What’s so special about Jesus Healing a Jewish Leper found in Matthew 8?

Besides it being a big deal that someone has the ability to heal someone from a disease, it is perhaps even more profound that it was a sign to everyone that HE was the messiah! Only THE messiah could do this and it was supposed to clue the Jewish leaders in. We call these instances “Messianic Miracles”.

Check out Luke 17:11-14 and Luke 7:20-22.

[Luk 17:11 NASB] While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
[Luk 17:12 NASB] As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;
[Luk 17:13 NASB] and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
[Luk 17:14 NASB] When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed.

[Luk 7:20 NASB] When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, 'Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?'"
[Luk 7:21 NASB] At that very time He cured many [people] of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many [who were] blind.
[Luk 7:22 NASB] And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: [the] BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, [the] lame walk, [the] lepers are cleansed, and [the] deaf hear, [the] dead are raised up, [the] POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.

The Jews never had EVER seen a Jewish person be healed of Leprosy before in all of history. Even though God told them exactly what to do WHEN it happened in their midst - see Lev. 14. They began to wonder why God even included it in the Torah.

[Lev 14:1 NASB] Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
[Lev 14:2 NASB] "This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to the priest,
[Lev 14:3 NASB] and the priest shall go out to the outside of the camp. Thus the priest shall look, and if the infection of leprosy has been healed in the leper, ….. (Keep reading the rest of the chapter on your own some time!)

Naaman was healed of Leprosy written about in 2 Kings 5:10 but he wasn’t Jewish. He was a Syrian.