Giving Gifts for Healing?

[cricket]

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Matthew 8

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; 2 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And

Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."

Leviticus 14: 1-57 (This is the law for leprosy.)

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At this point in Jesus' ministry, why did He make a point of instructing this leper to follow the law as was given in the days of Moses?

Thoughts, anyone?

[Gerr]

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Mt 5:17,18 NKJ.

Gerry

[cricket]

Are we, too, to give gifts for healing as was instructed in Moses' day? Or, are we to give thanksgiving through praise and adoration simply because all the law was fulfilled by Jesus at His death?

When I queried people in "real time", the answer I was given was, "Jesus had not yet died. There was still this requirement for this man."

My thoughts furthered, then, to the idea that Jesus' death wouldn't have sufficed for this man, although Jesus knew His death would be soon and eminent.

[Gerr]

Those who make healing their full time work have bills to pay too.

Gerry

[Amelia]

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Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one

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Why keep it a secret?

[Amelia]

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When I queried people in "real time", the answer I was given was, "Jesus had not yet died. There was still this requirement for this man."

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There are other instances of Jesus healing yet this is the only time he told the person to keep it quiet and make a tribute. Why?

[Amelia]

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Lev 14,33-34 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34 "When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession

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Why would God do this? And what is "scarlett stuff"?

[cricket]

Those are all good questions! Anyone in the ministry care to take a stab at answering these???

[LifeHiscost]

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Amelia said:

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Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one

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Why keep it a secret?

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The leading religious authority were already furious with Jesus as they say their own powerbase crumbling. To protect His own ministry Jesus was making every effort to keep from

infuriating them further and lending to the effort to curtail His own plans to reach the common people. Thus the secrecy.

[:"red"] "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." [/] Matthew 10:34 KJV

As far as the instruction to present himself to the priest, the old covenant was still in effect until Jesus gave up his life on the cross. Jesus was only showing the religious leaders that He was not there to circumvent their rightful authority.

When the curtain separating the Holy place from the most Holy place was torn from the top to the bottom, that was the evidence that revealed the Old Covenant was finished and the blood of Jesus, the lamb of God, was sufficient to provide for the cleansing of the sins of the world, according to the New Covenant.

[:"red"] "and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? " [/] Hebrews 9:12-14 NASB

Keep the faith!

[benherndon]

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Christine Wall said:

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Matthew 8

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; 2 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And

Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."

Leviticus 14: 1-57 (This is the law for leprosy.)

---

At this point in Jesus' ministry, why did He make a point of instructing this leper to follow the law as was given in the days of Moses?

Thoughts, anyone?

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>>>Christine, I thought about this too. What would you say if I note that Jesus touched the leper...and since He touched the leper He, Jesus, was ritually unclean according to 'the Law'! He, Jesus, was already in trouble with the religious rulers and they might come to him and ask Why He didn't go through the ritual of 'cleansing' Himself? He didn't need that kind of trouble with the Pharisees and 'teachers of the Law' so early in His ministry, perhaps. So.....since He did the leper such a big miraculous favor He may have just been suggesting the leper would obey His request and....save Him unnecessary trouble with the priests, Pharisees, etc.

The fact was the leper was healed and the leper needed to have a priest certify that he was healed and was 'clean' again. Nothing would have been gained by the leper revealing to the priest Who 'cured' him of his leprosy by touching him---the only important thing to the leper was that he was healed and needed to be recognized as healed so he wouldn't have to go around proclaiming "Unclean! Unclean!" anymore which was socially embarrassing, and isolating.

Note that Jesus did not obey the ritual 'the Law' demanded, or, at least it doesn't describe Him going through the cleansing ritual---so we can reasonably assume He didn't go through it. (Jesus literally touched several sick people and deceased ones also, it appears. This is important by inference, perhaps. What is the inference? In John 5, Jesus also admitted and is quoted as having said He worked on the Sabbath. Ponder the significance of those two possible abrogations of 'the Law' when discussing this....and the matter of the Old vs the New Covenants. There is, therefore, a normal question, to wit: Did Jesus break 'the Law'? If so, How? and if not, How come? How could this relate or not relate to Matt 5:18,19--[:"red"] I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdome of heaven........."[/]?

Ben

[cricket]

What would I say? I'd say, "Dr. Ben, thank you for bringing out this pertinent point."

As for the questions "to wit": still searching.

If anyone has an enlightening answer or thought, please share!

[Amelia]

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Note that Jesus did not obey the ritual 'the Law' demanded, or, at least it doesn't describe Him going through the cleansing ritual---so we can reasonably assume He didn't go through it. (Jesus literally touched several sick people and deceased ones also, it appears. This is important by inference, perhaps. What is the inference?

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Possibly the silent inference is that Jesus didnt need the rituals and priests to tell/show Him He was clean. Because He had come to fulfill the law, He was showing others that you can go directly to God for all things. And isnt God just as happy with praise from His creations as He was with ritual tributes?

[benherndon]

Yes, of course, Amelia---Jesus didn't need the priests to tell Him above all people that He was 'clean'. However, the leper DID need to be declared clean by the priests or continue to be considered to be leprous.

But, what do you say when it is pointed out that Jesus did not, on the human 'face' of it all, obey all the Decalogue or the Torah laws? How do you 'handle' that? I struggled with such seeming inconsistencies and over time have rather resolved such struggles. The New Testament has become much much more clear to me as I have spent so much time with it just like our 'founder' told us to. (But it has gotten me into a lot of 'trouble' with my fellow SDAs. )

Ben