puricare chronicles: HE TOUCHED ME - Jesus has the power to heal instantly or in stages. He heals one with a touch, another with a word, another with a glance, and yet another at a great distance. In this case, he touched a leper. That would have shocked his audience because leprosy was considered incurable. The leper’s faith, though filled with doubt, seems remarkable. Jesus rewards his hesitant faith with something unexpected. He touched the leper. Technically this rendered Jesus unclean - but the holiness of Christ overcame the letter of the law. Jesus will reach out to you if you call out to him - He came for sinners - “Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be made clean.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” - Jesus doesn’t treat us all the same way. He has the power to heal instantly or in stages. He heals one with a touch, another with a word, another with a glance, and yet another at a great distance. He touches one and never sees the other, and yet both are healed. In this case, he touched a leper. That would have shocked his audience because leprosy was considered incurable. No one understood its origin, and no one knew how to treat it. So much did the ancients fear it that anyone suspected of having the disease was banished from society. In the rabbinic writings nothing is listed for leprosy. The rabbis said that curing it was like raising the dead. The leper’s faith, though filled with doubt, seems remarkable.

Friday, October 9, 2020

HE TOUCHED ME - Jesus has the power to heal instantly or in stages. He heals one with a touch, another with a word, another with a glance, and yet another at a great distance. In this case, he touched a leper. That would have shocked his audience because leprosy was considered incurable. The leper’s faith, though filled with doubt, seems remarkable. Jesus rewards his hesitant faith with something unexpected. He touched the leper. Technically this rendered Jesus unclean - but the holiness of Christ overcame the letter of the law. Jesus will reach out to you if you call out to him - He came for sinners - “Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be made clean.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” - Jesus doesn’t treat us all the same way. He has the power to heal instantly or in stages. He heals one with a touch, another with a word, another with a glance, and yet another at a great distance. He touches one and never sees the other, and yet both are healed. In this case, he touched a leper. That would have shocked his audience because leprosy was considered incurable. No one understood its origin, and no one knew how to treat it. So much did the ancients fear it that anyone suspected of having the disease was banished from society. In the rabbinic writings nothing is listed for leprosy. The rabbis said that curing it was like raising the dead. The leper’s faith, though filled with doubt, seems remarkable.

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He Touched Me

Jesus has the power to heal instantly or in stages. He heals one with a touch, another with a word, another with a glance, and yet another at a great distance. He touched a leper - that would have shocked his audience because leprosy was considered incurable. The leper’s faith, though filled with doubt, seems remarkable. Jesus rewards his hesitant faith with something unexpected - He touched the leper. Technically this rendered Jesus unclean - but the holiness of Christ overcame the letter of the law. Jesus will reach out to you if you call out to him - He came for sinners

Ray Pritchard

“Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be made clean.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” - (Matthew 8:3).

Jesus doesn’t treat us all the same way.

This is evident from a study of the miracles of Christ.

He has the power to heal instantly or in stages.

He heals one with a touch, another with a word, another with a glance, and yet another at a great distance.

He touches one and never sees the other, and yet both are healed.

In this case, he touched a leper.

That would have shocked his audience because leprosy was considered incurable.

No one understood its origin, and no one knew how to treat it.

So much did the ancients fear it that anyone suspected of having the disease was banished from society.

In the rabbinic writings we find remedies for various diseases.

But nothing is listed for leprosy. The rabbis said that curing it was like raising the dead.

The leper’s faith, though filled with doubt, seems remarkable.

Somehow this poor outcast, rejected by his neighbors, knows that Christ can do for him what no doctor can do.

No doubt he has heard of other miracles Christ has performed.

He thinks to himself, “If only I can get myself to Christ, he can heal me.”

Jesus rewards his hesitant faith with something unexpected. He touched the leper.

Technically this rendered him unclean in light of Leviticus 5:3.

But in this case the holiness of Christ overcame the letter of the law.

Christ touched him to identify with him and to show the crowd that he was not afraid to touch a leper.

A beloved gospel song reminds us of the powerof our Lord’s touch:

“Shackled by a heavy burden,

'Neath a load of guilt and shame.

Then the hand of Jesus touched me,

And now I am no longer the same

He touched me, Oh He touched me,

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened and now I know,

He touched me and made me whole”

Let no one say, “Jesus would never have anything to do with someone like me.”

You may be the worst sort of “moral leper,” but Jesus will reach out to you if you call out to him.

He came for sinners.

Are you a sinner?

If so, then he came for you.

Lord, we need to feel your healing touch today.

Come and heal us from the inside out because no one can help us but you.

Amen.

“Equipping and encouraging people to keep believing in Jesus”

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Dr. Ray Pritchard serves as president of Keep Believing Ministries. He has ministered extensively overseas in China, Bolivia, Columbia, Paraguay, Belize, Haiti, Nigeria, Switzerland, Russia, India, Nepal, and South Korea. He is a frequent conference speaker and guest on Christian radio and television talk shows. He has written 31 books, including Stealth Attack, The ABCs of Christmas, The Healing Power of Forgiveness, An Anchor for the Soul, The Incredible Journey of Faith, The ABCs of Wisdom, Leadership Lessons of Jesus (with Bob Briner), Why Did This Happen to Me?, and Credo: Believing in Something to Die For.

He is a co-host of Today's Issues on American Family Radio.

For 26 years he pastored churches in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago. Most recently he pastored Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL for sixteen years. He is a graduate of Tennessee Temple University (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and Talbot School of Theology (D.Min.). He has been married to Marlene for 43 years. They have three sons (Josh, Mark, and Nick). Josh and Leah were married in July 2006 and have two children, Knox and Violet. Mark and Vanessa were married in July 2007 and have three children, Eli, Penny, and Zoe. Nick and Sarah were married in July 2014 and have two children, Hannah and Joshua.

Dr. Pritchard’s hobbies include biking, surfing the Internet, and anything related to the Civil War.