease.
But an interesting detail is mentioned by Luke: here came a man completely covered with tzara‘at. Here is a man that can no longer hide his condition. It’s out there for absolutely everyone to see.
If we go back into the Torah we see an odd qualifier:
Leviticus 13:9 “If a person has tzara‘at, he is to be brought to the cohen. 10 The cohen is to examine him, and if he sees that there is a white swelling in the skin which has turned the hair white and inflamed flesh in the swelling, 11 then it is chronic tzara‘at on his skin, and the cohen is to declare him unclean; he is not to isolate him, because it is already clear that he is unclean. 12 If the tzara‘at breaks out all over the skin, so that, as far as the cohen can see, the person with tzara‘at has sores everywhere on his body, from his head to his feet; 13 then the cohen is to examine him, and if he sees that the tzara‘at has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the person with the sores clean — it has all turned white, and he is clean. 14 But if one day inflamed flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. 15 The cohen will examine the inflamed flesh and declare him unclean; the inflamed flesh is unclean; it is tzara‘at. 16 However, if the inflamed flesh again turns white, he is to come to the cohen. 17 The cohen will examine him, and if he sees that the sores have turned white, then the cohen is to declare clean the person with the sores; he is clean.
If someone is completely covered, he is clean. What?! How is this a thing? If it were a normal disease, it wouldn't make sense at all. But a spiritual disease is different.
Once your body is completely consumed, there is no more hiding from your spiritual condition. You know, the way you hide behind your judgments and unforgiveness. As long as no one sees it, we can lie all day long and say we’re pure and clean believers that just love everyone.
Eventually, however, those judgments, slanderous and accusatory statements make a grand appearance. Before then though, you have craftily poisoned the community with your backdoor comments and caused that disease to spread. Tzara’at has spread. Not through biological means, but through relational means. Hence, get away from the camp.
The good news is that as soon as you get fully exposed, you are ready to repent. It’s tough being separated from God’s people because they simply can’t stand being around you and your toxic thoughts. Only when you’ve reached this stage can you be brought before the priest to be inspected.
“Yep, you are fully covered. There’s no more hiding.”
But the simple act of wanting to be exposed makes you clean. Repentance may not immediately clear up the external evidence of your wicked ways, but eventually you are restored.
The moment the man with tzara’at approached Yeshua, everyone knew what his actions were before. No more hiding. And he was ready to be healed. So he was clean. Yeshua declared it so but He took one extra step for this man.
What usually takes time to clear up, He did instantly. The man was fully restored -- immediately. His shame was gone and there was no more evidence there to convict him. Because he wanted to be set free.
One last question: why did this man come to Yeshua? He wasn’t a priest (in the Levitical sense) and wasn’t in the Temple. The Torah says that it must be the priest that does the inspection.
But the priest can only see and declare, he can’t heal. And this man wanted to be healed. He wanted the source of his tzara’at to go away. He wanted the slanderous and accusatory spirit he formerly loved to entertain to be taken away from him. Just getting cleaned up wouldn't be enough. He wanted to be set free. That takes a level of humility and boldness most people refuse to entertain.
What about you? Do you have tzara’at?
Maybe not in the traditional sense, but in the practical sense. You know what goes on in your own mind. You know how you craftily slip a little gossip in here and there. You know how you have separated from the community designed to help give you life. You know how those thoughts tumble around your mind and give you every reason in the world as to why other people are horrible and, in comparison, you are so much better.
Simply speaking, you know you. Everyone else knows the fake you. But you don’t have to remain fake.
You have a choice before you: Stay where you are and continue to live outside the camp, or hunt down that Man that has the power to heal you and declare you clean.
So what will it be?