Matthew, Mark, and Luke all contain a tale of Jesus healing a man with Leprosy. This story is a moving image of the world and the church. In Luke 5:12-17, we find that this man has been banished from society. He cannot live with anyone other than other lepers. He cannot touch nor be touched because his disease is so highly contagious that one moment of contact almost fully guarantees someone else getting infected. He must call out “Unclean!†when he is coming by and has to endure the derision and scorn of those who are clean. Despite all of this, he desperately breaks with the laws and seeks out Jesus. He is desperate. He has no hope save this man. When he finds Jesus, he falls to his face and worships Him (he is reverent, for he know who Jesus is). He is also urgent and humble. He asks Jesus, “If you are willing…†Then Jesus does the unthinkable. Jesus TOUCHES him! Jesus touches the untouchable!

The people of the world are like this leper. They know that they are unclean. They know that they have no hope. Their sin is causing their hearts to die until they feel nothing on the inside. They can only stay with others who are unclean, but, when, in a moment of clarity, they realize they need to be healed, they break from their group and head for the church. What will they find there? Ideally, they will be embraced just like Jesus embraced the leper. Sadly, all too often, it is the church yelling at the world, “Unclean! Unclean!†That drives the world away from Jesus and His power to transform, redeem, and heal. We who have been saved for a long time need to remember who we were before we were saved. We were unclean, messed up, and dying. Jesus healed us; He touched our lives and transformed us! Through His Spirit, we can do that same. We need to remember and we need to embrace the untouchable.