Matthew 8:1 says, When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.  Jesus at times removed Himself from the multitudes, but then He would go into the midst of them again.  We may need time to remove ourselves from the pressures of the world, but ultimately we have to get back into the midst of the world.  We cannot simply withdraw and hope to reach the lost.  Verse two says, And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  This leper, one who could not even be touched by normal people, came to Jesus in faith.  No matter how unclean a person may be, they can always come to Jesus for cleansing and healing.  Verse three states, And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Touching a leper made a person spiritually unclean under the law, but Jesus not only touched the leper, but He healed him as well.  The leper had to have faith in the healing power of Jesus to be healed, just as we must have faith in the healing power of Jesus to be spiritually healed.  There was no delay in the healing of the leper.  I believe that when God heals a person, physically or spiritually, that it begins with faith in His ability to do so.  The leper did not come to Jesus asking what he had to do or even if it were possible for him to be saved.  He came by faith stating that he knew Jesus could heal him.  Verse four says, 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.  Jesus gave the man, who was no longer a leper, instructions to follow.  In this case, it was to not tell anyone what had happened.  I believe this was for two reasons.  One was that Jesus did not want people to follow Him simply for material reasons, and a physical healing would be one such reason.  Jesus still does not want people to follow Him simply for material reasons.  Second, Jesus did not come for the purpose of blessing people materially.  This has to do with the purpose of Jesus coming and not with the perception of those around Him.  Jesus came to bring everlasting spiritual restoration to anyone who will put their faith in Him, and not for a temporary physical healing.