Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
– Matthew 8:3
Elizabeth Barrett Browning famously wrote, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Can we count the ways love is expressed? Certainly we can. I don’t think we need to agree on any certain number, given that we all might make different lists of those expressions. For instance, Dr. Gary Chapman observed five categorical expressions of love he called “love languages” in his landmark work. One of those languages Dr. Chapman identifies as physical touch. A handshake, a hug, a pat on the back or hand on the shoulder: these are a few examples of how to communicate love to someone whose native love language is physical touch.
Jesus understood the power of touch. In just a few short verses in Matthew chapter 8, we are told of a day when Jesus imparted the power of love in a way that must have made the disciples gasp. As he and his disciples were going along their way, a man with leprosy approached Jesus saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” The man was expressing great faith. He knew Jesus could make him clean. The question was, would Jesus make him clean. Jesus replied, “I am willing.” If we are only told this much, it doesn’t seem shocking. Jesus certainly seems to be a compassionate soul, and his power to heal has already been adequately demonstrated. All Jesus would have to do is speak the word, right? “Be clean!” That should be all there is to it.
Well, there was more, and it was the one extra detail that probably made Simon want to jump toward Jesus, screaming “NO!” When would Simon have reacted like that? The split second when he saw the hand of Jesus begin to reach toward the man with leprosy. Everyone knows that you don’t touch lepers, and for good reason. Many of the skin diseases classified then as leprosy would have been highly contagious. To touch a leper would not only make you ceremonially unclean; it would put you at risk of contracting the disease yourself, bringing upon you the alienating consequences that accompanied leprosy at the time. Surely Jesus knows this, right? Then why is he stretching his hand toward the man….?
As if the disciples didn’t have enough to ponder, now they can add the question of why Jesus decided to touch a leper. It is a reasonable question given the fact that he didn’t have to touch in order to heal. There are at least a couple of responses that we could consider. The first I suggest is that there is a foreshadowing in this action. Being the Son of God, Jesus was in no danger of becoming ill by touching the man with leprosy. There would soon be a day, though, when he would take upon himself ALL of humanity’s disease. By coming to us in human form, God through the Son says to us, “Yes, I am willing to touch your brokenness in order to make you well.” Putting his hand on a leper was just a tiny gesture to show us what he would do on the cross.
The second response to consider is that Jesus, in touching the leper, was speaking the language of love. Our modern society markets the positive effects of intentional sensory deprivation. It still remains, though, that to be deprived of sensory stimulation can have serious negative emotional and even physical effects. To have leprosy in Jesus’ day rendered a person “untouchable,” which can feel like a great burden especially to those who receive love through touch. What Jesus did that day was not only to say, “I care about you.” In touching the man, he said, “I love you.”
If you are among those first followers of Jesus, this is another clue regarding what your ministry will look like. One of those guys may have mumbled under his breath, “Well, I guess we are going around touching lepers now.” That is no small thing. They were starting to realize that following Jesus meant taking risks on several different levels. Provoking religious leaders was only one of those risks. They can now see that their own physical well-being could be compromised in order to be faithful to the work. As they would continue to learn, Jesus was quite intent on touching the marginalized and the outcast. It is work that can’t be done without getting your hands dirty. If it weren’t for those hands, though, no one would understand the power of Jesus’ love. It raises a good question for the rest of us: will our hands touch the untouchable?
See you along the winding path.
The Winding Path 