THE DISEASE - How would you feel if you had The Disease? Jesus reaches out and does more than heal - He touches. He meets the need beyond the need. He reaches out and touches the untouchable. He wipes away not only the guilt of sin, but also removes the isolation and the hurting it causes - He brings us back from a life of separation. It all started with a white spot on the skin. Nothing painful, but certainly worrisome. The law was clear: you had to be checked to see if you had The Disease. So, you went and had it checked. The specialist walked in, looked you in the eye, and said, "I'm sorry. You've got it. You'll have to leave." And suddenly your life as you knew it was over. You had to leave your family without even a goodbye, friends find out later that you were gone; you left home, work, everything you knew. You went to live with others who also had The Disease. The Disease, during Bible times, was leprosy. It was a contagious skin disease that was feared above all else. Modern leprosy isn't the same disease, terrible though it is. The ancient disease was so dreaded that extreme measures were taken to prevent it. This meant total isolation for those who had fallen ill. No contact at all. The teachers of the day connected leprosy with sin. You weren't just sick; you were unclean. When you were cleansed from leprosy, there was an elaborate ceremony to show everyone that you were no longer an outcast.

..................................................................................................................................................................

The Disease

How would you feel if you had The Disease?

.

Jesus reaches out and does more than heal - He touches. He meets the need beyond the need. He reaches out and touches the untouchable. He wipes away not only the guilt of sin, but also removes the isolation and the hurting it causes - He brings us back from a life of separation

by Tim Archer

Hope for Life

It all started with a white spot on the skin. Nothing painful, but certainly worrisome.

The law was clear: you had to be checked to see if you had The Disease.

So, you went and had it checked. The specialist walked in, looked you in the eye, and said, "I'm sorry. You've got it. You'll have to leave."

And suddenly your life as you knew it was over.

You had to leave your family without even a goodbye, friends find out later that you were gone; you left home, work, everything you knew.

You went to live with others who also had The Disease.

The Disease, during Bible times, was leprosy.

It was a contagious skin disease that was feared above all else.

Modern leprosy isn't the same disease, terrible though it is.

The ancient disease was so dreaded that extreme measures were taken to prevent it.

Above all, this meant total isolation for those who had fallen ill. No contact at all, especially physical contact.

The teachers of the day connected leprosy with sin.

You weren't just sick; you were unclean.

You didn't get well; you were cleansed.

When you were cleansed from leprosy, there was an elaborate ceremony to show everyone that you were no longer an outcast.

But that day rarely came, and if it didn't, you lived the rest of your life cut off from all that you had known and loved.

You would NEVER again feel the touch of another "clean" human being.

Jesus came on the scene and began healing all sorts of illnesses.

One of the first healing stories told in detail is that of a man with leprosy who came to Jesus.

On his knees, the man begged Jesus for healing. Jesus healed him.

Not only did He heal the man, according to the gospel writers, “He touched him” (Mark 1:41).

For the first time in such a long time, someone reached out and touched this man.

Jesus didn't have to touch the man to heal him.

He could have spoken the words from distance.

But Jesus knew that this man needed more than just healing ... he needed to be touched.

Jesus still reaches out to those with The Disease.

The Disease today, though, isn't leprosy. It's sin.

Sin scars ... kills ... isolates. It devastates lives and separates people.

Just as He did on that memorable day, Jesus reaches out and does more than heal. He touches.

He meets the need beyond the need.

He reaches out and touches the untouchable.

He wipes away not only the guilt of sin, but also removes the isolation and the hurting it causes.

He brings us back from a life of separation.

I spend my life trying to tell people about the Master's touch and what it means.

I'd like to tell you about it. If you need to be touched by Jesus, write me at tim@hopeforlife.org.

Tim Archer is the author of Church Inside Out and leads a seminar by the same name on behalf of Hope For Life, a Herald of Truth ministry. (Visit the Author's Website)

Heartlight Provides Positive Resources for Daily Christian Living.

https://www.heartlight.org/articles/200708/20070829_disease.html

TOUCH - Without the personal touch, full healing never comes. Jesus was a toucher. He allowed people to touch him — like a sinful woman of the city and a woman with a flow of blood who pushed through the crowd - He offered to let his apostles touch His wounds received during His crucifixion. Jesus touched and was touched by the mess of our humanity. He didn't run away - He didn't jump up and wash his hands - He stayed - He touched - He healed - He made whole. He allowed himself to be soiled by the very dust of our existence. God comes to earth in Jesus. Jesus is born as one of us - Jesus lives as one of us - Jesus touches the worst of us and the worst that life throws at us - When you read the stories of his life in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you see him touch all sorts of people — like a dead little girl to raise her from the dead, a blind man's eyes, and the dirty, stinky feet of the apostles. He also allowed people to touch him — like a sinful woman of the city and a woman with a flow of blood who pushed through the crowd. To validate his physical resurrection, he offered to let his apostles touch his wounds received during his crucifixion. John, the beloved disciple, speaks beautifully of Jesus' ministry of touching and being touched with these words: “We want to tell you about the One who was from the beginning. We have seen Him with our own eyes, heard Him with our own ears, and touched Him with our own hands.”

..................................................................................................................................................

Touch

Without the personal touch, full healing never comes

.

Jesus was a toucher. He allowed people to touch him — like a sinful woman of the city and a woman with a flow of blood who pushed through the crowd - He offered to let his apostles touch His wounds received during His crucifixion. Jesus touched and was touched by the mess of our humanity. He didn't run away - He didn't jump up and wash his hands - He stayed - He touched - He healed - He made whole. He allowed himself to be soiled by the very dust of our existence. God comes to earth in Jesus. Jesus is born as one of us - Jesus lives as one of us - Jesus touches the worst of us and the worst that life throws at us

by Phil Ware 

The Jesus Window

Touch has always been important to me.

As a boy with a touch of ADD — or maybe a lot more than a touch of ADD — I was never good at sitting still.

Some people believe I became a preacher because I had such a hard time being still in church during the sermon.

However, when I was a little boy, my dad would set me on his lap, and I would be still for 5 or 10 minutes at a time.

His secret? He would lightly stroke the lines on my hands.

His gentle touch would calm me. I would gladly be still, sit quietly, and sometimes go to sleep feeling his loving touch on my hands!

Years later, nothing calms my soul quite like my wife, Donna, gently stroking my back or tousling my hair as I go to sleep.

I feel loved. I feel safe.

I feel relieved of my problems, responsibilities, and deadlines. I fall fast asleep, joyous and unburdened from the world and its pressing demands.

Jesus was a toucher.

When you read the stories of his life in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you see him touch all sorts of people — like a dead little girl to raise her from the dead, a blind man's eyes, and the dirty, stinky feet of the apostles.

He also allowed people to touch him — like a sinful woman of the city and a woman with a flow of blood who pushed through the crowd.

To validate his physical resurrection, he offered to let his apostles touch his wounds received during his crucifixion.

John, the beloved disciple, speaks beautifully of Jesus' ministry of touching and being touched with these words:

“We want to tell you about the One who was from the beginning. We have seen Him with our own eyes, heard Him with our own ears, and touched Him with our own hands” - (1 John 1:1 The Voice)

Jesus is our tactile Savior; he touched and was touched by the mess of our humanity.

He didn't run away. He didn't jump up and wash his hands. He stayed. He touched. He healed. He made whole.

He allowed himself to be soiled by the very dust of our existence.

Once I realized that Jesus was a toucher, I was totally captured by Mark's story of Jesus touching a man with leprosy:

Jesus:

“’It's time we went somewhere else — the next village, maybe — so I can tell more people the good news about the kingdom of God. After all, that's the reason I'm here.’

“So He traveled to the next village and the one after that, throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and casting out unclean spirits.

“A leper walked right up to Jesus, dropped to his knees, and begged Him for help.”

Leper:

“’If You want to, You can make me clean.’

“Jesus was powerfully moved. He reached out and actually touched the leper.”

Jesus:

“’I do want to. Be clean.’

“And at that very moment, the disease left him; the leper was cleansed and made whole once again”

He allowed himself to be soiled by the very dust of our existence.
.
I cannot over-emphasize the profound impact this event had on my heart when I heard it clearly for the first time.

Jesus touched the man with leprosy BEFORE he healed the man.

Jesus did what he was prohibited from doing; he touched a leper.

He became unclean.

He willingly exposed himself to a man and his illness even though the man was shunned and feared because of his illness.

Jesus entered into the world of ostracism, brokenness, illness, isolation, and death to rescue a person and make that person fully whole again.

Jesus never saw a leper. Instead, he saw a man with leprosy who needed to be loved and healed.

He loved this man personally — a man who had been pushed to the brink of survival and isolated on the outskirts of humanity by his own religious laws. 
.
Jesus' humanity and compassion, Jesus placing human need above the religious law, stirs something deep inside me.

We see the gospel demonstrated; the truth of God's grace told beautifully, simply, succinctly, and fully in a touch.

God comes to earth in Jesus.

Jesus is born as one of us. Jesus lives as one of us.

Jesus touches the worst of us and the worst that life throws at us.

Jesus brings us back to God cleansed, whole, and holy (Colossians 1:15-23).

The example of Jesus beckons us to join our Lord and Savior in touching the unlovable, the marginalized, the sinful, the forgotten, the isolated, and the sick.

We need to ask ourselves each morning, "Who am I going to touch with the grace of Jesus today?"

For this series, unless otherwise indicated, the Bible verses will come from The Voice translation. The references are also linked to the NIV for comparison.

This post is the final part of a series focused on learning to touch the broken and impact their lives in ways similar to Jesus' ministry to the man with leprosy (Mark 1:35-45). Here are the six parts in the series and links back to those posts: Look — Pray — Purpose — Touch — Raised — Proof

Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God's Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels. (Visit the Author's Website)

Heartlight Provides Positive Resources for Daily Christian Living.

https://www.heartlight.org/articles/201603/20160317_Touch.html