to touch humanity

2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. (Matthew 8:2-3)

I read this a few days ago during my quiet time and verse 3 really stuck out to me this time reading it – ‘Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.’ Why did Jesus do that? He didn’t have to touch him to heal him; read just a few verses down and you have the story of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant from afar with just a word. And that’s the most striking point: Jesus didn’t have to touch the man with leprosy, but he did. The man with leprosy was ‘unclean’; he probably had some sort of noticeable skin disease, but it didn’t make Jesus distance himself.  Instead, Jesus touched him first and then healed him. And that touch probably meant everything to the man use to others distancing themselves from him.  I recall how big news it was when the pope hugged, kissed, and prayed for a disfigured man.  There is something about the beautiful touching the ugly that strikes at the core of our hearts and fills us with wonder.  When I think about the people that I shy away from, that I think twice about shaking hands with, that I wouldn’t hug – it’s not so much an indication that they are too dirty or smelly or ugly, but it is more an indication of the lack of love within me.  Because I know that when it comes to my loved ones, they could never be too dirty, smelly, ugly, sick, or old for me to sit with them, have a relationship with them, and hug them. And I think that’s also why Jesus touched the man with leprosy – not just to give him dignity, but to let that man know that Jesus loved him, truly loved him.  And it is a reminder to all of us that He is willing to touch us where we are most ashamed, sinful, ugly, and dirty; His love surpasses all of this, and then He heals and redeems us. Often the most ugly parts of us are the unseen parts of our hearts, and God did not wait for us to become beautiful and right with Him before stepping into our messes and redeeming us. God did not have to become a man, die and suffer in our stead, and offer us redemption, but God did. How great is His love for you and me!

Anyone could be attracted by the beautiful and the charming. But could such attraction be called love? True love was to accept humanity when wasted like rags and tatters. (Silence)

This serves as a reminder to me to not be so quick to ‘heal’ from afar but to build relationships with people, especially those who are use to being distanced from and isolated by the religious. It is easy to say to people from afar ‘you shall not lust!’ but it is messy to step into their struggles with them, to understand them, to see them as more than their struggles, and walk with them through life.  There is much messiness in our world today with politics, with moral issues, with religion, etc., and it is so easy to talk about the theoretical ideals from afar without getting into the mess, the hurt, and the brokenness.  But that is not what we are called to as disciples of Christ. As disciples, we go where our Master goes, and when He steps into people’s messy lives, into the ugliness and brokenness within all of us, we follow and we learn to love people with a love that looks past the ugliness and sees the beauty and worth of a people that Jesus was willing to die for.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)