John Calvin Commentary Matthew 8:3

"And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed." — Matthew 8:3 (ASV)

Having stretched out his hand, he touched. Under the Law, the touch of a leper was infectious; but as Christ possesses such purity as to repel all filth and defilement, he does not, by touching, either pollute himself with leprosy or become a transgressor of the law.

When he took upon himself our flesh, he not only deigned to touch with his hand, but was united to one and the same body with ourselves, so that we might be flesh of his flesh (Genesis 2:23). Nor did he only stretch out his arm to us, but he descended from heaven even to hell, and yet contracted no stain from it. Retaining his innocence, he took away all our impurities and sprinkled us with his holiness.

He could have healed the leper by his word alone, but he also applied the touch of his hand to express the feeling of compassion. Nor should this cause us to wonder, since he chose to take upon himself our flesh so that he might cleanse us from our sins.

The stretching out of his hand was therefore an expression and token of infinite grace and goodness. What we carelessly read and indifferently pass over cannot be properly considered without great astonishment. The Son of God was so far from disdaining to talk to a leper that he even stretched out his hand to touch that uncleanness.