Bowing down before another person was a great act of respect for the other's dignity, especially for a Jewish person (as in Test. Ab. 3-4, 9, 16A). The leper not only shows physical signs of respect toward Jesus; he acknowledges that Jesus has the right to decide whether to grant the request. To acknowledge that God has the right to grant or refuse a request is not lack of faith (8:2; compare, for example, Gen 18:27, 30-32; 2 Sam 10:12; Dan 3:18); it is the ultimate act of dependence on God's compassion and takes great trust and commitment for a desperate person.