Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, and Luke 5:12-16
And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” (Mt. 8:4) Yes, the Synoptic writers agree on a lot of material, but it’s rare that they all say the same thing. However, here in Jesus words they all agree on all five things that Jesus said:
- tell no one
- show yourself to the priest
- offer the gift
- as Moses commanded
- for a proof to them.
All five phrases in each of these gospels… Intriguing.
The “proof” item struck me. It seems like the proof was intended for the priest, except that “priest” is singular and “them” is plural (in all three gospels). Or maybe the proof was intended for the crowd, a plural “them”, to establish Jesus’ commitment to fulfilling the Law of Moses? I don’t recall Jesus often seeking “proof” for what He is doing. So “proof” here is strange.
See also: February 16 / Matthew 8:1-4; February 17 / Mark 1:40-45; February 18 / Luke 5:12-16
I likewise am not entirely sure what to make of “proof.” I am inclined to think that Jesus was here demonstrating that He did not “come to abolish the Law or the Prophets…but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17) and gave instructions that were entirely consistent with that Law. (See Lev. 13.)
Otherwise, I am struck (again) by the man’s apparent disregard for Jesus’ instructions. As Fred pointed out, all three Synoptics agree that Jesus instructed the man to tell no one. Mark in particular says Jesus “sternly charged him” (Mark 1:43). And yet the man goes and blabs about his healing to everyone (Mark 1:45) — with no evidence at all that he ever went and showed himself to the priest, I might add. This is not the only time that Jesus says “tell no one” but the opposite occurs. (See Mark 7:36.)
On the one hand, I easily sympathize with the man’s actions. If I were healed so dramatically, I dare say that I would not be able to keep that news to myself, either. Nevertheless, it is directly contrary to the explicit instructions from the Man who brought such a blessing. How often do I just take what Jesus gives and then blow Him off? I plainly read what Scripture says, or I hear from His Spirit, but then I go and do whatever I want, totally disregarding Him. Yes, Paul describes much the same scenario in Romans 7, but that is not a plight to simply “accept” but one to repent of, fully dependent on our one and only Deliverer!
Regarding “proof”… I wonder if Jesus was making a distinction about how to spread the testimony regarding the leper’s healing. The leper’s proclaiming his cure to everyone he meets may possibly devolve into a pride thing focused on the person healed rather than on the testimony about Christ being the Messiah – hey, look at me, I am cured. Whereas humbly going to the temple and presenting the proper sacrifice as the law proscribes, is more about offering proof that Jesus is the Messiah. Just a thought.
I too was thinking of the leper’s healing and announcing it to everyone as his pride. But I was also considering the man’s leprosy as a metaphor for our sin, i.e. it’s terrible to see, it consumes us and only Jesus’ healing touch can cure us. Or are we really cured? If pride were the leper’s issue in our readings today, then he’s not “cured”, is he? There’s more healing required, hence more need for Jesus. Maybe (??) that’s why Jesus told him not to tell anyone about the physical healing, that there was more inner healing still needed and Jesus knew that. Food for thought.
Likewise with us, we need to keep boring in to our own souls and hearts to get below the visible sin to the innermost defects that only Jesus can touch and heal. The hidden stuff that truly motivates us…
It is true that the Pharisees checked out anyone who came along teaching the crowds that he was the Messiah, and there were some who did from time to time before Jesus (see Acts 5:34-39). So what about Jesus? Their MO was no different—they assumed he was NOT the Messiah (no one else had ever been proved to be!) and their job was to protect the people from error, from upsetting the Romans too. That he was the Messiah was probably pretty far from their minds…
But what was the proof?
Evidently, Jewish tradition pointed to three things the Messiah was supposed to be able to do that no one else had ever done: 1) heal a man blind from birth (this was why that was such a BIG DEAL in John 9—an entire chapter is devoted to this healing), 2) cast out a demon from a dumb demoniac (when this happened, the Pharisees claimed Jesus cast them out because he was a demon himself—they could not believe in him actually being who he showed that he was), and 3) cleanse a leper. The Law had laid out several steps for lepers to prove they had been healed before they were let back into society. But only one leper is ever cleansed in the (Old testament) Biblical record, and he was a foreigner (Naaman, 2 Kings 5). Evidently, these cleansing rituals had never been used. So along comes Jesus, and he said to go show yourself to the priests as a proof—FOR THEM, it seems. Only it did not happen. Sigh. (Later he healed other lepers too, but it seems this was the first time he proved who he was by what he did.)
However, I am struck by one other thing in this tale—told in all three gospels—the leper himself. He knew that only the Messiah could heal a leper. His coming to Jesus and saying, “If you are willing, you can make me clean” is a clear statement of belief. He was saying he believed that Jesus was the Messiah. An early declaration of faith in him!!!