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Passage to Study: Luke 5:12-15.
Read with the class: Luke 5:12-15.
Memorization Text: Younger children - Isaiah 1:18 "though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."
Older children - Isaiah 1:18.
OBJECTIVES: To:
1. Show how leprosy, like sin, robs life of happiness.
2. Point out the filthiness of sin, the reason why a sinner needs to be
cleansed.
3. Teach how the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
4. Illustrate how faith works; the leper did not doubt the power of the Lord
Jesus.
5. Mention how the heart of the Lord Jesus never changes, He is still ready and
willing to save sinners.
Note: To make the lesson easier to teach, we have presented the leper as a
father of a family. His condition as a leper has caused havoc in the home,
bringing anguish and sadness, causing him to be separated from his loved ones.
The exact location in Galilee where this miracle occurred is not specified. This
miracle took place after the Sermon on the Mount.
SCENE NO. 1 VISUAL HELPS.
(a) Outside the city, the figure of a man walking away from his wife and
children. They, in turn, are backing away from him.
(b) In the corner, a picture of the happy family in former days.
DEVELOPMENT:
- The family is living happily as the sickness had not yet been discovered.
- When the diagnosis is given, the leprous father must go away from his home and
city, leaving his wife and children behind.
- Leprosy is an unclean disease and when one member is affected, the whole
family suffers. This destroys the happy family circle.
Cmt. The use of the word "unclean" in the Scriptures gives the idea of
something unacceptable, not only before God but also in society. What is
unclean is contrary to the holiness of God.
- The Law of Moses gives precise instructions on how a leper must be treated. It
demands that the leper leave all public areas as long as he has the disease.
(Leviticus 13:46.) Also see Leviticus 13:1-17, 2 Kings 5:27, Numbers 5:2.
Leprosy is a terrible disease that affects the skin, causing it to become
insensitive to any sort of pain. There are various forms of leprosy, and it can
eventually cover the whole body.
Cmt. Because of its characteristics, leprosy is used as a type of sin, since:
1. It affects the life of the person who has it, and consequently, this affects
his relationship with others.
2. In Bible times, it was considered an incurable disease and, in the end meant
death.
3. The leper was declared unclean and was prohibited from participating in any
ceremony to do with God and the Temple etc.
Cmt. Sin also causes separation from friends and loved ones and often makes life
difficult.
Cns. How much more suffering there will be when separation is for all
Eternity, as will be the case with those who are lost forever. See John 3:36.
Sug. Try to make the students understand the sad situation of a leper; his
separation, his loneliness, no joy in his life and worse still, the possibility
of dying with no hope.
SCENE NO. 2. VISUAL HELPS. An isolated area, outside the city showing the figure
of a man with leprosy and Jesus with a group of his disciples walking towards
him.
DEVELOPMENT:
- The leper must live alone in isolation and call out "unclean,
unclean" when anyone comes near.
Sug. Ask the students how they would feel if they had to call out to anyone
passing by to not have contact with them or even to come near. See Lev. 15:31.
- Separation from society was considered "a living death"
Apl. Among the many lessons to be taught in this miracle, the true confession of
a sinner should be included. There are various examples in the gospels of Jesus
listening to persons admitting or "confessing" their great need.
- "SEEING JESUS" The leper knew something of the Saviour and this
motivated him to draw near and ask to be cleansed.
- "A MAN FULL OF LEPROSY" His was a desperate case. He had no hope of
healing.
- His condition had prevented him from having contact with anybody, but he did
go near the Only One who could change his deplorable situation.
- Before the leper drew close to Jesus, he was convinced of:
1. His unclean condition.
2. Jesus' power to cleanse him.
3. Jesus' willingness to grant his petition.
Cmt. It would be good to point out the petition of the leper. He asked for
"CLEANSING."
Apl. It is necessary to emphasize the contaminating character of sin, which
makes the sinner unfit to be in the presence of God.
- "PROSTRATING HIMSELF" The leper takes a humble position.
- "IF THOU WILT" There was no doubt in his mind that Jesus had the
power to cleanse him. However, he casts himself on the Lord's willingness
to exercise His power and cleanse him.
Sug. It is important to point that God 'IS NOT WILLING' that any should perish.
(2 Peter 3:9.) "The Lord ...is longsuffering to usward, not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
- "THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN" He is conscious of his condition.
Cns. It is the blood of Christ, the Son of God, that cleanses the sinner.
Christ's death, his burial and resurrection is the only way by which a sinner
can be cleansed from his sin and made fit for heaven.
- According to the law, anyone that touched a leper became unclean, but this did
not occur when Jesus extended his hand and declared the man cleansed.
- The intervention of the Lord completely changed the leper's life from that
moment on.
- The touch of His hand shows that the man is already cleansed and Jesus
identifies with him in his new state.
- The faith of the leper, which made him draw near to the Lord Jesus, resulted
in his complete cleansing or healing.
- There was not a long recovery period, but he passed from being unclean to
being clean immediately.
Apl. This is an example of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.
SCENE No. 3. VISUAL HELPS. (a) Figure of a man in front of a house with a
barrier in place, hindering him access to the place. (b) Other figures of
children looking through the Bible and (c) a figure representing Heaven.
DEVELOPMENT:
- A man finds himself barred from his home because of his sickness. How
would he feel?
- The scene illustrates the reality of the sinner's position. There is a barrier
that prevents his access to Heaven, the place he wishes to enter.
- The children discover in the Bible that sin is the barrier preventing them
entering Heaven. They also discover that God has made it possible for the
barrier to be removed through the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us from all sin and make
us fit to enter Heaven.
Cns. God can only accept worship and service from those who have been cleansed
from their sin. Worshipping and serving God will be our eternal occupation
in Heaven.
EPILOGUE
- Jesus asked the man not to mention the miracle to anyone, but instructed him
to do what the law required, which meant he had to show himself to the priest
who would declare him cleansed and free to enjoy his new life. Would
the priest ask him how he became clean or free from the leprosy?
- When Jesus asked the man to tell no one of what happened, He was not looking
for men's praise. This is an example of Humility and Meekness.
- The man could not keep still about such a great miracle in his life.
Apl. Everyone that has been cleansed from their sins wants others to know about
it.
- The fame of the Lord Jesus spread, especially since it was a miracle of a
leper being cleansed and made completely well. Jesus looked for a quiet place in
the wilderness, perhaps near the area where He later performed another miracle,
feeding the 5,000.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - From a news release.
Japanese lepers awarded millions in compensation
Mon May 14 2001
TOKYO - The Japanese government was told to pay millions of dollars to 127
former leprosy patients who spent years locked in isolation centres. Hundreds of
former patients have sued the government for their treatment under the draconian
Leprosy Prevention Law of 1953. It was only repealed in 1996.
The judge said the Health Ministry should have altered its policy by 1960. By
then, drug therapy for leprosy had become effective enough to allow outpatient
treatment.
Children as young as seven were among leprosy patients forced into the isolation
centers. The plaintiffs say the law violated their human rights and was
unconstitutional.
Many of those who went into the centres never saw their families again, haunted
by shame, often changing their names. Many remain in the treatment centres until
they die, too ashamed to return home.
A spokesman said this week there were no human rights violations and the visits
to the treatment canters were no different than a normal hospital stay.
Leprosy is a disfiguring illness that targets the skin and nerves. Hands, feet,
the face and eyes are the most vulnerable parts. |
