Tag: faith response
Week 3–Day 1–Jesus Responds Willingly!
Scripture reading for January 12: Matthew 8:2-3 “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.”
Leprosy was a difficult disease to deal with in Bible times. Lepers were quarantined to keep them from spreading it to others. No one was to touch a leper or they would become ‘unclean’ themselves. The leprosy would eat up the skin, the body’s protective layer and expose flesh to disease and infection. Open sores would often develop and the person would become disfigured. On top of this, the spiritual implications of the one with leprosy brought accusation of God’s punishment for sins committed or in the person’s background. It was against this backdrop that this leper approached Jesus with the question of His willingness to get involved.
But Jesus did not hesitate to respond to the leper who believed that Jesus could heal him. Jesus reached out and touched him with his hand, while declaring His willingness and giving a simple command to be clean. The results were immediately obvious! The effects of leprosy vanished right before their eyes. I imagine that the flesh healed and grew back and all sores dried up. Jesus told him to go and worship, offering the sacrifice commanded in God’s law after cleansing. He was to tell no one who had touched him. Jesus did not do anything for fame or boasting, but to demonstrate His Father’s love.
One of the marks of first responders is their willingness to go where the hurting people are. During the recent covid epidemic that spread over the world and our country, I was called on, with many other responders, to go to help those that were infected. We would don masks and gloves and even protective clothes to reach out to those who society considered ‘unclean’. We went by faith, trusting our training and our Lord to protect us while we worked.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for being willing to come near and touch those who are ‘unclean’ because of sin or affliction. This example of Jesus reassures me of Your calling on my life to be willing and available to those that others may consider untouchable. Give me faith each day to respond. Amen.