I Need You To Touch Me!

“When [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” [1]

Even as I speak, someone hearing my voice is silently crying out in her heart, “Lord, I need You to touch me!” Seated among us is a man who this day is crying out in his pain in the depths of his heart, “Lord, I need You to touch me!” Perhaps the problem that now drives you to cry out in your desperate silence is pain, or the prospect of pain, arising from a health problem. The fear of the unknown is palpable. You don’t really want to let your mind go where it seems to keep turning. You have told no one what you are experiencing, but the problem persists. The pain and discomfort intrudes into your thoughts throughout the day, never giving you rest, always nagging at your mind. You recognise this current physical problem may be a threat to your life, and because this is so you’ve consulted the doctor, only to have the doctor give you the “northern treatment.” Despite the murmured words of compassion, and perhaps despite the best efforts of the physician, the problem persists—the threat continues hanging over your future. Now, you have no option except to cry out to Jesus for mercy. So, even as you sit in this service, you find yourself crying out to Jesus, “I need You to touch me!”

It is certainly possible that the problem dogging your days, dragging you down into the slough of despair is a financial burden that weighs down your mind. You certainly had no intention of getting into this financial hole, but the debts have piled up and you don’t have the ability to repay what is owed even though you are getting more hours at work. You feel as if the debt continues to grow with each passing month, though you are paying all you can week-by-week. The press of debt is crushing, and the constant demands leave you mentally exhausted. The threat of financial ruin is stealing what little joy you once had. You don’t know how you will ever be able to provide for the necessities required to maintain your family or how you will ever get the creditors off your back. The phone calls and the Emails reminding you that you must pay serve only to drain what little energy remains. The worry you are experiencing overwhelms you and has begun even to intrude into your relationship with those you love. Now, you have no option except to cry out to Jesus for mercy, pleading, “Lord, I need You to touch me!”

The problem you are facing may be more subtle than what I’ve described, but it is no less worrisome for you. There is a strain on your relationship with a loved one, or perhaps a cloud hangs over your friendship with someone with whom you have been close for years. The warm interactions you previously enjoyed have become heated; or worse still, they have grown cold. You’ve wept an ocean of tears in the dark nights until there are no more tears to cry. You have tried to repair the damage, but frankly, you have exhausted yourself in your repeated attempts to repair the breach. Now, you have no option except to cry out to Jesus for mercy, “Lord, I need You to touch me!”

You do have one great consolation as a twice-born child of God. Because you are known by the Father, you can be assured that the Lord does hear your cry and that He will give you an answer according to His divine wisdom. Whatever else may be true, the Son of God, Jesus our Saviour, will touch the soul that is wounded. He will reach out to the desperate child who is born from above. He will console the one who grieves. Our Lord will not turn you away in your hour of sorrow—of that you can be certain.

We have in the Gospel accounts one story that pictures someone who had reached the end of the road. The man in question had nowhere else to turn. It is not unreasonable to conclude that everyone who came to Jesus had reached their limit, but in this one instance the individual sought out the Master, pleading for His divine intervention because there was nowhere else the man could turn. In desperation this man came to Jesus, and the Master did not disappoint when the man cried out for help.

Studying what took place, and especially thinking of the man who needed help, I suggest will provide us with encouragement in our time of desperation. We need encouragement to find help in our time of need, and the pericope before us in this hour provides just such encouragement. I invite you, especially if you are one desperately crying out to the Lord in your need, to join me in studying the account Matthew provides that details a leper who came to Jesus and what Jesus did when He was approached.