Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 5:13

"And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him." — Luke 5:13 (ASV)

The very act of touching is significant, especially since lepers were always kept at a distance. Perhaps our contemporary society, having rediscovered the significance of touching as a means of communicating concern, can identify with Jesus’ kindness in touching the leper. Such contact also symbolized the transfer of healing power (cf. 8:44). Jesus’ “I am willing” meets the man’s need of reassurance; he was healed “immediately.” 14 The command to silence follows Jesus’ pattern (see comments on 4:35, 41). Jesus wanted first to do the works of the Messiah and to fulfill his basic mission of sacrificial suffering before being publicly proclaimed as Messiah.

For the cleansed leper to show himself to the priest was essential, both to observe the ritual prescribed in Lev 14 and to demonstrate the messianic act of healing “as a testimony to them” .