by Pastor Allen Walworth
And a leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Deeply moved by this, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. (Mark 1:40-42, NRSV)
So, how are you feeling after these several days of social distancing and home sheltering? Do you have cabin fever, are you bored or tired of your own cooking? For many, the most difficult part of this unusual time is the physical separation from those we love—our family, our friends, our church. Sure, we have the phone, the internet, and Zoom calls—and thanks be to God that we do—but what we miss with these technological connections, what we still miss the most, is the feeling of human touch.
God designed us for touch. Newborn babies need to feel human touch to remain healthy, and so do adults. God created miles of nerve endings coiled into every square inch of our skin, all designed to feel the sense of touch. When those tiny nerves are starved, we begin to get “skin hunger” (the word my kids used when they wanted to be hugged).
So imagine how the leper felt in the Scripture passage above. Lepers were socially “untouchable” in the first century, when many believed that God was punishing them for their sins. Greatly feared and despised by the healthy population, lepers were considered dirty and unclean, and not allowed to be near any other person, including their families. (Does this sound anything like today’s headlines?) How unthinkably bold it was of Jesus to heal this leper, and to do so by extending His hand to touch him!
Friends, for now we need to stay in touch, while keeping our distance. But how wonderful it will be when we can once again shake hands instead of elbow bump and embrace instead of air hug. Until then, let’s keep praying and keep hoping, in the knowledge that we are always in the loving, warm hands of God, extended in love to each and every one of us.