Matthew 8:4

Matthew 8:4. See thou tell no man i.e., do not stop to blaze it abroad, but go thy way, go directly and show thyself to the priest. The telling was forbidden until this duty was fulfilled. It is said that the first inspection was performed by the priest of the district, then a second one after seven days, then after purification a visit was made to the temple, where it was the duty of the leper to offer the gift which Moses commanded. (See Leviticus 14:30-31.) Our Lord adds: for a testimony to them; i.e., a testimony to the people that the cleansing had taken place. Reasons for the command to be silent: Our Lord had in view the welfare of the person healed; He did not wish to hinder the duty Moses had commanded, nor to prejudice the priests who would inspect the man; He thus sought to prevent a concourse of the people, and the enmity of the rulers. The command also implies a caution against making too much of the external miraculous acts of our Lord; a kind of materialism, no less than the denial of the possibility of such miracles.