<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">8:2&nbsp;</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">And a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying-&nbsp;</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Greek literally means to bow or crouch. Perhaps it is being used here in that literal sense, inviting us then to imagine the Lord extending His hand to the kneeling man (8:3). Or the idea could be that the man's worship was not in any external display of respect, but in the fact he believed in the Lord's ability and power to respond to his request. In this case, the man worshipped Jesus&nbsp;</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">in saying</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;&quot;If You will, You can...&quot;.</span></p>
<p>Lord, if You desire, You can<span style="font-size: 12pt;">- The Lord replied that this was indeed His will (8:3). This coincidence of human will with that of our Lord is what fellowship with Him and answered prayer is all about. The phrase &quot;If You will, You can...&quot; is recorded identically in all three of the synoptics (Mk. 1:40; Lk. 5:12), as if they all wished to draw attention to the man's attitude and make an example of it- accepting that the Lord has all power (&quot;can&quot; =&nbsp;<i>dunamai</i>), but that our will is not always His.</span></p>
<p>Make me clean<span style="font-size: 12pt;">- The leper didn't ask so much for healing as for cleansing. He wanted the healing&nbsp;<i>so that</i>&nbsp;he could be accepted into the community of believers in the temple. Our requests for health and healing should likewise be motivated by a desire to use the healed situation in the Lord's service. Faith is inculcated by an appreciation of the height of Christ&rsquo;s exaltation. He now has all power in Heaven and in earth, and this in itself should inspire us with faith in prayer and hope in His coming salvation. On the basis of passages like Ex. 4:7; Num. 12:10-15; 2 Kings 5:7,8, &ldquo;leprosy was regarded as a &ldquo;stroke&quot; only to be removed by the Divine hand which had imposed it&quot; (L.G. Sargent,<i>&nbsp;The Gospel Of The Son Of God</i>, p. 28). The leper lived with this understanding, and yet he saw in Jesus nothing less than God manifest. Inspired by the height of the position which he gave Jesus in his heart, he could ask him in faith for a cure: &ldquo;If thou wilt,&nbsp;<i>thou canst</i>&nbsp;[as only God was understood to be able to] make me clean&quot;.</span></p>