And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying,
I will; be clean.
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
All Commentaries on Matthew 8:3 Go To Matthew 8
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Jesus, stretching forth his hand, touched him. By the law of Moses, whosoever touched a leper, contracted a legal uncleanness: but not by touching in order to heal him, says Theophylactus. Besides, Christ would teach them that he was not subject to this law. (Witham)
"Touched him. "To shew, says St. Cyprian, that his body being united to the Divinity, had the power of healing and giving life. Also to show that the old law, which forbad the touching of lepers, had no power over him; and that so far from being defiled by touching him, he even cleansed him who was defiled with it. (St. Ambrose)
When the apostles healed the lame man, they did not attribute it to their own power, but said to the Jews: Why do you wonder at this? Or, why look you at us, as if by our power or strength we have made this man to walk? But when our Saviour heals the leper, stretching out his hand, to show he was going to act of his own power, and independently of the law, he said: "I will. Be thou clean "to evince that the cure was effected by the operation of his own divine will. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxvi.)
