Who Has Touched You?
Good Morning Friends,
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco portrays God reaching to touch Adam with his finger as an act of creation itself and indeed the giving of life. Then there is the image of Thomas touching Jesus’s wounds in the painting, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, by Caravaggio. Countless modern paintings depict angels touching people. The point is that touch has always been central to our spiritual life but has gotten more confusing of late. You see, the word touch conveys a lot of different meanings and in more recent years a negative one. To be touched can mean to be a bit crazy. Yes it is a touchy subject in more than one way. It can be an acquisition. But in the Bible, I think the connotation of touch is a bit saner and is one of healing and power. In the Bible touch brings a clarity of communication. It is the universal language. When Jesus was touched by a woman washing his feet with her hair there was a clarity of communication. She did not have to utter a word. When Jesus was touched by a woman and power went out of him healing her, it was clear what had happened. When Jesus healed a leper the communication was with a touch first then with words to back up the action. So, perhaps we are to hold each other’s hand on the subject. Perhaps we are to dream of a church that touches our soul and sends us into the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ having him speak through us while holding our hand and walking with us. But maybe before we transform the world we first need to get in touch with our emotions as we wake up to election results. So hold on for dear life because today we explore the problem of communication around the topic of making contact. And yes contact has been made and so today we ask a personal question. And you are free to interpret it as you will. But I ask it to prompt the Holy Spirit in you to help answer it. Who Has Touched You?
Scripture: We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life– this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us– we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
1 John 1:1-4 (NRSV)
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
Matthew 9:18-26 (NRSV)
A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
Mark 1:40- 42 (NRSV)
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16 (NRSV)
Message: In marketing there is to goal of seven touches. And indeed in today’s scriptures and devotional there are many examples,
but somehow Jesus only needed one touch. So let us look a little deeper at one of them…the healing of a leper. In pity Jesus healed the leper, and not since Elisha had a leper been healed and never before a Jew. According to the law he would be required by his faith to go and present himself before the priests… Now this was a sign of the Messiah’s presence that Old Testament prophets had predicted… an announcement. And Jesus goes about it in a pretty compassionate fashion. He could have just said, “go you are now clean,” and it would have been so, but Jesus was moved to touch a man who was not expecting a human touch. He was a man in exile, difficult to touch. No one else had even come close to this leper much less offered to create such a very emotional and moving memory, a memory that the man would remember forever…a divine touch. He had been touched in pity and compassion by the Savior of mankind. And so too today we are called as the Body of Christ to be deeply moved, for Jesus has come to us… people damaged by sin that like leprosy was eating away at us and causing us to lose our feeling toward what is right and good. Like leprosy we are confronted each day with something we cannot get rid of by ourselves, something that will ultimately destroy us… That is until He comes, and looks at our insides, comes to us offering to turn us into thankful Christians. And when he comes to us we are not to be embarrassed and turn away, we are to accept His touch, and when we see others in need, He asks we follow Him and directs us to obey. So don’t turn away from Jesus, beg for His cleansing touch, accept His cleansing touch so you can become compassionate and thankful Christians that reach out to others. Friends, we are to be a demonstration of how a touch of faith connects to the power of the one who changes our lives and transforms the very circumstances that would keep us from experiencing
the love of Jesus. And that is true no matter who was elected President for the story is not yet finished.
Pray the Word made flesh touches our hearts in an individual and personal way. Pray
we are cleaned by the touch of Jesus.
Pray we keep in touch with the Great Physician of us all. Pray Jesus touches our hearts with the Glory of God and His purifying Spirit. Pray we are touched by the plight of others and moved to compassion.
Pray
that we share the gift of touch with those who need a healing hand. Pray the Holy Spirt through the Word caress us with a comfort and hope of God’s love. Pray we are touched by grace and extent it to others. Pray we experience love’s touch through kindness both given and received. Pray we get the point that Jesus not only wants us to be touched but to stay in touch…connected to the work He gave us all in the garden to produce good fruit for the Kingdom. Pray we reach out and touch each other in love because we are divided and need to become whole.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 