Opening illustration: Commuters on a Canadian Metro train witnessed a heart-moving conclusion to a tense moment. They watched as a 70-year old woman gently reached out and offered her hand to a young man whose loud voice and disturbing words were scaring other passengers. The lady’s kindness calmed the man who sank to the floor of the train with tears in his eyes. He said, “Thanks, Grandma,” stood up, and walked away. The woman later admitted to being afraid. But she said, “I’m a mother and he needed someone to touch.” While better judgment might have given her reason to keep her distance, she took a risk of love. (Mart DeHaan, ODB 04/26)
Jesus understands such compassion. He didn’t side with the fears of unnerved onlookers when a desperate man, full of leprosy, showed up begging to be healed. Neither was He helpless as other religious leaders were—men who could only have condemned the man for bringing his leprosy into the village (Leviticus 13:45–46). Instead, Jesus reached out to someone who probably hadn’t been touched by anyone for years, and healed him.
Thankfully, for that man and for us, Jesus came to offer what no law could ever offer—the touch of His hand, heart and words.
Introduction: The healing of this leper would have had great significance to the people. Leprosy was a major problem in first-century Israel, with clear processes outlined for diagnosis and response to the disease (Leviticus 13:38–39). It would be reasonable to ask: Why did the person go to the priest instead of going to a doctor? To the people of Israel, leprosy was not simply a fatal physical illness. Leprosy was seen as divine judgment for sin—a physical disease with spiritual roots. Since the cause of the disease was considered spiritual, the priest diagnosed the illness and, if the person was stricken with leprosy, prescribed the appropriate verdict: Isolation from family, home, community, and the corporate religious life of the nation. Not only did the Rabbi from Nazareth cleanse the man of his disease, but also by touching him He welcomed him back into the community.
How did Jesus touch the lives of people?
1. Touch of His HANDS (vs. 12-13a)
In that day, people didn’t touch lepers, but Jesus gave this leper a healing touch. The lepers were required to identify themselves so others wouldn’t come close. “Leper! Leper!” they had to cry, and they had to wear a bell to make noise as they moved about. People were afraid of them—but not Jesus. Jesus immediately made the leper whole; He put forth His hand. Jesus is no longer walking the earth today; but we are His people, and He uses our hands.
And what powerful hands! The trace of a single finger could restore sight to the blind, bring life to the dead, heal a leper’s skin, or lift a suffering soul from life’s dust. And what wounded hands! They bore the scars that no lotion could heal and no oil could help. They were the hands of Jesus.
The Bible describes the use of the words hands, fingers, and touch nearly two hundred times, and the words often refer to the touch of Jesus:
• "Jesus put out His hand and touched him,"
• "So He touched her hand,"
• "He went in and took her by the hand,"
• "Then He touched their eyes,"
• "Immediately Jesus stretched out His Hand,"
• "Jesus came and touched them,"
• "Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray."
Jesus wasn’t afraid to touch others. Leprous skin didn’t repulse Him, nor did He hesitate to handle the filthy feet of His disciples in the Upper Room. Now He wants to use our hands to send the same message of love, humility, and acceptance.
Psalm 104:28 says that when God opens His hand, we’re filled with goodness; and Psalm 145:16 echoes the thought: “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Are your hands open? Generous toward a needy person whom God brings across your path? Toward His work that needs support? Toward those depending on your provision?
How can our hands become a blessing to others? Perhaps wiping the brow of a fevered child? Cooking a meal for a lonely single? Typing a note to one needing encouragement? Cutting flowers for a neighbor? Wiping the noses of infants in the church nursery? Handing out bulletins with a smile and a handshake on Sunday? Knocking on the door of someone needing the Lord? Your hands can do His work every day!
I can visualize our Lord’s rough-hewn hands resting in a posture of prayer, palms together, fingers pointed upward as the Carpenter of Nazareth took time to beseech God’s blessings on the work of His hands.
• Jesus’ Hands Were Nail-Scarred
• Jesus’ Hands Were Healing Hands
• Jesus’ Hands Were Helpful Hands
• Jesus’ Hands Were Inviting Hands
• Jesus had Hands of blessing others
• Jesus had Hands of compassion
• Jesus had Servant Hands
2. Touch of His HEART (vs. 13b-14)
Jesus touched this untouchable leper with his heart. He accepted him just as he was and did not forsake him but gave him a place and importance. He did not reject his healing upon this man. In fact, Jesus restituted him back in the community just by touching him. Jesus put His mark of healing upon this leper.
Jesus revealed the heart of God to his disciples when he told them: It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:12, NASB)
Jesus made it clear that not only does God have compassion on sinners, but He desires that we have that same compassion. He wants to turn our hearts of stone – as a result of hurts, betrayal, cynicism, or selfishness – into hearts of flesh that long to love God and make His love known to the world … even when we’re having a ‘bad day’.
Today, as we go through our day, let’s take some time to ask that God would give us a heart of compassion for the lost. Let’s pray that through this heart of compassion we would be moved to become a part of what God is doing to take the gospel to hurting people around the world. Pray that God’s love would be loosed in our hearts and that we would be moved with compassion – just as Jesus was – for sinners in need of a Savior. This is the heart of God. By His grace, may it also be our heart.
For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, the afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. (Psalms 72:12-13, NASB). When Jesus saw the blind men, for example, he “had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20:34).
When he saw groups yearning for his teaching, “he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). Christ noted the confusion of the people in the crowd following him, and “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).
All these examples of Christ’s compassion have two things in common. First, Jesus notices the people around him. This tells us that compassion is only possible when we are attuned to others. If we’re absorbed in our own feelings, problems, worries and desires, we will overlook the needs of those God puts in our path and ignore the opportunity to help them. Second, Jesus responds to people, instead of reacting to them. He listens to the ten lepers rather than being irritated that they’re interrupting his conversation (Luke 17:12-19). He takes time to speak with the woman who touches the hem of his garment, instead of simply chastising her for lacking appropriate boundaries (Matthew 9:20).
What do we do with people who are rejected, neglected and forsaken by the world? Do we touch them with a compassionate heart like Jesus?
Illustration: The newlyweds travelled to Germany and were hiking on top of a mountain when Mrs. Warfield was struck by lightning and she became an invalid. He took care of her the rest of her life and it was reported he rarely (although some have said never) spent more than 2 hours away from his wife. Even though she was handicapped, she still loved to read. And so Dr. Warfield would sit at her bedside day after day. And read to her. He was always gentle and caring with her. One day, someone asked him, "Have you ever thought about taking your wife to an institution?" Then you could write bigger books and have a bigger ministry." But Dr. Warfield said, "No way. My wife is my ministry. I will never leave her side. I am going to love her and take care of her as long as God grants us life."
3. Touch of His WORDS (vs. 15-16)
Words are not simply sounds caused by air passing through our larynx. Words have real power. God spoke the world into being by the power of His words (Hebrews 11:3), and we are in His image in part because of the power we have with words. Words do more than convey information. The power of our words can actually destroy one’s spirit, even stir up hatred and violence. They not only exacerbate wounds but inflict them directly. Of all the creatures on this planet, only man has the ability to communicate through the spoken word. The power to use words is a unique and powerful gift from God.
Our words have the power to destroy and the power to build up (Proverbs 12:6). The writer of Proverb tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). Are we using words to build up people or destroy them? Are they filled with hate or love, bitterness or blessing, complaining or compliments, lust or love, victory or defeat? Like tools they can be used to help us reach our goals or to send us spiraling into a deep depression.
In verses 15 and 16, the Word of God tells us that the report of Jesus went viral and people started to show up at His ministry meetings just to listen to him and be healed of their infirmities. There is some relationship of “death and life lie in the power of the tongue.” They were healed as they heard His powerful words. God was working in miraculous ways by using the power of His words to heal people.
Paul wrote, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). In this passage, Paul is emphasizing the positive over the negative. The Greek word translated “unwholesome” means “rotten” or “foul.” It originally referred to rotten fruit and vegetables. Being like Christ means we don’t use foul, dirty language. For some reason, many people today think it is macho or liberating to use vulgar humor, dirty jokes, and foul language, but this kind of talk has no place in the life of a Christian.
Paul continues: “. . . but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” This is reminiscent of his words to the Colossians: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6; see also Colossians 3:16).
Jesus reminds us that the words we speak are actually the overflow of our hearts (Matthew 12:34–35). When one becomes a Christian, there is an expectancy that a change of speech follows because living for Christ makes a difference in one’s choice of words. The sinner’s mouth is “full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:14); but when we turn our lives over to Christ, we gladly confess that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9–10). As condemned sinners, our mouths are silenced before the throne of God (Romans 3:19), but, as believers, our mouths are opened to praise and glorify God (Romans 15:6).
Christians are those whose hearts have been changed by the power of God, a change reflected in our words. Remember, before we were saved, we lived in spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1-3). Paul describes those who are dead in sin: “Their throats are open graves” (Romans 3:13). Our words are full of blessing when the heart is full of blessing. So, if we fill our hearts with the love of Christ, only truth and purity can come out of our mouths.
Peter tells us, “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Let the power of our words be used of God to manifest the power of our faith. Be prepared to give the reason for why we love the Lord—at any time, to anyone. Our words should demonstrate the power of God’s grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May God enable us to use our words as an instrument of His love and saving grace.
Application: No one is too troubled or unclean to be touched by Jesus. Jesus still welcomes outcasts today. Whom can you welcome in today? How many people have you touched with the Love of Jesus?
