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
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Jesus did not say, “Be clean,” but rather responded to the leper’s assumption, saying, “I will. Be clean.” This left no doubt as to whether the leper’s assumption was correct. Jesus simply approved it. The apostles would speak from an entirely different assumption when they later said to the amazed crowd, “Why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” The Lord, who often spoke with modesty, obscuring his own glory, speaks here in a way so as to establish the opinion of those who were amazed at his authority: “I will. Be clean.” Many and great were the signs that he would offer, but only here has he uttered this distinctive word about his own authority. Jesus confirmed the assumption with respect to his authority by purposely adding, “I will.” The important thing was not that he said this but that he responded approvingly to what was being said and confirmed it. The cleansing followed immediately. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
