And Jesus said unto him,
See you tell no man; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
All Commentaries on Matthew 8:4 Go To Matthew 8
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Because He taught them as one having authority, that He might not thence be supposed to use this method of teaching from ostentation, He does the same in works, as one having power to cure; and therefore, “When Jesus descended from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.”Haymo: Otherwise; By the mount on which the Lord sat is figured the Heaven, as it is written, “Heaven is my throne.” ; but when He came down from the height of his Divinity, and took upon Him the frailty of our human nature, a great multitude of the nations followed Him. Herein it is shown to them that teach that their speech should be so regulated, that as they see each man is able to receive, they should so speak the word of God. For the doctors ascend the mountain, when they show the more excellent precepts to the perfect; they comedown from the mount, in shewing the lesser precepts to the weak.
Among others who were not able to ascent into the mount was the leper, as bearing the burden of sin; for the sin of our souls is a leprosy. And the Lord came down from the height of heaven, as from a mountain, that He might purge the leprousness of our sin; and so the leper as already prepared meets Him asHe came down.
He did not ask it of Him as of a human physician, but adored Him as God. For faith and confession make a perfect prayer; so that the leprous man in adoring fulfilled the work of faith, and the work of confession in words, “he make adoration to him, saying;”.
And thus he rewarded a spiritual Physician with a spiritual reward; for as physicians are gained by money, so He with prayer. We offer to God nothing more worthy than faithful prayer. In that he say, “If thou wilt,” there is no doubt that Christ’s will is ready to every good work; but only doubt whether that cure would be expedient for him, because soundness of body is not good for all. "If thou wilt” then is as much as to say, I believe that Thou willest whatever is good, but I know not if this that I desire for myself is good.
He was able to cleanse by a word, or even by mere will, but He put out His hand, “He stretched forth his hand and touched him,” to show that He was not subject to the Law, and that to the pure nothing is impure. Elisha truly kept the Law in all strictness, and did not go out and touch Naaman, but sends him to wash in Jordan. But the Lord shows that He does not heal as a servant, butas Lord heals and touches; His hand was not made unclean by the leprosy, butthe leprous body was made pure by the holy hand. For He came not only to heal bodies, but to lead a soul to the true wisdom. And then He did not forbid toeat with unwashen hands, so here He teaches us that it is the leprosy of the soul we ought only to dread, which is sin, but that the leprosy of the body is no impediment to virtue.
But though He transgressed the letter of the Law, He did not transgress its meaning. For the Law forbade to touch leprosy, because it could not hinder that the touch should not defile; therefore it meant not that lepers should not behealed, but that they that touched should not be polluted. So He was not polluted by touching the leprosy, but purified the leprosy by touching it.Damascenus, De Fid. Orth. iii. 15: For Hewas not only God, but man also, whence He wrought Divine wonders by touch and word; for as by an instrument so by His body the Divine acts were done.
But for touching the leprous man there is none that accuses Him, because His hearers were not yet seized with envy against Him.
No where else do we see Him using this word though He be working ever so signala miracle; but He here adds, “I will,” to confirm the opinion of the people and the leprous man concerning His power. Nature obeyed the word of the Purifier with proper sped, whence it follows, “and straight his leprosy was cleansed. "But even this word, “straightway,” is too slow to express the speed with which the deed was done.
Jesus when healing his body bids him tell no man; “Jesus saith unto him, Seethou tell no man.” Some say that He gave this command that they might, not through malice distrust his cure. But this is said foolishly, for He did not socure him as that his purity should be called in question: but He bids him “tell no man,” to teach that He does not love ostentation and glory. How is it then that to another to whom Hehad healed He gives command to go and tell it? What He taught in that was only that we should have a thankful heart; for He does not command that it should be published abroad, but that glory should be given to God. He teaches us then through this leper not to be desirous of empty honour; by the other, not to be ungrateful, but to refer all things to the praise of God.
He neither every where broke, nor every where observed, the Law, but sometimes the one, sometimes the other. The one was preparing the way for the wisdom that was to come, the other was silencing the irreverent tongue of the Jews, and condescending to their weakness. Whence the Apostles also are seen sometimes observing, sometimes neglecting, the Law.
Which is not to be understood, “Moses commanded it for a testimony to them; "but, “Go thou and offer for a testimony.”.
For Christ, knowing beforehand that they would not profit by this, said not, ‘for their amendment,’ but, “for a testimony to them;” that is, for an accusation of them, and in attestation that all things that should have been done by Me, have been done. But though He thus knew that they would not profit by it, yet He did not omit any thing that behoved to be done; but they remained in their formerill-will.Also He said not, ‘The gift that I command, 'but, “that Moses commanded,” that in the meantime He might hand them over to the Law, and close the mouths of the unjust. That they might not say that He usurped the honour of the Priests, He fulfilled the work of the Law, and made a trial of them.
Or; He command the oblation, that should they afterwards seek to put him out, he might be able to say, You have received gifts on my cleansing, how do ye now cast me out as a leper?
