In Matthew 8, Jesus heals the leper and tells him not to tell anyone about the miracle, but to take his offering and gifts at the temple. Is this because people who were unclean at all could not make offerings in the temple, and Jesus wanted this man to be able to? I highly doubt Jesus would tell anyone not to share the good news about God and the miracles! I shared this scripture with a friend, and I felt stumped when she asked me why Jesus told him not to say anything! I don't want to make up my own explanation here. Can you help me?
As for the leper, yes, in a way Jesus is bringing the disenfranchised into the mainstream. Yet his practice, while in Jewish territory, was to play down his role in the miraculous healings. He did not want to catalyze his own arrest and execution too soon! Those who ignored his suggestions greatly complicated his ministry, as the Gospel of Mark, for example, takes great care to emphasize.
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