Matthew 8:2 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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

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

Matthew 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew 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 "When he was come down from the..." into verse 3's "And Jesus put 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.