Matthew 8:2 (ASV)

Passage

And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:1 And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

Matthew 8:2 And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Matthew 8:3 And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "came", "leper", "worshipped", "saying", "lord", "thou", and "wilt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "And when he was come down from..." into verse 3's "And he stretched forth his hand and...", so "behold" and "came" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.