Matthew 9:1-38

What is the theme of this chapter?

The Proof of the King continued.

What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 35

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?




Additional observations/questions:

Matthew 9:27-38

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”


Son of David - "A title that linked Jesus to the messianic line (cf. Matt 1:1)." (Ryrie)

"Son of David is His title as He stands in relation to His earthly people, and in this passage we have Him called by this name for the first time in the Gospel.  The cry these two men utter is specifically Jewish, and surely no Gentile will cry to Him as Son of David.  Later in the Gospel a Gentile woman cried after Him, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.  But He did not answer her a word' (Matt 15:23).  When she called again, she said, 'Lord, help me,' and after she had taken her place with the dogs the Lord acknowledged her faith." (Gaebelein)

"Since 'Son of David' was a messianic title, these men were revealing that they had heard Christ's presentation of Himself as Messiah and were appealing to Him for a messianic miracle.  Although Christ, in ministering to the needs of people, sometime performed miracles when faith apparently was absent (cf. Luke 22:51), in responding to a request for a messianic miracle, He demanded faith.  Thus Christ asked them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' (v 28), and they confessed, 'Yes Lord.'  Again they addressed Him with the messianic title of 'Lord' (cf. Ps 110:1).  In response to their faith, the petition was granted and Christ removed their blindness." (Pentecost)

And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” - "Even though He is the Messiah and can reveal the Father to the nation, there will be no benefits from His coming until the nation, as did these blind men, turns in faith to Him.  The leaders of the nation had already indicated their determination to reject Christ; and so He commanded these blind men, 'See that no none knows about this' (Matt 9:30).  Christ had previously said that He had no further evidence to give this nation apart from the sign of Jonah (Matt 12:39 [chronologically, Matt 12:39 comes before Matt 9:30]).  Thus Christ did not intend that these men become witnesses to the nation." (Pentecost)

they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd - "But what scenes met His eye as He passed thus ministering among the crowds of people?  He beheld them as worn out, harassed and cast away as sheep not having a shepherd.  In this loving sympathy He reveals Himself as the Shepherd of Israel.  Long before His Spirit in the prophets had spoken of the scene we behold here.  'Son of Man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say unto them, Thus aid the Lord God unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do not feed themselves!  Should not the shepherds feed the flock? ... And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd; and they became meat to all the beast of the field, where they were scattered.  My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill; yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth and none did search and seek after them' (Ezek 34).  In the same chapter we read what Jehovah the Shepherd of Israel says: 'I will both search My sheep and find them out ... I will seek out My sheep ... I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countries ... I will feed them in a good pasture ... I will feed My flock and I will cause them to lie down ... I will seek that which was lost ... I will make with them a covenant of peace,' ... etc.  He came thus to His own as the Shepherd, but they did not want Him." (Gaebelein)

Matthew 9:14-26

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.


the disciples of John - "That John's disciples continued as an entity is evident from the fact that they approached Jesus with a question about fasting (Matt 9:14).  John had demanded repentance in connection with his baptism, and fasting coupled with prayer was sign of that repentance.  With this practice the Pharisees were in full agreement.  Neither the Pharisees nor the disciples of John could understand why the disciples of Jesus did not practice fasting with prayer since Jesus like John had called for repentance." (Pentecost)

the Pharisees fast - "The Pharisees fasted twice a week—conspicuous piety.  John's followers were probably fasting in mourning for him.  The required public fasts were only three in number: the Day of Atonement; the day before Purim; and the ninth of Ab, commemorating the fall of Jerusalem." (Ryrie)

Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? - "This is Christ's defense of the right of His people to be merry; and that right to be merry is the fact that He is with them.  If that be true, then we have the right o be merry always.  What He said about sorrow was fulfilled.  He was taken away from them, and they fasted and were sad through those of days of darkness; but He came back, and, standing on the slope of Olivet, He said, 'Lo, I am with you always.'  Then there is no more room for mourning; no  more room for the sad face of agony; but there is room for mirth, room for joy, and room for gladness." (Morgan)

"Christ said that just as it would be inappropriate to expect the guests at a wedding feast to fast, so it was inappropriate for His disciples to fast.  Messiah's millennial kingdom is often likened in Scripture to a wedding feast.  Messiah is the Host.  He is pictured as having invited guests.  When the feast is set, His guests do not assemble to fast but to rejoice.  In the Gospels, Christ is seen as offering Himself as Messiah.  He offered to bestow the millennial blessing covenanted by God upon the nation that had been summoned to the feast.  John and Jesus both proclaimed, 'The kingdom of heaven is near' (Matt 3:2; 4:12). It was inappropriate that those who had responded to this invitation and had been persuaded that Jesus is the Messiah should give themselves to fasting (cf. Matt 9:15)." (Pentecost)

Neither is new wine put into old wineskins - "The old and new cannot be combined.  Wineskins were used as containers for liquid.  If filled with new wine, old skins lost elasticity and burst when the wine fermented." (Ryrie)

"Thus the King said in effect to these questioning men, Do not attempt to measure this new thing by that old thing.  The old was right as long as it lasted; but this is new.  There are new motives, new forces, new impulses coming into play; and you must not try to place the new within the narrow limits of the old.  It is Christ's clear declaration that the new covenant which He had come to initiate, demanded new methods of expression; the purpose of royalty, instead of the sackcloth of sorrow; the laughter of triumph, instead of the weeping of defeat; Easter morning instead of the day of Crucifixion." (Morgan)

"To the Pharisees He said one cannot make an old garment acceptable by superimposing something new on it.  And to John's disciples He said that what He was offering could not be superimposed on Pharisaism so as to reform it.  What He offered also could not be contained in the old system.  Rather, what He was introducing had to be entirely separated from the old.  The incident closed with Christ's word that if men would taste His wine, that is, if they would accept what He was offering them, they would not want the old.  However, the Pharisees, having tasted the old, were satisfied with it; they had no desire for what He was offering them." (Pentecost)

a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him - "First, by reason of her trouble, she was excommunicated religiously.  The Hebrew economy did not permit a woman so suffering to take any part or place in the worship of God.  She was shut out from temple and synagogue worship.  She was divorced from her husband by the same law.  She was ostracized from society." (Morgan)

and touched the fringe of his garment - "Probably the fringes or tassels at the corners of Christ's mantle.  These were religious reminders to the wearer to observe the commandments (Num 15:37-39)." (Ryrie)

"The woman's action was significant.  A subject knelt to touch the hem of a king's robe to show loyalty and submission to his authority.  Such an action preceded the presentation of a request to the king by the subject.  Hence the woman's act showed her recognition of the royal authority that belong to Christ.  This was basis of her request for help.  This was the touch of faith, and it is recorded that 'immediately her bleeding stopped' (v 44).  A tradition says she was a Gentile woman, which seems reasonable enough since a Jewess would scarcely have ventured forth into the midst of the crowd, contaminating all whom she touched with her ceremonial pollution." (Pentecost)

flute players - "It was customary, even among the very poor, to hire two or more flute players at times of mourning." (Ryrie)

Matthew 9:1-13

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”


his own city - Capernaum

your sins are forgiven - "It is obviously easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' since the validity of the statement cannot be tested to easily as saying 'Get up.'  By making the statement, Christ was asserting a prerogative of God, who alone can forgive sins." (Ryrie)

"The Law knew no such form as an official forgiving of sins, or absolution.  The leper might be pronounced clean by the priest, and a transgressor might present a sin-offering at the Temple, and transfer his guilt to it, by laying his hands on its head and owning his fault before God, and the blood sprinkled by the priest on the horns of the altar, and toward the Holy of Holies, was an atonement that 'covered' his sins from the eyes of Jehovah, and pledged his forgiveness.  But that forgiveness was the direct act of God; no human lips dared pronounce it.  It was a special prerogative of the Almighty, and even should mortal man venture to declare it, he could only do so in the name of Jehovah, and by His immediate authorization.  But Jesus had spoken in His own name.  He had not hinted at being empowered by God to act for Him.  The Scribes were greatly excited; whispers, ominous head-shakings, dark looks, and pious gesticulations of alarm, showed that they were ill at ease.  'He should have sent him to the priest to present his sin-offering, and have it accepted: it is blasphemy to speak of forgiving sins, He is intruding on the divine rights.'  The blasphemer was to be put to death by stoning, his body hung on a tree, and then buried with shame, 'Who can forgive sins but One, God?'  One who usurped the prerogatives of Deity, according to Levitical law, was to be punished by death.  Christ immediately revealed that He knew the controversy raging within their hearts.  He asked them, 'Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?' (Luke 5:23).  It was easier to say one's sins were forgiven because that statement required no demonstration.  To say, 'Get up and walk' necessitated a demonstration.  It was, therefore, easier to tell someone his sins are forgiven because that required no evidence.  If when Jesus commanded the man to rise up and walk, the man had not done so, Jesus would have proved Himself to be an impostor.  In order that the company might know that He had the power to forgive sins, Jesus commanded the man, 'Get up. ... and go home.'" (Pentecost)

"Sin lies at the back of all human disability; and because sin is dealt with all its results can be dealt with.  That is the whole mission of the Servant of God.  This was so in the case of this man.  He had palsy.  Sin is the root of palsy.  The King pardoned his sin by virtue of the fact that He would presently bear it in His own body on the tree.  The Passion was the right and warrant for everything that Jesus did in this realm of healing physical disability.  He healed by the mystery of the Cross, by bearing our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity.  In the long outworking of the mission of Jesus, by the way of that Cross, every tear shall be wiped away, all diseases shall be dealt with and cast out, and His ultimate victory in the physical realm, based upon His bearing of sin, the cause of disease, will be the perfect physical salvation of the race that puts its trust in Him.  The mission of the Son of Man is that of dealing with sin; and, secondly, that of healing disease; so that here again is manifested the fact that the miracles of Jesus were wrought by the restoration of a lost order, rather than by violation of existing law.  Men who had seen Him Master in the realm of the physical; Master of the elements; Master of the surrounding spiritual world; now saw Him King in the moral realm, pronouncing absolution, in the curing of a physical disability." (Morgan)

tax collectors and sinners - "Those who collected taxes for the Romans had a bad reputation for extortion and malpractice.  'Sinners' were those whose daily occupations rendered them ceremonially unclean and not, in Pharisaic eyes, to be associated with." (Ryrie)

"Levi was a custom-house official.  The Talmud distinguishes between the tax collector and the custom house official.  The Gabbai collected the regular real estate and income taxes and the poll tax; the Mockhes, the duty on imports, exports, toll on the roads, bridges, the harbor, the town tax, and a great multiplicity of other variable taxes on an unlimited variety of things, admitting of much abuse and graft.  The very word Mockhes was associated with the idea of oppression and injustice.  The taxes in Judea were levied by publicans, who were Jews, and therefore hated the more as direct officials of the heathen Roman power.  Levi occupied the detestable position of a publican of the worst type—a little Mockhes, who himself stood in the Roman custom-house on the highway connecting Damascus and Ptolemais, and by the sea where all boats plied between the domains of Antipas and Philip.  The name 'publican,' which applied to these officials, is derived from the Latin word publicanus—a man who did public duty.  The Jews detested these publicans not only on account of their frequent abuses and tyrannical spirit, but because the very taxes they were forced to collect by the Roman government were a badge of servitude and a constant reminder that God had forsaken His people and land in spite of the Messianic hope, founded on many promises of the ancient prophets.  The publicans were classed by the people with harlots, usurers, gamblers, thieves, and dishonest herdsmen, who lived hard, lawless lives.  They were just 'licenses robbers' and 'beasts in human shape.'" (Pentecost)

‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ - "This He quoted from one of their own prophets (Hosea 6:6).  We ought to read the whole prophecy to catch the meaning of it.  The prophecy of Hosea deals with spiritual adultery, spiritual harlotry.  The great agonizing emphasis of the prophetic message is that God is wounded in His love, because of the infidelity of His people to the Covenant.  And this is the cry of God, 'O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee?'  Then he tells these people that their goodness is as the morning cloud, it vanishes and is gone.  You bring Me sacrifices as though I wanted them.  Ephraim, Judah, it is not sacrifice that I want from you; it is mercy toward you that I want; and I would fain find a way unto you in love and mercy.  Jesus looked at these men who thought they knew the law and the prophets, and said to them: You do not understand the God Who is revealed in your own writings.  He was talking to the teachers, to the men who were interpreting the prophets, and He said, 'Go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'  Go and learn what the heart of God is; go and find out, that according to your own writings, God is far more anxious to have mercy than He is to receive any offering that a man brings to Him.  When you have learnt this, then you will understand why I sit down with publicans and sinners, why I recline and eat in the midst of them." (Morgan)

Matthew 8:1-34

What is the theme of this chapter?

The Proof of the King.

What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 27

And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?




Additional observations/questions:

Matthew 8:5-34

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.


a centurion - "A Roman army officer who commanded 100 men." (Ryrie)

"Though only a subordinate officer subject to his superiors, he had authority over his soldiers; and, if he had only to issue his commands and they were executed, might not Jesus, whom he recognized as the Lord of all principalities and powers, do the like and much more?  There was not need for Him to approach the sufferer; let Him but speak the word, and ministering angels would hasten to fulfill it." (Pentecost)

a man under authority - "If a lesser officer can give orders, certainly Christ, who possesses all authority, can." (Ryrie)

many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven - "Gentiles will be included in the blessings of the millennial reign of Christ on this earth." (Ryrie)

sons of the kingdom  - Jews

He touched her hand - "Jesus left the synagogue with James and John and went to the home of Peter and Andrew.  The mother of Peter's wife was sick.  Luke the physician noted that she had had a high fever, using a Greek tense that stressed its continuous, and perhaps chronic, nature.  She was seriously ill.  In keeping with his portrait of Jesus as a Servant, Mark said, 'He ... took her hand' (Mark 1:31).  Matthew,  in keeping with his portrait of Christ as King, said Jesus 'touched her' (Matt 8:15).  Luke simply recorded that Jesus 'bent over her' (Luke 4:39)." (Pentecost)

she rose and began to serve him - "Served Him food." (Ryrie)

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” - "Healing illnesses (which are a result of sin) was a preview of His complete dealing with sin on the cross (Isa 53:4)." (Ryrie)

Son of Man - "The title 'Son of God' is Jesus' divine name (Matt 8:29), 'Son of David' His Jewish name (Matt 9:27), but 'Son of Man' is the name that links Him to the earth and to His mission.  It was His favorite designation of Himself (used more than 80 times) and was based on Daniel 7:13-14.  It emphasizes (1) His lowliness and humanity (Matt 8:20), (2) His suffering and death (Lk 19:10), and (3) His future reign as King (Matt 24:27)." (Ryrie)

“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” - "Following the Lord required full commitment; therefore let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead." (Ryrie)

“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” - "Sometimes it is better not to wake Jesus when we are troubled.  There is a higher faith; a faith that waits for deliverance out of a storm; a faith that says, If He is here, it is all right; let the waves roll, let the waters beat." (Morgan)

Gadarenes - "Lived on the eastern short of the Sea of Galilee." (Ryrie)

"In the quietness that followed the storm, Jesus and His disciples came into what Mark and Luke call the region of the Gerasenes.  Gerasa was large territory in Perea in which was located Gerash, one of the cities of Decapolis.  Matthew states that He came into the region of the Gadarenes.  Gadara was a town in Gerasa some six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee.  Therefore there is no contradiction in the accounts.  One speaks of the general locality and the other of a more specific portion of the territory to which they came." (Pentecost)

send us away into the herd of pigs - "The demons' request to go into the pigs was probably to avoid being sent to the abyss, which is their ultimate doom." (Ryrie)

Matthew 8:1-4

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”


a leper - "... a disease at all times terrible, but aggravated, in the opinion of that day, by the belief that it was direct 'stroke of God,' as a punishment for special sins. It began with little specks on the eyelids, and on the palms of the hand, and gradually spread over different parts of the body, bleaching the hair white wherever it showed itself, crusting the affected parts with shining scales, and causing swellings and sores. From the skin it slowly ate its way through the tissues, to the bones and joints and even to the marrow, rotting the whole body piecemeal. The lungs, the organs of speech and hearing, and the eyes were attacked in turn, til, at last, consumption or dropsy brought welcome death. The dread of infection kept men aloof from the sufferer, and the Law proscribed him, as, above all men, unclean. The disease was hereditary to the fourth generation. No one thus afflicted could remain in a walled town, though he might live in a village. There were different varieties of leprosy, but all were dreaded as the saddest calamity of life. The leper was required to rend his outer garment, to go bareheaded, and to cover his mouth so as to hide his beard, as was done in lamentation for the dead. He had, further, to warn passers by away from him by the cry of 'Unclean, unclean;' not without the thought that the sound would call forth a prayer for the sufferer, and else from the fear of infection, than to prevent contact with one thus visited by God, and unclean. He could not speak to any one, or receive or return salutation. ... one might have expected that Divine compassion would have been extended to those, who bore such heavy burden of their sins. Instead of this, their burdens were needlessly increased. True, as wrapped in mourner's garb the leper passed by, his cry 'Unclean!' was to incite others to pray for him—but also to avoid him. No one was even to salute him; his bed was to be low, inkling toward the ground. If he even put his head into a place, it became unclean. No less a distance than four cubits (six feet) must be kept from a leper; or, if the wind came from that direction, a hundred were scarcely sufficient ... As the leper passed by, his clothes rent, his hair disheveled, and the lower part of his face and his upper lip covered, it was as one going to death who reads his own burial-service, while the mournful words, 'Unclean! Unclean!' which he uttered proclaimed that his was both living and moral death." (Pentecost)

show yourself to the priest - "Imagine the stunning impact on the priest, since no record exists of any Israelite being cured of leprosy except Miriam (Num 12:10-15)." (Ryrie)

offer the gift that Moses commanded - "The elaborate ritual of cleansing for a leper involved two birds, one killed as a symbol of purification and the other released as a symbol of man's new found freedom (Lev 14:4-7), having and washing (Lev 14:8-9), and the offering of guilt, sin, burnt, and grain offerings (Lev 14:12, 13, 21). The blood applied from ear to hand to foot signified that the person was fully cleansed (Lev 14:14)." (Ryrie)

for a proof to them - "In these miracles we have before us the manifestation of the King. Jehovah alone could manifest Himself thus in mercy, healing and restoring ... What He did, furthermore, is seen in the Old Testament in connection with the kingdom. The signs manifest the King as well as the Kingdom. In Isaiah 35 we have a description of the kingdom as the King is to set it up. He came, and that He is the King and His kingdom at hand, is proven by Him in doing the signs enumerated in the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah. The King and the Kingdom is rejected, the Kingdom postponed, and Israel and the nations wait with a groaning creation for the glorious fulfillment of this chapter in Isaiah. The fulfillment will come, when the King comes back to the earth, then 'the ransomed of Jehovah shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.'" (Gaebelein)

"The Mosaic law required one who had leprosy, or was suspected of having it, to undergo an elaborate ritual of cleansing in order to be accepted in society. If this man tarried in Galilee to be a witness to Christ without undergoing the proper ritual of cleansing, he would have been deemed unclean and therefore his witness would have been nullified (cf. Lev 14). But there was an additional reason why Christ sent the cleansed man to the priest. The man was to be a testimony to them (Luke 5:14). When the man went to the priest and claimed to be a cleansed leper, the priest would have to investigate whether the man had been a leper and then determine his present condition. The priest would make inquiry as to the means by which the man had been cleansed. This would give the cleansed man an occasion to present to the priest the evidence that the One who claimed to be Messiah had power to cleanse lepers. This would make it necessary for the priests to investigate the claim, and the evidence would then be present to the Sanhedrin for its investigation and final declaration. Thus Christ was bringing evidence to those in high authority in the religious realm. He was generating an investigation of His person and His claim." (Pentecost)

"Leprosy is a slowly progressing and intractable disease ... This disease in an especial manner rendered its victims unclean; even contact with a leper defiled whoever touched him, so while the cure of other diseases is called healing, that of leprosy is called cleansing (except in the case of Miriam [Num 12:13] and that of the Samaritan [Lk 17:15] where the word 'heal' is used in reference to leprosy) ... It should be observed here that the attitude of the Law toward the person, garment or house suspected of leprosy is that if the disease be really present they are to be declared unclean and there is no means provided for cure, and in the case of the garment or house, they are to be destroyed. If, on the other hand, the disease be proved to be absent, this freedom from the disease has to be declared by a ceremonial purification. This is in reality not the ritual for cleansing the leper, for the Torah provides none such, but the ritual for declaring him ceremonially free from the suspicion of having the disease. This gives a peculiar and added force to the words, 'The lepers are cleansed,' as a testimony to Our Lord's Divine mission." (Pentecost)

"If one looks for these miracles in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, and traces our Lord's movements in them, he will be astonished to find that they are put in these Gospels in an entirely different setting ... The Holy Spirit as the writer of the first Gospel has taken certain events in the life of our Lord and grouped them together in such a way that they not only show us how the King proved Himself King and how He was rejected, but to show in the grouping of these miracles the purposes of God, and bring out some very rich yet simple dispensational teachings. The Gospel of Matthew as the Jewish Gospel is the proper place for it. We look now at the first seventeen verse of the eighth chapter. Here we have four different signs. The first is the cleansing of the leper, followed at once by the healing of the centurion's servant, after which our Lord enters Peter's house, and his mother-in-law being sick, He touches her hand and the fever leaves her. The last is the healing of all. Now in these four miracles, following one the other as they do here, we have by the Holy Spirit dispensational teachings concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. The first, the cleansing of the leper, stands for Jehovah among His people Israel. The second, where He is absent, and heals not by His touch but by His Word; this represents the Gentile dispensation which is still running. After this dispensation is passed He will enter the house again, restoring His relations with Israel, and healing the sick daughter of Zion, represented by the healing touch and raising of Peter's mother-in-law. After this is accomplished the millennial blessings come to all in the earth when the curse of sin will be removed." (Gaebelein)

"If we had been with Him, and had been Hebrews, as His disciples were, we should have been greatly startled. First, He touched a leper, an outcast, whom no man must dare to touch. Secondly, He healed the servant of a Roman, who was outside the covenant of Israel, and with whom there could properly be no communication. Thirdly, He touched a woman, who, according to Jewish ideas, did not count. He began with the unfit persons for whom there was no provision in the economy of the nation. A great many people have been sorely troubled about this touching of the leper, saying that in doing so He broke the law. But He was not as other men. On another occasion they said, 'This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.' They meant to say; Pollution is mightier than purity; though He be pure, contact with sinners will produce pollution in Himself. But He was such that He could be a friend of sinners, and suffer no contamination by contact, but rather surcharge them with His purity ... These miracles of Jesus, so far from being violations of law, were restorations of men to the life according to law. Leprosy is unlawful; cleansing is lawful. Fever is due to violation of law; and this Man by touch restored to the law. The King came to restore a lost order." (Morgan)