Touched

Something is compelling in receiving a physical touch. When we are young and one of our parents picks us up, we automatically feel loved and protected. Even as we get older, for guys there is something called the bro hug. This is when two buddies see each other and do a hug and handshake at the same time.  It’s a guy thing. I’m sure ladies have something similar. It’s just a way of showing affection, not a weird way.

Physical touch is extremely important for physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual well-being. Can you imagine not having the ability to have that physical touch in your life? The inability to hold your child, your spouse, even siblings and parents? This is the curse of leprosy. Leprosy is a horrible disease where your flesh literally rots off your body. In the days of Jesus, this was a prominent disease that affected a lot of people. The people affected had to live separately, away from other people, and in their own colonies. Not only would this disease eventually take their life, but in the meantime, it would cause such mental and emotional pain, that I’m not sure how anyone would be able to bear it.

In Mark chapter one, we see a leper coming to Jesus begging the Lord to heal him. Someone coming to Jesus for healing was not unusual, the Lord had healed many in the early stages of His ministry. Yet, how the Lord handled this healing was amazing. The Lord could have just spoken the word, and this leper could have been healed, but that is not what Jesus did. We see this in verses 40-42, “And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.” There are so many teaching points in just these few verses. We see someone who knows and understands that they are unclean and without hope. They come to the only One that can heal and make them clean. We then see Jesus moved with compassion. The Lord wants to heal this person, to make them whole once again. But what I want us to see is that the Lord just didn’t want to heal this man, Jesus wanted and did give him a physical touch. Jesus touched a man who was so unclean that he would not have been able to be around his own family, or anyone in society for that fact.

Jesus did that for me. When I was lost, and unclean because of my sin, Jesus touched me and made me clean. When I called upon Jesus to save and heal me, He touched me in such a way that like this man in the text, I knew that I was healed and that a miracle had occurred in my life. What I love about this historic event is that the same Jesus who was moved with compassion for this man with leprosy is the same Jesus who has compassion on all who are hurt, broken, and even unclean spiritually.

When faced with the choice of healing or not healing notice what Jesus says in verse 41, “I am willing.” That is our Lord, that is our Savior. He still has the desire to heal and save all who would come to Him.