Touching lives

Matthew 8:1-4 When he 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. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Can you think of someone who has touched your life throughout the years? What was it about them that made them so great? Was it the time they spent with you, encouragement, or something they may have done that meant so much? We all have been on the outside looking in at some point in our lives and needed someone to reach out with a welcoming and loving hand.

In the scriptures above, we find a man who was a leper. A leper in the days of Jesus had a serious disease that would eventually lead to death. There was no cure. It involved sores on the skin that would spread all over the body. As a result, the leper would be an outcast to society. They were defiled and had to stay away from everyone else. They lived a life of isolation. What a great picture of sin in our day. It is infectious and spreads to everyone around leading to defilement and isolation. In the end, the loneliness, guilt and brokenness can drive a person to their knees looking for hope and comfort. Have you ever been at this point in your life? I know I have!

The focus of these verses is the healing power of Jesus Christ. This man probably had not been touched in years. His body was probably sensitive, dirty and aching. However, Jesus not only listened to the broken hearted man but also touched him where it hurt the most. What a picture of grace we see in Christ! He has the power to touch sin-defiled souls and say be clean. Nothing can compare to His touch and His Words. Did you notice how fast he was cleansed? Immediately…

We must never underestimate the power of Christ to impact those who are separated from God and dead in their sins. The apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). He also told the Colossians, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person”(4:5-6).

We, the Church, are the body of Christ. He desires that we touch the untouchables with His truth and love. As I teach and preach each week, I can’t help but wonder how good of a job we are doing at stepping outside of our comfort zones, lending a helping hand, and sharing Christ’s compassion. It is easy to be like the Pharisees and look away in disgust over the spiritual leprosy that infects our society. We are commanded to live at high moral standards and be separated from sin, but on almost every page of scripture, I find Jesus full of grace and truth in the middle of publicans and sinners.

Today while visiting the prison, I began looking around at the ages of some of the young men. They could not have been much older than twenty. I wondered where their parents, friends, teachers, coaches and pastors may have been. I know these are the people who touched me the most and directed me in life. Although some will choose to remain a spiritual leper, let’s be careful to listen, open enough to care and willing to share the truth of God’s Word each day! Only eternity will tell how many lives Christ has touched through you!