Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him." (Luke 5:12-13 NIV)
The man with leprosy - outcast, avoided, untouchable, unclean. Jesus reached out. He didn't turn away, cross the street or go out of his way to steer clear of this unclean man. He reached out. He reached out his hand and touched the man.
Touch is such a powerful thing. Just the act of physical contact after who-knows-how-long must have been, in itself, a wonderful thing for this man. That touch may have been more healing than the actual physical healing of his leprosy.
Touch is intimate, personal. Sometimes touch is not a safe thing and people avoid it for their own protection. Unsafe touch is worse than no touch. As a prayer minister, I ask someone if it's ok to lay hands on them when I pray for them because I know that some have experienced unsafe touch and could feel threatened or uncomfortable by any physical contact. What a shame that something that can bring so much comfort and reassurance can be, instead, a danger.
In the case of the man in the gospel, he was forced to withdraw from contact with others because of his leprosy. He was deprived of interpersonal relationships, of friendly handshakes or pats on the back, hugs of greeting or hugs of love. Along with suffering from this disease, he was cut off from his community and was forced to suffer separation and isolation. How sweet that the first thing Jesus did in answer to his request was to reach out his hand and touch this man. How profound that simple gesture must have been! We don't know how long this poor man had suffered alone but Jesus touched him, bringing him at once back into relationship and contact with the human race. That touch healed his broken spirit AND healed his diseased body.
This account reminds me of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed from her years of bleeding. Again - isolated, cut off from society. Jesus' initial response is interesting to me: he asks who touched him. I can't help but think that Jesus must have known who touched him; he was, after all, fully human and fully God. But he invited her to step forward, to be acknowledged and seen - brought out of the shadows where she was ignored and avoided like the leprous man in the story from Luke. The next thing he did was call her "daughter". He restored her to the community, acknowledging that she was a person of great worth, precious in the eyes of her Father. Just as he reached out his hand and touched the man in Luke, he reached out and touched the woman by calling her daughter. Both of these people were publicly restored to the community, touched and identified, affirmed and valued by Jesus. Their physical bodies were indeed healed but how much more healing took place deep in their hearts? We can only wonder what life was like for these two after they were touched by Jesus.
In what ways do we allow ourselves to be touched by Jesus? Do we sit quietly in his presence and wait patiently for him to touch our hearts, to speak to us in that still, small voice? Do we reach out to him and ask for his healing of our inner hurts, our dis-ease of body, mind or soul? Do we wait expectantly for that touch? Do we trust that he is willing to make us whole? Do we know God to be good, loving, faithful and intimately involved in our lives? Allow Jesus to reach out his hand and touch you, to call you by name, to affirm your place in his heart and in the family of God.
