THE CHOSEN: Healing the Leper
Jesus performed many miracles during His three-year ministry on Earth, including healing a leper, as described in Matthew 8: 1-4, which tells us:
Jesus heals the leper (Screenshot from YouTube).
“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’
“And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 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.'”
There is so much to be said about these four brief verses. It was remarkable that Jesus touched the man because Leprosy in the ancient world was a highly contagious disease and its victims were societal outcasts.
What we aren’t told is how the leper knew about Jesus, by what means did he find Jesus, and, perhaps most importantly, why he believed Jesus could heal him of an incurable disease.
I could offer answers to these and many more questions about this passage, but the “The Chosen” brings it to the streaming screen in a remarkably vivid manner. If you are not familiar with “The Chosen,” this scene serves as a wonderful introduction to a tremendously evocative and professionally presented portrayal by an amazing collection of actors and actresses: