Matthew 8:3 (DRB)

Passage

And Jesus stretching forth his hand, touched him, saying: I will, be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed.

Nearby Context

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

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

Matthew 8:3 And Jesus stretching forth his hand, touched him, saying: I will, be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed.

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

Matthew 8:5 And when he had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "stretching", "forth", "hand", "touched", "saying", "thou", and "clean". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "stretching", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And behold a leper came and adored..." into verse 4's "And Jesus saith to him See thou...", so "jesus" and "stretching" 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 "jesus" and "stretching" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.