Yesterday, HICT’s Christian Fellowship had the honor of having Pastor Gurmit to come share with us. We had an encouraging message from him, one that touched us as much as it touched his heart. The shared on the healing of Jesus on a leprosy man in Mark 1:41-45.I will share on what I received from Pastor Gurmit and also further study on my own on the verses.
In Mark 1:40-45 we read of the account of Jesus healing a man with leprosy. During the time of the Old and New Testament, lepers (people with leprosy) are considered as outcast. Once a person has leprosy, he will be sent out of the city to live in the desert or caves. No one dares to go near them because according to the Mosaic Law, a person that touches a leper is considered a defile. When a leper is allowed into the city on certain days, they are to cover themselves fully from head to toe and are to ring bells so that people will be aware and move far away from them. Therefore, lepers are really lonely people since they have no one to care for them and be their friend.
Jesus came... Jesus saw... Jesus was filled with compassion.
The word compassion comes from a Latin word which means “suffer with”.
The Scriptures wrote that Jesus felt compassionate. He felt “suffered with” the man with leper. Read on and we find that it was written,
“Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.”
Jesus touched the man. He broke the Mosaic Law which “protects” the people from lepers. Jesus could have just healed him without touching him, Jesus was God alright? But no, Jesus went beyond what a normal human would do. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper.
A touch represents friendship. When Jesus touched the leper, Jesus wasn’t only trying to tell him, “I’m God. I can heal you.” But Jesus’ touch told the leper, “I am also your friend and I accept you as my friend.” Jesus’ touch was a symbol of healing, restoration, friendship, acceptance and love. The power of touch...
Many people have touched me in my life before. And every touched transformed me to a better individual in life. Every touch carries a long lasting effect that will go on to eternity. The love of someone whom has shown great compassion towards me will be remembered for eternity. The friendship that was made in my loneliness will carry me through life.
I will never forget the first time I stepped into the Youth Energy Meeting. Poh Leong befriended me. He sat beside me and became my friend. After getting to know each other more, we grew so close that we talked for 2 hours on the phone every night without fail for a few months.
I will never forget the first time I went to GY Camp 2003. Although I was a total stranger to Joel Gan, he paid for my Barley drink the morning before we left for camp. He talked to me and told me that he liked my hair. He started a conversation with a stranger.
The Jews believed only that God could heal leprosy. Thus, Jesus healed him to prove that he was God. Will you touched someone and prove to the world that you are a child of God? Will you show compassion to someone so that he knows only Christians will have such love?
There are a lot of lepers out there. Will you be filled with compassion and go touch them with the love of God?
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