The Healing Touch

The Life Giver

As the leper struggled through the crowd, his bell announced his shame. “Unclean. Unclean.” The clean ones moved away, avoiding his pain at all costs. The leper worked his way through the religious throng to find the presence of Jesus.

Jesus looked past his rotting flesh and saw the hope that sloughed away with every rejection, every head that turned away, every face that registered disgust and fear.

Jesus looked past the stench of decaying skin and saw the little spark of life crusted over with loneliness and hurt, almost extinguished.

He heard the anguished cry: “If you will, you can make me clean.” He restored the leper’s disease-ravaged body, but more than that, He restored his shame-ravaged soul. The fearless, compassionate touch of the Savior clothed the man in dignity. Jesus gave him more than a reprieve from death. Jesus gave him LIFE.

(Matt. 8:1-3)

The Restorer

They hauled her through the streets, her guilt on display for all to see. No place for her to hide, no shelter from accusing glances and condemning words. She was a perfect target for their collective righteous outrage. A perfect target for the stones they itched to throw.

They dragged her into the presence of Jesus. Just how far would He carry His theme of mercy and compassion? Surely this woman would find mercy’s limits. Surely He would have no choice but to join them in their stone-throwing censure.

In Jesus’ presence, the stone-throwers discovered that His compassion never fails, His mercies never come to an end. He unmasked the surface righteousness of her accusers and set her free—FORGIVEN.

(John 8:2-11)

Resurrection

Namaan. The very name had come to mean courage and strength to the people of Aram. Namaan was a national hero, a valiant warrior. Namann had it all. But Namann was a leper.

Namaan was living under a death sentence. His flesh was full of death.

A prophet in Samaria—a man named Elisha—Naaman heard that he might hold the key. This obscure, uncelebrated man of God might—just might—hold the key that would bring life out of Namaan’s death.

Naaman surrounded himself with the trappings that announced his high position and set off for the humble dwelling place of the man of God. Met at Elisha’s door, not by the humble prophet himself, but by the humble prophet’s servant, Naaman hears the prescription for his ailment: “Go dip yourself in the Jordan River seven times.”

Outraged, insulted, incredulous! Namaan refused to do such a degrading thing as to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. There were better rivers back home!

Naaman had lived a life marked by uncommon courage. He has put his life at risk on the battlefield time and time again. But the hardest thing Naaman ever did was to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. It was the death sentence for his pride, but it was the only way for Naaman to have life. The choice was his—life or death.

When Naaman emerged from the Jordan River the seventh time, he had the skin of a newborn baby. You might say he’d been born again. He had passed from death to life.

(2 Kings 5:1-14)

By Jennifer Kennedy Dean
© Jennifer Kennedy Dean. All rights reserved.
www.prayinglife.org