By
Allen White
When Jesus came down from the mountainside,
large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and
said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the
man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his
leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show
yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to
them.”
Matthew 8:1-4
Jesus healed in many different ways.
Sometimes He touched the ill person. Other times He just said the word and healing
took place (Luke
18:35-43). In the case of the centurion (Matthew
8:5-13), Jesus spoke the word from a distance, and the servant was healed. He
healed a blind man by making mud (Matthew
9:1-12). We get the impression that the Son of God can heal whomever He wants
in any way He wants.
Lepers were considered unclean or
untouchable. In the vast Scriptural teaching on infectious skin diseases (take
a look at the book of Leviticus), the one overarching principle was to stay
away from them. If there was a case for verbally pronouncing a healing, the
leper would be at the top of most people’s lists.
Jesus chose to touch the leper. Nobody
else had probably touched this leper in a long time. No hugs or handshakes. No
fist bumps or even an elbow jab. Lepers were untouchable, yet Jesus touched
him, and the leper was healed.
Who is untouchable in our culture?
Well, technically no one, other than the Dalats in India. But, who would we
hesitate to touch? An AIDS victim? A homeless person? A prison inmate? A
disabled person? The mentally ill? An addict?
Basically, all people are the same.
Every person is body, soul and spirit. Every person matters to God. Some have
more to deal with than others. Some are coping with the wounds of a painful
past. Some are trapped in the sum of their mistakes. But, God loves every one.
What would you do with the leper? Would
you touch him? Would you encourage him? Would you send in a check? Would you
change the channel?
Who in your world is difficult for you
to connect with? Why do you think they are so different from you? How does
Jesus want to touch this person through you?
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