The Master's Touch

“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matthew 8:2-3 (ESV)

I hope you set aside time each day to read God’s Word, allowing it to become not just a part of your daily routine, but the Foundation upon which you build your life! We wouldn’t dare think to skip a meal, let alone stop eating for an extended period before we would begin to feel the physical effects of our lack of caloric intake. The same goes for our spirit. We need God’s Word on a daily basis to feed and strengthen our soul.

So, with that little reminder, take a look at this section of Scripture. More than likely, you have read it, as I have, and rejoiced in the miracle that Jesus performed for this person. This outcast of society comes to Jesus and, in full assurance of what Jesus can do, politely asks Jesus to heal him. Jesus obliges, of course…but wait. We skipped something VERY important here. Go back and reread those two verses.

The first thing we need to notice is NOT the miraculous healing that took place, nor the request placed by the leper. We need to pay attention to the beginning of verse 3. What is it that Jesus does immediately after the leper makes his plea? “And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…”. Before any physical act of healing took place, Jesus reached out and touched!

Jesus could have merely spoken the word and healed the man (as we see demonstrated in the story of the centurion in Matthew 8:5-13)  but He chose to reach out. He didn’t stop there. He could have extended His hand toward the leper and still kept a “safe” distance away from him. But He didn’t. Jesus TOUCHED him. What a sight that must have been to those standing around. One didn’t just go around touching lepers because, well…they were LEPERS!!!

I imagine that the true healing of the man was not the healing that could be seen with the eyes. The true healing, the healing of the heart, began the instant Jesus touched him. The removal of leprosy from his body was just a bonus!

There is a wonderful poem that beautifully illustrates Jesus’ touch. It is called “The Touch of the Master’s Hand”, written by Myra Brooks Welch. There is no room to post it here but I encourage you to read it when you can. Whether you have read it before or not, it is a beautiful reminder to look at those around us, especially those we deem “untouchable”, and see them through the eyes of Jesus. (https://allpoetry.com/The-Touch-of-the-Master's-Hand)

So…what about you? What needs do you have? Physical? Finances? Relationships? Jesus can help and wants to help in all those areas, but He first wants to bring healing to the most important part. Your heart. Will you allow Him to touch you? Will you allow Him to use you to touch others?