Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Touching
Matthew 8:3
Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Every Christian likes a mountaintop experience. The ecstasy of being in the presence of God is unparalleled in our spiritual experience. Sometimes it is the beauty of the worship time, that combination of music, songs and an atmosphere created by the church setting, the singers and the leader is awesome. Other times we sit and hear the word ministered with passion and anointing that it is as if we are watching the speaker but hearing the voice of God.
The Apostle Paul said a strange thing, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” 2 Corinthians 12:2. We have assumed that Paul was talking about himself in a modest roundabout way.
The idea of three heavens itself is a challenge, but Paul was using the construct of three heavens that was the understanding at the time and in many ways still is. We say that the birds were flying in the heavens, that refers to the atmosphere. Then we say also that stars are in the heavens, that is space really. Then we speak of God being in heaven, here we are referring, not to an upward space that we could map and identify, but the place where God himself dwells. This heaven is the place to which Jesus ascended having “passed through the heavens,” Hebrews 4:14.
Some of the disciples who were with Jesus had an ecstatic experience too, up on a mountain. One of the places we could read of this experience is Luke 9:28-36. Jesus took Peter, John and James with Him up the mountain to pray and there He encountered Moses and Elijah. The disciples, Peter, in particular, wanting to preserve the experience, and probably not understanding it said, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” Luke 9:33.
Awesome things seem to happen on the mountaintop, both the actual physical mountaintop or when we are in worship, or when we have gone into our secret place to pray. The reality, though, is that we cannot stay up there, or in there. And, as soon as we come down, or come out, the issues of life are waiting to confront us.
We should note, however, that we cannot handle the challenges of life effectively without the mountaintop experience. We cannot deal with what is down here unless we were up there, we cannot deal with what is out here unless we spent some time in there.
The passage before us today, Matthew 8:1-4 make this point again, “When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”” Jesus came down from up there to have to face the “real life” problems of men down here.
This man with leprosy had a significant challenge, he had no ordinary sickness, especially at that time before today’s advances in medical science and care. The leper was supposed to stay out and away from the rest of society. The leper was an outcast. “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.” Numbers 5:2.
Jesus, as he always does, cut across the religious teaching, the medical practice, and the socially (and culturally) acceptable norms in the face of human suffering and tragedy. Jesus disobeyed the written code to demonstrate compassion and healing. Jesus reached out and touched the leper. “Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matthew 8:3.
Everything that Jesus does is meant to be an example for us to follow. Today, it is easy for us to call Christians to the mountaintop experience. We advertise events in extreme worship, extravagant worship, intimate worship, worship without limits, ridiculous worship, and on and on, but no one is coming out and touching anyone. We come out and talk about how great things were in there and we look for the next advertised opportunity to go back in.
Our desire is to wear our nice church clothes to our nice church buildings, driving the latest blessing that God had given us and have an awesome experience in the spirit, caught up to some heaven. But out here there are real people with real problems. There are really sick people wanting a touch from someone, there are real outcasts who need an embrace. There are real abused women who want to feel worthy, there are real hungry children who want to be fed. There are real prisoners who need a visit, and there are real patients in hospital beds now in need of prayer. And we can go on and on.
We go to church and hear some charismatic preacher tell us ‘look around and touch five people and tell them that today is your day’ and we do that so obediently. But there are so many, just outside, in need of a touch right now and we seem so unprepared to reach across the divide. We cannot bring healing and hope and restoration and reconciliation if we cannot reach out and touch.
Like the leper Jesus met, many of the people we pass have the faith to be healed, but unlike Jesus, we are the ones who are unwilling.
Think on these things:
- When last did you reach out and touch someone in need?
- What practical ministry opportunities does your church provide?
- Do you make it your duty to set aside time for practical contributions to people in need in your community?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would be willing to practically reach out and touch those in need today.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex