Matthew 8:2-3 KJV
2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Luke 5:12-13 KJV
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
COMPASSION FOR THE SHUNNED and DISGRACED LEPER
What exactly is compassion? Webster’s defines compassion as a sympathetic consciousness of other’s distress with a desire to alleviate it.
Compassion is at the center of our Christian beliefs.
Jesus taught us the importance of compassion, not only through His words, but through His actions. Throughout the four Gospels we are reminded many times of the compassion that Jesus had for those who were suffering.
As we see in the above scriptures, a man who had leprosy came to Jesus knowing in his heart that this man Jesus could heal him.
The leper fell to his knees, worshipped Jesus and basically begged Him to have mercy and heal him. “If thou will, thou can make me clean” the leper cried out to our Lord.
We see that Jesus was moved with compassion and said, “I will.”
Jesus stretched out His hand and said, “I will, be thou clean.”
One thing that we must remember is that during this time, anyone with leprosy was considered unclean and basically avoided at all costs.
They were cast away and sometimes placed in confinement with other lepers. Some even held that leprosy was a “physical mark” identifying divine punishment in the minds of those around him.
No one at the time would stand close to them, let alone come into contact with them.
However, we see the love and compassion of our Lord as He dealt with this man.
Jesus stretched out His hand, said “I will, be thou clean” while touching the man. He touched him.
In doing so, Jesus defied Jewish law, by touching an “unclean” person.
We know that Jesus could have simply said the words “be thou clean” and the man would have been healed. However, Jesus was making a stronger statement to those who looked on and to the healed leper himself.
The touch, was a touch of compassion. It was compassion shown to a man who had been derided, shunned and avoided for years.
It was a touch that said “the world may not love you but I love you.”
Whatever shame and rejection the leper had felt prior to this touch, he was now healed and knew firsthand the love and compassion of Jesus.
THE "TOUCH" of JESUS IS AVAILABLE TO ALL and WE ARE TO SHARE IT
This same "touch" is available to all.
For anyone who does not know Him as their Savior, Jesus offers this same "touch."
For anyone who might feel isolated, looked down upon, despised or rejected, Jesus Christ offers this same "touch."
Not physically now, but through the Holy Spirit which indwells in us.
Jesus offers His compassion and teaches us the importance of compassion.
Jesus lived His life on earth showing compassion.
Jesus wants us to live our lives by His example. Showing His compassion through our words, deeds and actions.
ARE WE A "GOOD SAMARITAN?"
In the parable of “The Good Samaritan” Jesus teaches us that our compassion should not be limited to those who we consider our friends. He teaches that we must have compassion for all people, even if they are our enemies and if we are able, do what we can to help them.
Luke 10:33 KJV
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
Just as God had compassion for us when we were alienated from Him, we must have compassion for friend and foe alike.
Either can be found “in the ditch needing help.”
This lesson on compassion will be continued in “The Compassion of Jesus—Part 2.”
RVH