GTY: Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1

July 17 - Physical Healings and Spiritual Cleansing

letters@gty.org (Grace to You) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

“‘. . . as a testimony to them’” (Matthew 8:4).

Christ’s miraculous healings were significant in His earthly ministry. They displayed genuine concern for human need and testified that He was God. But several times Jesus stated, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:5–6; cf. Mark 2:9; Luke 5:23). The healing miracles simply illustrated the cleansing of sin, which was Jesus’ primary purpose within God’s redemptive plan.

Curing leprosy was an especially powerful illustration, because its physical destructiveness parallels sin’s spiritual destructiveness. The Lord’s healing of leprosy restored people to human fellowship, just as His cleansing of sin restores them to divine fellowship.

The church today often fails to confront individuals with the horrible destructiveness of their sin. Instead of “coming to Christ” by making an emotional, feel-good decision, people need to realize their sins and bring them to God for cleansing. True conversion occurs when, like the leper, sinners confess their need and humbly seek His restoration. Like the leprous man, sinners flee to Christ as their only hope for rescue from their helpless condition of lostness.

Paralleling the healing again, Jesus’ first requirement for new converts is their obedience to His Word. Only after demonstrating a new life of righteousness can they give proper testimony to what the Savior has done.

Ask Yourself

Is it fair to say that sinfulness is often a precursor to sickness? There is certainly no universal answer to this question, but how can you use times of limitation, weakness, or confinement to let God examine your heart and deepen your desire to follow Him?

Additional Resources

July 16 - A Testimony to the Jews

letters@gty.org (Grace to You) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

“Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them’” (Matthew 8:4).

Following times of greatest blessing and triumph, our Lord often tests us to see if our faith is obedient. In the case of the cleansed leper, Jesus commanded him to fulfill the ritual requirements of the law and let the priests attest to his healing (cf. Lev. 14). This responsibility had to precede any celebrations of his newfound health or telling others about his cure.

Perhaps Jesus told the man not to tell others of this healing so that people would not merely give adulation to Him as a miracle worker. Furthermore, He would not have wanted this event to encourage any speculation that He was a political deliverer. Christ was still in His period of humiliation, and any exaltation of Him by the crowd would have been premature within the Father’s plan.

However, the major reason for Jesus’ command to the healed man to respect the Mosaic requirements was to testify to the crowd, particularly the Jewish leaders. He blasted their hypocrisy, superficiality, and unscriptural methods, but He did not want to communicate that He had no regard for God’s law at all. When the priest declared the man healed—and the evidence would be obvious—it would allow Jesus’ miracle to be verified by the Jewish establishment. That would give added weight to His credibility as Messiah, as One who “did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17).

Ask Yourself

How would you describe your spiritual state after a season of great accomplishment or at the culmination of a long struggle that has ended in victory? Is this a time when you deliberately focus on the basics of Christian faith, or when you decide to take a break for a while?

Additional Resources

July 15 - Jesus’ Touch and Instantaneous Healing

letters@gty.org (Grace to You) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

“Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3).

The Mosaic law forbade the Jews from touching lepers, because they were unclean (Lev. 5:3) and would expose healthy people to ceremonial and physical contamination. But lepers, in their social ostracism, yearned for even a brief, up-close contact with another person besides a fellow leper.

Jesus could have healed this man with just a single word, but He made a point of touching him. This action was truly amazing—not in a spectacular, sensational manner, but simply because the Son of Man would lovingly reach out and reach down to touch an outcast of outcasts as no one else would.

The Lord bestowed instantaneous healing: “immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” When He touched the man’s defiled body, his disease simply disappeared. (Christ could have chosen to heal in stages, as He sometimes did [Mark 8:22–26; John 9:6–7], but there was no necessity to do so.) The picture for the eyewitnesses would have been dramatic. A bent-over, withered derelict, with skin ravaged by scaly, ugly sores, would suddenly stand up. His limbs were now perfectly normal, his face smooth and unscarred, his eyes clear and bright, and his voice strong and confident.

Modern medical science, with all its wonderful expertise and abilities to cure, can never equal the miraculous restoration Jesus provided.

Ask Yourself

Are there certain people you are wary of touching—either by physical embrace or even eye contact? What gives us the right of being too good or polished or educated or privileged to look lovingly into the face of another, to offer ourselves and our acceptance?

Additional Resources

July 14 - Jesus and the Leper, Part 2

letters@gty.org (Grace to You) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

“When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’” (Matthew 8:1–2).

Several more striking features marked the leper who came to Jesus. The man came expectantly but not demandingly, therefore he approached the Lord with humility. It’s clear he wanted to be healed, but he did not explicitly ask Jesus for this miraculous favor. That was almost too much for the leper to presume, hence his statement, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” What a contrast to the attitude of those in some religious circles today who boastfully claim divine healing as if God should automatically grant it.

The leprous man also came in sincere faith—one that displays the firm conviction that God is able to work on our behalf, but yet a conviction accompanied by submission to His sovereign will. He knew that although Jesus was able to instantly cure his leprosy, He was not obligated. The man’s faith was much like that of Daniel’s friends who told the king, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Dan. 3:17–18). In the same way, the leper would also accept whatever outcome Jesus provided.

Ask Yourself

“Expectantly but not demandingly.” How would this posture change the way you’re currently praying over a pressing matter—not by discounting faith and being guilty of doubt and double-mindedness, but by boldly placing yourself and others under Christ’s capable safekeeping?

Additional Resources

July 13 - Jesus and the Leper, Part 1

letters@gty.org (Grace to You) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

Leprosy was a most feared and contagious disease in the ancient world. Spongy, tumor-like swellings grew on the face and body, and eventually leprosy affected the internal organs and bones.

In ancient Israel lepers were vivid object lessons regarding sin. Like leprosy, sin infects the entire person (cf. Eph. 2:1) and is ugly, corrupting—incurable without extraordinary means.

Several things stand out about the leper who came to Jesus for healing. First, he came to Him with confidence. He obviously sensed Jesus’ love and tenderness and somehow knew the Lord did not mind associating with him. The leper’s primary concern was his tremendous need and Christ’s all-sufficient ability and willingness to meet it.

Second, the leprous man approached Jesus with reverence. His boldness in calling out to Jesus and coming near derived not from presumption but from humble adoration. The word rendered “bowed down” means to prostrate oneself and is also translated “worship” in the New Testament (cf. Acts 7:43; Rev. 4:10). The leper’s attitude suggests he addressed Jesus as Lord, not simply as “sir” but in recognition of His deity. He knew that as God’s Son, Jesus could heal his horrible disease.

Ironically, this man is a striking contrast to the Jewish leaders. They were always clean and lavishly attired, but inwardly were corrupt and unbelieving. The man with leprosy, on the other hand, was outwardly repulsive in appearance, but inwardly he was worshipful and full of sincere faith.

Ask Yourself

Noting the analogy between sin and leprosy, imagine if sin’s effects actually did show themselves on our faces and skin. How would this affect our behavior and obedience? What does that tell us about the deceitfulness of sin and how to counteract it?

Additional Resources