Jesus’s gift of touch

Jesus’s gift of touch provides the healing compassion that can enlighten the gloomiest heart. The Bible teaches us that God “demonstrates his own love for us” (Rom. 5:8) in how He came to us in Jesus. Since we could not climb up to Him, He climbed down to us. He got his hands dirty so that we could have our hearts cleaned. Jesus, though He was by very nature divine, did not consider His exalted position as God as something He should cling to. Instead, He voluntarily gave it up and humbled Himself to enter the world as a human being. And then He stooped even lower, becoming a servant who spent His entire life attending to needs of others. Jesus never shrank from human suffering. He was not afraid to get His hands dirty ministering to the sickness and uncleanliness of His world. He used those hands to reach out and touch suffering people with healing and hope.

The Gospels describe Jesus’s human touch. There are multiple cases in which our Savior and Lord reached out and embraced people when a quick handshake would have sufficed. He intentionally used a tangible method of hugging a leper. Most people at that time believed leprosy was the result of a curse or that it was payment for negative karma. When Jesus saw the man suffering with leprosy, rejected, isolated, abused, and considered unclean, He was immediately moved with compassion. He did something which no religious leader had done. “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man” (Mark 1:41). The man was healed. Jesus’s touch assured the man that he was not alone but accepted. We find innumerable opportunities to extend grace and show compassion with a gentle touch that conveys dignity and value. Human touch can impart a measure of peace, dignity and comfort. Jesus by His example taught us a great deal about God’s character. By studying Jesus’ life, we find revelation of God’s heart, and therefore find lessons about how we should go about living our own lives.