Reading Matthew 8 today,
"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 (NIV)
When we first read about this amazing miracle, it's easy to feel a bit distant from it. After all, how many of us have had the faith to heal a person as Jesus did? Sometimes I read something like this and just think, "yes, Jesus was powerful, but how do I follow his example here?"
The answer is in a small detail, "Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man"
Can you imagine what that simple act of kindness must have felt like to a leper? A leper had to stay away from people, far away. If he passed a person anywhere he had to yell "unclean!" to make sure they stayed away from him.
When was the last time this person had had someone touch them? Even babies thrive more when they get human touch. We crave that, we need that contact. And before Jesus even spoke to him, he touched him. Can you imagine what it must have felt like for that man?
We may not ever cleanse a leper, but we can certainly reach out and touch those that society deems "unclean" and "unlovable."
And that is certainly something to learn from the Lord.
