RTNT Matthew 8

Reading through the New Testament in 2012 M-F   (Link to the Schedule)

Matthew 8:2-3     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 cured of his leprosy.

Chapter 8 is full of really interesting people:

• The Gentile Centurion with a faith that impressed Jesus.
• Peter’s Mother-in-law (Peter is the only disciple we know for sure was married)
• The “wanna-be” disciples that Jesus would not allow to follow him.
• The demon possessed men that asked for the demons to be cast into a herd of pigs.

The one that has always stuck a note a pathos in me is the leprous man who knelt before Jesus wondering if Jesus was willing to heal him.  Had no doubt about Jesus ability to heal leprosy, he had doubts about Jesus disposition to heal a leper.

To be a leper was to be isolated and regarded as the walking dead.  The Levitical Code (the CDC of the day)  was very severe about how they were to be treated.  “The man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head. "The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp”  Leviticus 13:44-46.

You can imagine how such treatment would wear on the self-esteem of a person.  No doubt people went to great lengths to avoid coming into contact with lepers, and probably the neighborhood boys made sport of throwing rocks at them.  Isolated, alone, rejected, unwanted, cursed of God, . . .  the degrading list could go on for pages.  I’m sure that after a while a leper would start to believe the words themselves and give up any hope of ever being cared for again.

In a moment of desperation the leper broke all protocol and violated the distance rule, coming very close to Jesus and made his request.  Actually he made no request, he simply stated a fact.  “If you are willing you can make me clean.”  He did not even risk asking for cleansing.  In response Jesus did the very unexpected.  He reaches out and touched the untouchable. 

You can almost imagine the electrifying shock of that simple act.  Romantics often describe melting at the touch of a lover.  No doubt this man had such a feeling of exhilaration and acceptance. Then the miraculous happenes.   He heard the words, “I am willing” revealing the very heartbeat of God.  God is always willing to see his creation whole.  He never delights in deterioration or death.

We would have expected Jesus to say, “I am willing, be cleansed” and then touch him, but Jesus touched first.  Even before the cleaning has arrived!  The “unprotected” touch was part of the message!  "I accept you; who you are, where you are, how you are, but I love you too much to leave you as you are.”   

Never underestimate the power of the human touch upon those who have believed the lies that have been said about them being unloved and unlovable.

It was the power of Jesus’ touch that inspired Bill Gather to write one of his most popular, and powerful songs.

Shackled by a heavy burden, 'Neath a load of guilt and shame.
Then the hand of Jesus touched me, And now I am no longer the same.

CHORUS - He touched me, Oh He touched me, And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.

Since I met this blessed Savior, Since He cleansed and made me whole,
I will never cease to praise Him, I'll shout it while eternity rolls.

CHORUS