Touch

Father, Your patience never ceases to amaze me! For whatever reason, I’ve not been able to get myself to settle down this morning and sit with You. Anything that could be a distraction was! But You have been so patient and finally, I am here and You have not left me but are here as well. Thank You for Your longsuffering love!
Mark 1:40-45 (<<click to read the passage)

From a cultural perspective, the leper in today’s passage was untouchable. He was rejected. But when he asked Jesus to heal him and make him clean, Jesus did that but He touched him! The leper probably hadn’t felt the touch of another human being in years but Jesus did it without a second thought. He may have looked awful. He may have smelled awful. But none of that held Jesus back.

How many people in our communities are “untouchable”? They don’t look like us, or act like us, or dress like us, or think like us, or believe like us. I guess we could fall into the same categories on other people’s lists. We don’t want to be near each other. We are all rejected…and we all reject.

But Jesus? He never met anyone He didn’t absolutely adore! Every single one of us is loved and cherished. And…we are touchable! No one is ever too far gone, no one is every beyond the “long arm of the Lord” to quote an old Wayne Watson song.

We may feel we’re too dirty or diseased or stained for anyone to come close to us…but Jesus will. And He will do more than just come close. He will touch. In fact, he will embrace us!

Lord Jesus, may we see ourselves as You see us. May we not hold back from pursuing a relationship with You. And it needs to be more than a surface level relationship. Help us to develop a deep, penetrating, life-changing relationship. Help us to allow You to touch us…to embrace us in our entirety.

Jan 28^th, 2019, Mon, 10:52 am