Matthew 8:1-4
When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was healed. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus was willing to touch the leper, an untouchable. Not only touch him, Jesus healed this man of his skin disease, because it was the right thing to do. Leprosy was a disease that would literally rot away the skin of a person. In Jesus day it was believed to be highly contagious. Lepers were not allowed to live or travel in “normal” healthy civilization. Those infected formed leper colonies and lived in communal groups within a mile or two of larger cities. A leper was forbidden to come within a certain safe distance from persons without this dreaded skin disease. Lepers were outcasts from society.
For a healthy member of society to even rub against the hem of a leper’s garment made the healthy unclean. Any unclean person then had to be subjected to ostracism for a period of days to insure he had not contracted the disease. For someone to reach out and touch the skin of an infected leper, an untouchable, was inviting banishment and exclusion from the city and society.
Jesus having grown up in Jewish society, knew all of these ramifications. Yet, He never hesitated in reaching out to touch the leper in order to heal him. A true leader is always ready and willing to do what is right (righteous) to get the objective accomplished, even when it goes against conventional practices.
Are you practicing like Jesus, willing to go against conventional thought to do the right thing? Or do you live in safety, not wanting someone to think ill of you? We talk a good game, and maybe act from a distance, making a donation, saying a prayer. Yet our actions seldom have us touching the untouchables.
What situations in your life – at work, home, church, sports – do you need to adjust your actions to do the right thing, regardless of what others think or say? Are you willing to touch the untouchable?
George Yates is a Church Health Strategist, assisting churches, Pastors, and individuals to reach for their full God-given potential.