40. Then a man with a serious skin disease came to him. The man fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “If you’re willing, you can make me clean.”
41. Jesus felt sorry for him, reached out, touched him, and said, “I’m willing. So be clean!”
42. Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean.
43. Jesus sent him away at once and warned him,
44. “Don’t tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifices which Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.”
45. When the man left, he began to talk freely. He spread his story so widely that Jesus could no longer enter any city openly. Instead, he stayed in places where he could be alone. But people still kept coming to him from everywhere.