Good Morning Friends,
Michelangelo paints God’s finger reaching toward Adam. It is a picture of life given through a touch. Caravaggio shows Thomas touching the risen Christ’s wounds. But it is not unbelief so much as a desperate need for clarity. Scripture is full of such moments. Touch can be confusing in our modern vocabulary, but in the Bible it is the language of healing, presence, and revelation, a “thin place” where heaven brushes earth. So we ask: How Would the Opening Up Of Heaven Touch Us?
Scripture Summary
Genesis 28:10–22a Jacob, alone in the wilderness, dreams of a ladder linking earth and heaven. Angels ascend and descend, and the Lord promises presence, protection, and blessing. Jacob wakes astonished: “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” He marks the spot as Bethel, the gate of heaven, and vows faithfulness to the God who has touched his life with grace.
Hosea 2:16–22 God promises to restore Israel not through fear but through covenant love, righteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness. Heaven and earth will answer one another again; creation itself will echo God’s healing touch.
Matthew 9:18–26 A desperate father asks Jesus to lay his hand on his daughter. On the way, a suffering woman touched Jesus’ cloak and was healed. Jesus then takes the girl by the hand, and she rises. One touch and life is restored.
Message: Marketers speak of “seven touches,” but Jesus often needed only one. Today’s passages show heaven opening through both vision and healing. Jacob sees the gate of heaven; the woman and the girl experience heaven’s power through Jesus’ touch. Throughout Scripture, from Christ’s baptism to Stephen’s vision, the opening of heaven reveals the Messiah who bridges both realms. Jacob’s awe becomes our invitation: God is nearer than we think. Biblical faith resists the easy drift toward cultural imitation. Israel once adopted the Baals rather than living as a people touched by God. Yet the “thin place” of heaven remains open in Christ. He touches our minds, emotions, and spirits, awakening us to a life shaped not by fear or fatigue but by abundance and purpose. We are sent to touch the world with his compassion, healing, and reconciling.
And So, when the sinful woman touched Jesus’ feet, her love was unmistakable. When the hemorrhaging woman touched his cloak, power flowed and she was restored. When Jesus touched the leper, the healing began before a single word was spoken. Touch becomes a sign of God’s nearness, a grace that steadies us as we walk into the world.We are to embody the Kingdom to touch the world.
Pray we awaken to Jesus as the Gate of Heaven. Pray our doubts are transformed in his presence. Pray the Word and Spirit touch our hearts with grace. Pray we are moved by the suffering of others and respond with compassion. Pray we extend the healing touch of Christ in kindness. Pray we stay in touch with heaven’s reality and become whole.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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