It is that of the man "full of leprosy," who cried to the Lord, "If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." If Simon was "sinful," the leper was "full of leprosy." The cleansing of the leper is illustrative of how the sinful state is met. Again it is a question of state, leprosy illustrating more the inward corruption of the flesh in its working.
He was conscious of his need, conscious that no one had power but the Lord to meet that need, but lacked assurance as to His willingness. Hence his earnest cry, "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." Again we find the ever-ready response of the Lord to the cry of need, "I will: be thou clean." Immediately, at that wonderful word, the leprosy departed.
So when we find ourselves discovered in the secret springs of our being as sinful, leprous, we likewise learn this blessed fact, that the One who discovers us is the One who can meet our need. Of course the type fails, for while the leprosy departed from the man, yet we are never free in our mortal bodies of sin in the flesh. Thank God, all our sins are met by the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every working of the flesh in us has been met and judged in the awful judgment of the Cross. Nay, further, sin, the evil principle itself, has been condemned in the cross, set aside as before God', no longer recognized by Him, and believers are exhorted thus:-" Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:1111Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:11)). And the Lord could say unto His disciples, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:33Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3)). Thank God our need is most fully met, but as long as we are hero we shall need a power to practically give effect to the grace of God, so that in our walk and ways we may be free from sin and living unto God. This we get in the third incident.