A Healing Touch

                                                        A Healing touch


It surprises no one even vaguely familiar with Jesus that He touches people- all kinds of people-even people some folks  thought he shouldn't be touching. He touched lepers in Mark 1 and Luke 5. He touched disabled and diseased people all the time, demon possessed ones, even a couple of dead ones (Luke 7&8). In the Jewish traditions this would make him "unclean" for a time. No news there unless you are sick, demon  possessed, dead or will ever face these problems. Then it is good to know.

But did you ever notice who touched Jesus? Who is it that desired to touch Jesus? A couple of examples come to mind from Luke's gospel. In Luke 7 a "sinful" woman shows up at a dinner hosted by a Pharisee named Simon. That was nice of him to ask Jesus to supper. As it happens, a woman of ill repute, often guessed to be a whore, shows up while the dinner guests are reclining to eat (they ate around a "u" shaped low table,  in a prone position, propped up on their left hand, reaching over to a common serving area) and begins to wash Jesus' feet with tears and anoint them with perfume. The Pharisee was incensed (pardon the pun, I couldn't help it). So Jesus schools the self-righteous host on humanity, humility, love and forgiveness. But the heroine in this story is this sinful woman. She crosses social, religious, and gender barriers to get to Jesus and touch Him. She touched Him.

A chapter later, in Luke 8:40-48, on the way to perform one miracle, another miracle happens. A lady with a bleeding disorder, probably gynecological in nature, reaches out and touches the hem of Jesus' garment as He walks by. Rabbis in Jesus' day wore a shaw of sorts that was hemmed around with tassels. When the rabbi would lift up his hands to pray or cover his head to pray the folds of the shaw and the tassels formed a view reminescent of a bird's wings being spread. A Jewish belief was that the expected Messiah had "healing in His wings." (Malachi 4:2) So when this woman wanted to touch the hem of Jesus' garment she was acknowledging her belief that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah and that He could heal her. Jesus did and commended her faith. But notice: she wanted to touch Him.

All kinds of people need to be touched by the grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy of God. It is the church's calling and joy to reach out as the hands and feet of Jesus and touch the lost, hurting, sick, and marginalized in our world. But who wants to touch us? And why don't more want to touch the body of Christ, His church?
Maybe it never occured to them they could or should.  Maybe they see too many walls, barriers to cross. These brave women from Luke 7&;8 cross a lot of barriers to get to Jesus. They saw something in Him that made them believe it was worth the cost and they took the gamble. I still believe that when people see something of Jesus in His church they will want to touch us. I still believe there are barriers of race, gender, economics, and fear that those in the church can tear down. Take a look and take a crowbar. But answer this question:

Who is touching you?

Cos