"When he (Jesus) was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." (Matthew 8:1, 2 KJV)
In this chapter, Jesus meets a leper who has come to him in desperation. The leper hears of this amazing man who heals people of their illnesses and infirmities. But he's a leper, and he doubts that Jesus will want to heal a leper. At the same time, though, he realizes that Jesus may be his last hope. Throwing all caution to the wind, this man does the unthinkable. Throwing himself before Jesus, he begs for healing, not even fully believing that he is worthy of it.
"And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." (Matthew 8:3)
We don't know how long this man had been a leper, but we know that it was long enough to thoroughly break his spirits. He thought so little of himself that he wasn't even sure the Son of God would want to heal him. And yet, Jesus healed him. He had compassion on a weary and worn out soul. But there is another important point in here that a lot of people miss.
Jesus touched the leper.
He didn't have to. He had healed people before without touching them. But Jesus knew that this man needed more than just physical healing. In that touch, Jesus healed the leper's heart.
This man had been disowned by his family, closest friends, and all of society in general. He felt worthless. His life was meaningless. That simple touch from Jesus was reassurance that someone cared. And not just any someone. God cared.
What have you done this week to ease someone's suffering? Not just helping someone with physical labor or helping with homework. What have you done to point someone to Christ? To heal their heart?
No comments:
Post a Comment