Touched by Jesus

What was life like for anyone at Jesus’ time if they suffered from leprosy or any skin infection that the Jews called tzara’at? They were complete social outcasts. Luke, the doctor, notes that this man was ‘covered with tzara’at’, so he couldn’t just hope that people wouldn’t notice. Nobody, except fellow-sufferers, could come near him, let alone touch him. He had to call out “Unclean! Unclean!” if anyone approached. If anyone was rejected, he was.

How different it was when he came up to Jesus. Far from turning away from him, He allowed him to prostrate himself right in front of Him. And then He ‘stretched out his hand and touched him’. That touch! Can you imagine what that must have meant for him? Acceptance, love, understanding - everything that had been denied him ever since he had become infected.

We don’t just experience touch as something physical. We often talk of being emotionally touched. And we experience what we call ‘God’s touch’ in our lives – something spiritual. And His touch is always loving, welcoming and accepting.

Feeling rejected is one of the most common and most debilitating emotions. God made us for relationship. Feeling rejected makes us fearful of getting emotionally close to anyone. What if they reject me? And that fear can spill over into how we relate to God. What if He rejects me?

Is that what the leper feared as he prostrated himself in front of Jesus? “You can make me clean”. He had no doubts about Jesus’ ability to heal him. “If you are willing ...” That was the issue. And Jesus’ response? First the touch, then, “I am willing”, and then, “Be cleansed”.

If we feel rejected or unacceptable, there will be (like this man’s tzara’at) an underlying cause. If, like him, we come to Jesus, believing that He can deal with the underlying cause, He will reach out and touch us, reassure us that, of course, He’s more than willing to bring healing and restoration, and then start the work of dealing with the underlying issues.

Many people find rejection so painful that they bury the feelings, or deny them, or resort to all manner of coping strategies. Jesus brings healing, not just help in coping. It may take time. Much inner healing is a process in which our willingness and co-operation are necessary. But Jesus is faithful and never gives up. All we need to do is, like the leper, come humbly to Him and ask Him to do what only He can do.

After all, He carried all our rejection to the Cross. ‘He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering’ (Isaiah 53:3-4).