John Gill 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)

And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him
This is a wonderful instance both of the grace, and goodness of Christ, in touching this loathsome creature; and of his unspotted purity and holiness, which could not be defiled by it; and of his mighty power in healing by a touch, and with a word of his mouth,

saying, I will, be thou clean :
in which he expresses at once his willingness, "I will", of which the leper before was not certain; and his power by a word of command, "be thou clean"; and in which also is shown the readiness of Christ to do it: he did not stand parleying with the man, or making any further trial of his faith, or objecting to him his uncleanness; but at once stretches out his hand, touches his filthy flesh, and commands off the disorder.

A great encouragement this, for poor sensible sinners to betake themselves to Christ, under a sense of their guilt and filth; who readily receives such, in no wise casts them out, but gives immediate discoveries of his power and grace unto them:

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed ,
or he was cleansed from it; he was not only pronounced clean, but was made so; he was thoroughly healed of the disease of leprosy. The Jews, themselves acknowledge this fact; for so they tell us in their wicked and blasphemous book ^F5 , that Jesus should say,

``bring me a leper, and I will heal him; and they brought him a leper, and he healed him also by Shemhamphorash,'' i.e. by the ineffable name Jehovah.

Though they greatly misrepresent the matter; for this man was not brought by others, at the request of Christ, but came of his own accord; nor was he healed by the use of any name, as if it was done by a sort of magic, but by a touch of his hand, and the word of his mouth.

Whether this was the same man with Simon the leper, (Matthew 26:6) as some have thought, is not certain.

---

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: Toldos Jesu, p. 8.