The Touch Of The Master's Hand

 THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND

“And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” - Matthew 8:2-3

At the beginning of the Covid-19 experience, fear and terror was prevalent across our land. Much of this fear was due to a lack of information. We simply didn't know what we were facing. Health leaders were taking the road of caution, which helped fuel our fear and insecurity.

In the early days of Covid, we acted as if the disease was going to wipe out our population. If someone was diagnosed with Covid-19, it seemed like an automatic death sentence. Those who died from the disease often perished alone. Family members were not permitted to visit. The daily news was filled with stories of gloom and despair. Many had Covid and still were able to do regular activities. Yet they had to act is if they had leprosy. They stayed clear of everyone else. If we knew of someone with Covid, we tried to avoid them.

In Matthew chapter 8, Jesus encountered a leper. After our experiences with Covid-19, we can relate somewhat with this man. At the time, leprosy was a highly contagious, incurable disease. Lepers were isolated from others. When a leper met a person, he or she had to say, “Unclean, unclean,” to warn others to keep their distance. Lepers faced a lonely and hopeless future. More often than not, lepers died in their leper colony. Looking back, it was a heartbreaking situation.

When this leper met Jesus, he believed that Christ could help him. Jesus could have turned him away, but didn't. In spite of the man's contagious skin condition, Jesus had compassion on him. From a human perspective, it was dangerous for Jesus to come close to the man, yet He did even more than that. The Bible says that Jesus touched the leper. One touch from the Master is better than all the medicine in the world. With just a touch from the Master, the leper was cured. His leprosy was gone!

I am not familiar with cases of leprosy here in America. Yet there is a form of leprosy that has come on all mankind. Sin is the leprosy of the soul. Sin deceives. Sin defeats. Sin destroys. Because of his own sin, Isaiah once cried out, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips!” Like a leper, Isaiah saw his sinful condition as being unclean.

As humans, we tend to overestimate our righteousness. We like to think of ourselves as being good, upright citizens. From afar, we may appear that way to others. Up close, they learn otherwise. When our lives are exposed to the truth of God's Word, we learn that we, like Isaiah, are people of unclean lips.

Later in his book, Isaiah described his people this way: “Our righteousness is as filthy rags.” Most of us bristle at such an assessment. We like to compare ourselves to others and feel rather proud of ourselves. Yet the standard that God uses is not your neighbor. It is His standard of perfection. All of us fail this test.

Like a leper, we are unclean. All of humanity is a leper colony of sin. We are not permitted into the holy places because of our filthiness. Like the leper in our story, we are unable to change our condition.

In Biblical times, many lepers died because of their contagious disease. No known cure was available. In Matthew 8, when the leper met Jesus, he knew it was his only hope to be saved from death. Just one touch from the Master's hand changed him.

The only hope for lost souls is a touch from the Master's hand. He is the only One who can save them from their sinful plight. Our Lord is the only One who change a person. He is the only One who can deliver souls from the bondage of sin. Salvation is of the Lord.

Just a touch from the Master's hand brought healing and cleansing to the leper. The same hand can do the same for you. Like the leper, desperately cry out to the Lord for mercy. Humbly cast yourself at His feet. Entrust your condition to his care. Seek a touch from His hand today.

Don't be satisfied with anything less than a touch from the Master's hand.