I thought how desperate he must have been. Did he have any hope at all left in him that he might somehow be healed? There weren't a lot of details in the man's story, but what he had been struggling with was obviously terribly hard. The sickness had made him an outcast. Normal human contact was out of the question, and people had probably even come to think of him with disgust. He was "unclean."
But then Jesus passed by. (The account of what happens is found in the New Testament in just four verses. See Matt. 8:1-4.) A large gathering of people is following Christ Jesus, and this sick man—a leper—is somehow able to come forward and speak to the Master. He must have heard of Jesus' ministry and perhaps, now where there had been no hope, suddenly it seems possible. Maybe he can be healed!
J. B. Phillips translates the brief conversation between the leper and Jesus this way: " 'Sir,' he said, 'if you want to, you can make me clean.' Jesus stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper, saying, 'Of course I want to. Be clean!' And at once he was clear of the leprosy."
