Mark 1:40–41 (NKJV) “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
No one knew how leprosy was transmitted from one person to another; all that was known was that the disease—which progressively rotted the flesh—was incurable and fatal. Leprosy parallels sin, which also progressively rots its victims and leads to their death. Thus, in Scripture, leprosy is a type of sin.
Society ostracized the leper and required that he warn those who approached him of his condition by crying out, “Unclean, unclean.” Yet we find this man kneeling at the feet of Jesus, expressing faith in the ability and the power of Jesus to cleanse him of his leprosy. To him, his healing was simply a matter of willingness on the part of Jesus.
No one is beyond the touch of Jesus.
Compassion caused Jesus to reach out and touch the man. In doing so, He made Himself ceremonial unclean. But He also extended a loving touch to someone who probably had not felt human touch for years.
Then Jesus said those glorious words, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
What happens when a sinner comes to Jesus? Moved with compassion, Jesus reaches out and touches that life. No matter how far gone their disease, no matter how much sin has eaten away, no matter that no one else wants to touch that life, Jesus will. No one is beyond His touch.
Lord, thank You that when we were rotting away with the ravages of sin, You reached out to us, touched us, forgave us, and cleansed us. We love You, Lord. Amen.
