FROM THE city of Capernaum Jesus went forth and visited all the villages
on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee and on the mountains near by.
He took with him his disciples or followers, that they might see his
works and listen to his words. Great crowds of people came to hear him
during this journey; and everywhere he cured all kinds of sickness and
cast out of men evil spirits that were ruling them.
At one place a man came to Jesus who was covered with a dreadful disease
called leprosy and was called "a leper." No one ever touched a leper or
even came near him, for they feared that a touch might cause the
disease. A leper was driven out of the home, to live with other lepers
in a camp outside the city. When he saw anyone coming near, he must
stand at a distance, must cover his mouth with his garment, not to let
his breath reach anybody, and must call out, "Unclean! Unclean!" so that
no one might take his disease. Many lepers were in the land when Jesus
was preaching; and lepers may still be seen in that country.
This leper who saw Jesus came as near to him as he dared. He knelt down
before Jesus, touching his head to the ground, and called out to him:
"Oh, sir, if you choose to do it, you can take away my leprosy, and make
my flesh pure and clean."
Jesus was not afraid to touch the leper. He went to him and placed his
hand upon him. Then he said:
"I do choose; be clean!"
And at once all this man's leprosy passed way. His skin lost its waxen,
deadly whiteness, his eyes were bright, his deformed hands became
perfect and his voice was no longer hollow and cracked. He was no more a
leper, but was a man in perfect health.
Jesus said to him, "Do not tell anyone of your cure; but go to the
priest in the temple, let him see that you are clean, and make the
offering of thanksgiving to God. Let the priest give you a writing to
show that you are well, and then go to your own home."
Jesus knew that if this man should tell very many of his cure, there
would come such a crowd of people having diseases of all kinds, seeking
to be made well, that he could have no time nor chance to preach the
gospel, and his great purpose was, not to cure diseases, but to teach
men the way to God. It is better to be saved from sin than to be cured
of sickness.
But this man was so happy at being made well that he could not be still.
Everywhere he went he told people of his wonderful cure, and roused such
a desire among the people to see Jesus that Jesus could not go to the
cities, for so great were the crowds that he could no longer preach.
Everybody was eager to be cured of some illness or to see Jesus cure
others. Jesus was driven to seek the open country, where few people
lived, and even there the crowds sought him, coming from many places.
[Illustration: They broke open the roof and let the man down, wrapped in
a blanket and lying upon a mattress, right in front of Jesus.]
After some time, Jesus came again to Capernaum, which was now his home.
As soon as the people heard of his return, they gathered in great crowds
to see him, to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. He stood on
the porch of a house, where every room was full of people, and a company
was in front of him, crowding the court of the house to its utmost
corner. In this throng were some who were ready to believe in Jesus; but
there were also some men who had come from Judea to see who Jesus was,
what he was teaching and what he was doing. These men did not believe in
Jesus, but were there to find some fault with him. They belonged to a
class called "the Pharisees," who claimed to be better than others,
because they carefully kept all the rules of the Jewish law; but in
their hearts they were far from good, and they were bitterly opposed to
Jesus.
While Jesus was speaking, four men came, carrying on a bed a man who was
sick with the palsy, a disease which makes one helpless, unable to use
his hands, to walk or to stand alone. They were very eager to bring this
man to Jesus to be cured, but on account of the crowd they could not
come into the house or even into the yard in front of it. They were
bound, however, in some way to get this palsied man to Jesus. They
climbed up to the roof of the house and pulled the sick man up. Then
they broke open the roof, never minding the dust and litter that fell
upon the heads of the people below. When they had made an opening large
enough, they let the man down, wrapped in a blanket and lying upon a
mattress, right in front of Jesus. All this showed their faith in Jesus.
They believed that he could cure the palsied man, and were ready to take
any trouble to bring him before the Saviour.
Jesus looked at the man, and said to him:
"My son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven!"
Some of these Pharisees, the enemies of Jesus, were sitting near, and as
they heard these words they thought in their own minds, though they did
not speak it aloud:
"What wicked words are these! This man speaks as though he were God! No
man has the right to forgive sins; that belongs to God alone. What
wickedness, for this man to pretend to have God's power!"
[Illustration: The leper knelt down before Jesus and called out to him:
"Oh, sir, if you choose you can make my flesh pure and clean."]
Jesus knew their thoughts, for he could look into their hearts. He said
to them:
"Why do you think wicked things in your hearts? Which is the easier to
say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'? But I will
show you that while I am on earth as the Son of Man, God has given me
the power to take away sin."
Then he turned to the palsied man lying on the couch, and said with a
voice of power:
"I tell you, rise up, take up your bed, and go to your house!"
In an instant a new life came to the palsied man. He stood upon his feet
in full strength, rolled up his blanket, took up the mattress upon which
he had been lying, placed it upon his shoulder and walked out through
the crowd, which opened to make a way for him. Through the streets the
man went to his home, praising God for his cure.
By this act of healing Jesus had shown that he was the Son of God, with
the right to forgive the sins of men. These Pharisees, the enemies of
Jesus, could find nothing to say, but in their hearts they hated him
more than before, for they saw that the people believed on Jesus. Wonder
filled the minds of those who saw this cure; they praised the God of
Israel and said to each other, "We have seen strange things today!"
[Illustration: Jesus looked at Levi-Matthew and said to him: "Come,
follow me!" At once Matthew rose and went after Jesus.]
How the Tax-Collector Became a Disciple