Faith In Action Matthew 8:1-4

In the last series of devotionals, we took a close look at "The Sermon on the Mount". Jesus gave His listeners (that includes us by the way) some pointers for them to live as Christians. Most of which tore down traditions that have been built up and enforced by the Jewish leaders.
Now we have come to the point where Jesus has just finished His sermon and is now walking away from the mountain area. A man approaches Him who probably listened to the whole thing. He was a leper. Lepers were NOT supposed to be in public. They were banished from the city to a quarantine area better known as a Leper Colony. They were not allowed to leave even to get food and water. They did eat because family members would travel to the colony and leave food and water by the entrance. They were not allowed to worship either because they were considered "unclean" and had to wrap open sore with strips of cloth. Remember the verse in Isaiah? "All our righteousness are like filthy rags"? Those filthy rags that it refers to are these rags that are wrapped around a leper's sore. I will not get into the gross details but I think you get the picture. This man not only had faith to come and listen to Jesus and risk causing a scene but he knew that this man Jesus was no ordinary man.
Look at the passage and see what he says, "Lord if you are WILLING. You can make me clean". The leper man not only breaks away from being isolation but seeks out the one whom he knows can make Him clean. That took FAITH!!!
Also, this man must have been there when Jesus said "Ask and you will receive". So he did! And the Scripture says that Jesus was so full of compassion that He did not hesitate and touched the man. The Bible says the the disease IMMEDIATELY left him. Two things to note here. First, Jesus touched a leper. The transmission of the disease was by touching. Jesus was so filled with compassion that he knew the man needed a human touch. He had probably had not been touched in years. Second, Jesus had the power over the disease and it IMMEDIATELY left him.
Then what did Jesus do? He told him to "NOT tell anyone but go and tell the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed as a testimony." Why? So that his healing would be accepted among his people and he could worship again. This man was made whole just by asking.
Have we asked to be made whole? Sometimes we need to ask!