The Unthinkable Touch

Mat 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus touched a leper! Nobody touches a leper! Leprosy was so communicable, so deadly, so loathsome that the diagnosis meant your life was over. You would never feel the touch of another human soul again. No hugs, no kisses, no pats on the back and no compassion. It meant banishment to a colony where everyone had a death sentence, everybody smelled of death, everyone was a walking, loathsome creature with no hope.

But Jesus changes all of that with one touch. "I will" Jesus said to this leper, "be thou clean." What did He will? He willed that this leper's worship be accepted, that his life be restored to him, that he be returned whole to his family, that he be able to return to society, go to his synagogue, kiss his wife, hug his kids and have a testimony beyond any other!

And Jesus wants the same for you. You see, leprosy is like sin. Nobody has leprosy anymore, but all are diseased with sin. Sin cuts us off from God, it brings the curse of death upon us. It is ugly, loathsome and vile to our God. In the end, it brings forth death and eternal separation from God and our loved ones. Sin takes us to a place where we will never feel the touch of a loved one, never feel the embrace of a child, no, not for a billion years. And it really doesn't matter how many good things we have done, our righteousness is as filthy rags that lepers use to wrap their putrid wounds. All our goodness cannot cover or wash away the leprosy of sin found in us.

Only the touch of Jesus can change it all. When we come to Him, completely aware of our wickedness and our inability to change, to cure ourselves of our loathsome condition, and we ask if He is willing to do for us what we can't do, then we will hear Him say, "I am not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Only by His touch, is our eternity altered, our disease cured and our life restored.

You have leprosy! You are untouchable. Fall at the feet of Jesus to worship Him and ask Him for His cleansing touch. That one touch will change everything!