Mat 8:1-3  “When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

Leprosy is a highly debilitating and infectious disease of which there was no cure. The skin would be affected by “rising” scabs, and in those infected areas the hair would turn white. Lepers would be quarantined away from the general public and should anyone approach, the leper would warn the individual. It is interesting to note that the treatment by Jesus on leprosy was not called healing but rather cleansing. Leprosy made the infected person unclean. The Bible never compares leprosy with sin but there are similarities between the sinner and the leper mentioned in Matthew.

1. The leper came seeking Jesus for his cleansing. The man who wants to be saved must come to the Lord. Jesus initially came to the world seeking sinners, but those desiring salvation must approach Jesus. Notice Acts 17:26,  “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,  so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;  for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” And Heb 11:6,  “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” 
2. The leper recognized the authority and power of Jesus. “If you are willing. You can make me clean.” In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” The authority Jesus enjoys includes the authority to cleanse the leper and forgive sins. Jesus told the Pharisees, Mar 2:10, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.”
3. The leper trusted Jesus. We must trust Him enough to obey Him. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman approached Elisha for his flesh to be restored from leprosy. Elisha sent word for him to wash himself seven times in the Jordan. Was there any kind of healing power in that muddy river? No, the cleansing was in his obedience. We are told to wash ourselves in the water of baptism, Acts 22:16. Is there anything magical in those baptismal waters? No, the power of cleansing is in our obedience in baptism.