Miracles and Mysteries: Matthew 8-13Sample

Have you ever felt unlovable or unwanted? Like you didn’t belong, like your failures, struggles, or even your past made you someone to avoid?

In Jesus’ day, leprosy wasn’t just a disease; it was a sentence of isolation. Lepers were outcasts, cut off from society, family, and even worship. They lived on the margins; unseen and unwanted. But in this passage, we meet a man with leprosy who does something unthinkable—he approaches Jesus. He doesn’t demand healing; he simply kneels and says, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” It’s a statement of faith, but also of uncertainty. Does Jesus care? Will He actually help?

Then comes the shocking moment: Jesus touches him. He could have healed with a word, but He chooses to reach out, to touch the untouchable. “I am willing,” He says, and in an instant, the man is cleansed.

How do you see Jesus? Is He distant and reluctant to help? Or, is He the one who reaches for the outcast, the broken, the unclean?

Today, ponder this: Where in your life do you need to hear Jesus say, “I am willing”?