Have you ever thought, why did Jesus single them out? Was it because this represents people ostracized in society? Surely leprosy is considered a sickness so we can’t consider it a redundancy; Jesus always spoke with intention and purpose.
I believe this is referring to freedom. Lepers were completely ignored by society: cast off into their own village away from the public. It was a difficult thing to get out of this life. There were many rules and regulations that had to be passed before you were free to leave. Lepers were bound to the stigma surrounding their diseases.
I believe that cleansing refers to setting them free from bondage. They would be free to walk around in public and associate with others. Their identity is no longer defined by their disease. They are a new being in Christ. They are free from the condemnation that followed them all their life. Cleansing the lepers refers to resetting the identity of someone who is lost in guilt, shame, bondage to life choices, addictions, condemnation, and sin. This could be taken as the, ‘mending of broken hearts.’ Jesus accepted them, and they found healing and wholeness in Him for their hearts and bodies.
We are to show people their identity in Christ and pull them out of their, ‘leprosy,’ self-condemnation that eats away at their very heart. They will find restoration in Jesus and be able to enjoy life and not feel alone and unwanted.
Luke 4:18 (BBE) The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make well those who are broken-hearted; to say that the prisoners will be let go, and the blind will see, and to make the wounded free from their chains,
