Jesus reaches out to a man in quarantine (Matthew 8:1-4)

The Gospel according to Matthew: 30. Jesus reaches out to a man in quarantine (Matthew 8:1-4) Imagine for a moment, an individual who has begun to display symptoms about which he’s been warned about. Everyone knows these symptoms are not good. Perhaps he tries to cover them up, pretend they aren’t there. But sooner or later there’s no hiding these symptoms. One by one, he matches them all. The government’s advice for a person displaying such symptoms, is to self-isolate. To withdraw from social contact. To stay 6 feet away from others, and to enter into quarantine. Because this illness, it’s contagious. And it’s deadly. And at present it’s incurable. I wonder if you can imagine such a scenario? Is it a man with coronavirus? Or is it a man with leprosy? How incredible, that we find ourselves in a situation so very similar to the situation in Jesus’ day – dreading a contagious, deadly and incurable disease. That's the situation in Matthew 8:1-4. As we enter chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew, we begin an amazing, magnificent passage of Scripture. There’s about 10 miracles described here, demonstrating and proving beyond any doubt, the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We will also get glimpse after glimpse of His wonderful compassion for sinners, responding to the cries and requests of those in desperate need. Out of all those who came to Him in their need, perhaps none was more desperate than the man in Matthew 8:1-4. The leper. So important, and so significant is this miracle that Matthew, Mark and Luke all make mention of it. Here's a man who cast himself at the feet of Jesus and found compassion and mercy. He found a Saviour who was willing, and able to cleanse him.