Luke 5:14
"Do not tell anyone," Jesus instructed him. "But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."
“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him.
This command reflects Jesus' frequent desire to keep His miracles discreet, possibly to avoid premature attention that could hinder His ministry or lead to misunderstandings about His mission. In the cultural context, Jesus' instruction aligns with the Messianic Secret, a theme in the Gospels where Jesus often tells those He heals to remain silent about their healing. This could also be seen as a test of obedience for the healed man, emphasizing the importance of following Jesus' instructions over seeking personal glory or attention.

“But go, show yourself to the priest”
This directive is rooted in the Levitical law found in Leviticus 14, which required those healed of leprosy to be examined by a priest. The priest acted as a public health official, confirming the healing and allowing the individual to reintegrate into society. This act underscores Jesus' respect for the Mosaic Law and the established religious practices of the time. It also serves as a witness to the priests, who were often skeptical of Jesus' authority and miracles.

“and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing”
The offering mentioned refers to the sacrifices outlined in Leviticus 14:10-32, which included two birds, cedarwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, followed by offerings of lambs and grain. This ritual was not only a religious duty but also a public declaration of the individual's restored health and purity. It highlights the continuity between Jesus' ministry and the Old Testament law, showing that Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.

“as a testimony to them.”
The testimony serves multiple purposes. It is a personal testimony of the man's healing, a public testimony to the community of his restored status, and a spiritual testimony to the priests of Jesus' divine authority. This act could also be seen as a prophetic sign pointing to Jesus as the ultimate High Priest who cleanses from sin. The testimony challenges the religious leaders to recognize the power and authority of Jesus, potentially leading them to reconsider their understanding of the Messiah.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is the one who heals the leper and gives him specific instructions following his healing.

2. The Leper
A man suffering from leprosy who approaches Jesus for healing. His encounter with Jesus results in his miraculous cleansing.

3. The Priest
The religious authority to whom the healed leper is instructed to present himself. This act is in accordance with the Mosaic Law.

4. Moses
Although not present in the account, Moses is referenced in relation to the law he delivered, which includes the procedures for a leper's cleansing.

5. The Offering
The specific sacrifice prescribed in the Mosaic Law for someone who has been cleansed of leprosy, serving as a testimony to the community.
Teaching Points
Obedience to God's Law
Jesus' instruction to the leper to follow the Mosaic Law underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands, even after experiencing His grace.

Testimony to the Community
The act of showing oneself to the priest serves as a public testimony of God's work, encouraging believers to share their testimonies as a witness to others.

Fulfillment of the Law
Jesus' actions demonstrate His respect for the law, pointing to His role in fulfilling it, which encourages believers to see the law as a guide to understanding God's holiness.

Humility and Discretion
Jesus' command to the leper not to tell anyone highlights the value of humility and discretion in our spiritual walk, focusing on God's glory rather than personal acclaim.

Faith and Healing
The leper's faith in approaching Jesus for healing is a reminder of the power of faith in seeking God's intervention in our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus instructed the leper not to tell anyone about his healing, and how can this apply to our own experiences of God's work in our lives?

2. How does the requirement to show oneself to the priest and offer a sacrifice relate to the concept of public testimony in the New Testament church?

3. In what ways does Jesus' adherence to the Mosaic Law in this passage inform our understanding of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments?

4. How can the leper's faith in seeking Jesus for healing inspire us in our own prayer life and trust in God's power?

5. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate obedience to God's commands in our daily lives, as seen in the leper's response to Jesus' instructions?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 14
This chapter outlines the detailed process for the cleansing of a leper, which Jesus refers to when instructing the healed man to present himself to the priest.

Matthew 8:4
This parallel account of the healing of a leper also emphasizes the importance of following the Mosaic Law as a testimony.

Mark 1:44
Another parallel account that highlights Jesus' instruction to the healed leper to show himself to the priest, reinforcing the importance of obedience to the law.

Hebrews 10:1
Discusses the law as a shadow of the good things to come, which can be related to Jesus fulfilling the law through His actions and teachings.
A Leper's LogicM. R. Vincent, D. D.Luke 5:12-15
If Thou WiltJ. Ogmore DaviesLuke 5:12-15
LeprosyF. Godet, D. D.Luke 5:12-15
Show Thyself to the PriestDr. Geikie.Luke 5:12-15
Socially Restored, as Well as MorallyA. B. Bruce, D. D.Luke 5:12-15
The Leper CleansedJ. Harding, M. A.Luke 5:12-15
The Moral of Verse 14J. Ogmore Davies.Luke 5:12-15
The Touch of Christ; Or, the Power of SympathyLuke 5:12-15
Two PulpitsC. S. Robinson, D. D.Luke 5:12-15
What has God Done to Save Me?William B. Wright.Luke 5:12-15
The Healing of the Leper and the ParalyticR.M. Edgar Luke 5:12-26
People
James, Jesus, John, Levi, Peter, Simon, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Galilee, Genneseret, Jerusalem, Judea
Topics
Anyone, Appointed, Bring, Charged, Clean, Cleansing, Commanded, Directed, Enjoined, Evidence, Law, Nothing, Offer, Offering, Ordained, Ordered, Orders, Priest, Proof, Purification, Sacrifices, Says, Shew, Testimony, Thyself, Witness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 5:14

     2333   Christ, attitude to OT
     7414   priesthood, NT
     7770   priests, NT tasks

Luke 5:12-14

     5285   cures
     7340   clean and unclean

Library
March 25 Evening
Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.--LUKE 5:5. All power is give unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: . . . and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea. Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: necessity is laid
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

March 19. "Launch Out into the Deep" (Luke v. 4).
"Launch out into the deep" (Luke v. 4). Many difficulties and perplexities in connection with our Christian life might be best settled by a simple and bold decision of our will to go forward with the light we have and leave the speculations and theories that we cannot decide for further settlement. What we need is to act, and to act with the best light we have, and as we step out into the present duty and full obedience, many things will be made plain which it is no use waiting to decide. Beloved,
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

December 9. "Launch Out into the Deep" (Luke v. 4).
"Launch out into the deep" (Luke v. 4). One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit Of boldness. One of the most essential qualities of the faith that is to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God, is holy audacity. Where we are dealing with a supernatural Being, and taking from Him things that are humanly impossible, it is easier to take much than little; it is easier to stand in a place of audacious trust than in a place of cautious, timid
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Humility
LUKE v. 8. Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Few stories in the New Testament are as well known as this. Few go home more deeply to the heart of man. Most simple, most graceful is the story, and yet it has in it depths unfathomable. Great painters have loved to draw, great poets have loved to sing, that scene on the lake of Gennesaret. The clear blue water, land- locked with mountains; the meadows on the shore, gay with their lilies of the field, on which our Lord bade them look,
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

Instructions for Fishermen
'Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.'--LUKE v. 4. The day's work begins early in the East. So the sun, as it rose above the hills on the other side of the lake, shone down upon a busy scene, fresh with the dew and energy of the morning, on the beach by the little village of Bethsaida. One group of fishermen was washing their nets, their boats being hauled up on the strand. A crowd of listeners was thus early gathered round
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Fear and Faith
'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' --LUKE v. 8. 'Now, when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him,... and did cast himself into the sea.'--JOHN xxi. 7. These two instances of the miraculous draught of fishes on the Lake of Gennesareth are obviously intended to be taken in conjunction. Their similarities and their differences are equally striking and equally instructive. In the fragment
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Blasphemer, or --Who?
'And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. 19. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house-top,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

"The Moody and Sankey Humbug. "
There was a man, while we were in London, who got out a little paper called "The Moody and Sankey Humbug." He used to have it to sell to the people coming into the meeting. After he had sold a great many thousand copies of that number, he wanted to get out another number; so he came to the meeting to get something to put into the paper; but the power of the Lord was present. It says here in this chapter (Luke 5) that the Pharisees, scribes, and doctors, were watching the words of Christ in that house
Dwight L. Moody—Moody's Anecdotes And Illustrations

Absolution.
Preached June 2, 1850. ABSOLUTION. "And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"--Luke v. 21. There are questions which having been again and again settled, still from time to time, present themselves for re-solution; errors which having been refuted, and cut up by the roots, re-appear in the next century as fresh and vigorous as ever. Like the fabled monsters of old, from whose dissevered neck the blood
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

Carried by Four
When our Lord left his retirement he found the crowd around him exceeding great, and it was as motley as it was great; for while here were many sincere believers, there were still more sceptical observers; some were anxious to receive his healing power, others equally desirous to find occasion against him. So in all congregations, however the preacher may be clothed with his Master's spirit and his Master's might, there will be a mixed gathering; there will come together your Pharisees and doctors
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

The Secret of Success.
5th Sunday after Trinity S. Luke v. 5. "We have taken nothing; nevertheless at Thy word, I will let down the net." INTRODUCTION.--S. Peter and the other Apostles had been fishing all night, and had met with no success at all, then Jesus entered into the boat of Simon, and bade him launch out and let down his net. S. Peter did not hesitate. He had met with no success when fishing in the night, nevertheless now, at the word of Christ, he fishes again, and this time the net encloses a great multitude,
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

Christ the Great Physician.
"They that are whole have no need of a physician; but they that are sick. I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke v. 31, 32). "For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them" (Matt. xiii. 15). "He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted" (Luke iv. 18).
Frank G. Allen—Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel

Jesus, Still Lead On.
"Jesu, geh Voran." "They forsook all, and followed him."--Luke 5:11. [7]Ludwig von Zinzendorf transl., Jane Borthwick, 1846, 1854 Jesus, still lead on, Till our rest be won! And although the way be cheerless, We will follow, calm and fearless. Guide us by thy hand To our Fatherland. If the way be drear, If the foe be near, Let not faithless fears o'ertake us, Let not faith and hope forsake us For, through many a foe, To our home we go! When we seek relief From a long-felt grief-- When oppressed
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Penitence, as Explained in the Sophistical Jargon of the Schoolmen, Widely Different from the Purity Required by the Gospel. Of Confession and Satisfaction.
1. Errors of the Schoolmen in delivering the doctrine of repentance. 1. Errors in defining it. Four different definitions considered. 2. Absurd division. 3. Vain and puzzling questions. 4. Mode in which they entangle themselves. 2. The false doctrine of the Schoolmen necessary to be refuted. Of contrition. Their view of it examined. 3. True and genuine contrition. 4. Auricular confession. Whether or not of divine authority. Arguments of Canonists and Schoolmen. Allegorical argument founded on Judaism.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Seventh Appearance of Jesus.
(Sea of Galilee.) ^D John XXI. 1-25. ^d 1 After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself on this wise. 2 There was together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee [see p. 111], and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. [As usual, Peter was the leader.] They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat;
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Leper and Creates Much Excitement.
^A Matt.VIII. 2-4; ^B Mark I. 40-45; ^C Luke V. 12-16. ^c 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities [it was a city of Galilee, but as it was not named, it is idle to conjecture which city it was], behold, ^b there cometh { ^a came} ^b to him a leper [There is much discussion as to what is here meant by leprosy. Two diseases now go by that name; viz., psoriasis and elephantiasis. There are also three varieties of psoriasis, namely, white, black and red. There are also three varieties
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Disciples of Jesus.
In this terrestrial paradise, which the great revolutions of history had till then scarcely touched, there lived a population in perfect harmony with the country itself, active, honest, joyous, and tender-hearted. The Lake of Tiberias is one of the best supplied with fish of any in the world.[1] Very productive fisheries were established, especially at Bethsaida, and at Capernaum, and had produced a certain degree of wealth. These families of fishermen formed a gentle and peaceable society, extending
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Conflict with Evil
The Kingdom of God Will Have to Fight for Its Advance The great objective is the Kingdom of God. In realizing the Reign of God on earth three recalcitrant forces have to be brought into obedience to God's law: the desire for power, the love of property, and unsocial religion. We have studied Christ's thought concerning these in the foregoing chapters. The advance of the Kingdom of God is not simply a process of social education, but a conflict with hostile forces which resist, neutralize, and defy
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

The Lake of Gennesaret; Or, the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias.
Jordan is measured at one hundred and twenty furlongs, from the lake of Samochonitis to that of Gennesaret. That lake, in the Old Testament, is 'The sea of Chinnereth,' Numbers 34:11, &c. In the Targumists, 'The sea of Genesar'; sometimes, 'of Genesor'; sometimes, 'of Ginosar': it is the same also in the Talmudists, but most frequently 'The sea of Tiberiah.' Both names are used by the evangelists; 'the lake of Gennesaret,' Luke 5:1; 'the sea of Tiberias,' John 21:1; and 'the sea of Galilee,' John
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Peter's Repentance
"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61, 62). That was the turning-point in the history of Peter. Christ had said to him: "Thou canst not follow me now" (John 13:36). Peter was not in a fit state to follow Christ, because he had not been brought to an end of himself; he did not know himself, and he therefore could not follow
Andrew Murray—Absolute Surrender

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