The Untouchable
“And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” (Mark 1:40-41)
The largest question facing Christianity is not the existence of God; rather, it is the heart of God. The question is not “Is He home?”; the question is “Will He have me?” When scores of mankind assume the answer to be “no,” we find someone else who will have us. To our great misery, Hell’s hotel has vacancy, and the devil whispers to us, “Relax! You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave.” He embraces us with the hug of iron shackles, sings over us with clanging doors and broken dreams.
We have seen it, haven’t we? Akin to leprosy, sin causes spiritual rot in the whole man, alienating us from God and from one another. As easily as we could point the finger to the woman enslaved to drugs or the man seduced by pornography, leprosy often takes more destructive forms – the selfishness which will not allow a brother to get a word in edge-wise, the unforgiveness which tears families apart, the covetousness which subjects our children to rags that we may have the newest toy. Satan may paint these vices in shades of virtue; however, these are the symptoms of a man longing and looking for someone to have him. But as J.C. Ryle says: “Men are not lost because they are too bad to be saved, but because they will not come to Christ that He may save them.”
Thus, our leper asks the question we all have for God: “Do you want me? Will you have me?” He’s asking the question we are all asking! “Look at me, Jesus! I’m falling apart! I’m a hot mess! Will you have me?” Jesus did not go “Aww, bless your heart.” No, pity moved through His heart like the powerful winds which lifted both roots and roofs in Hinds County last week. Moved with pity, Jesus did the unthinkable. He left heaven to touch the untouchable. He was exiled in the wilderness to touch the untouchable. He was hung upon the cross to touch the untouchable. He was laid in the tomb and raised to the heavens to touch the untouchable. Pity for you moved Jesus to you.
Reader, the leper questioned, we question the desires of Christ, but little do we know the depth of His love for us. Do you know this love? Do you know this love to such a degree that you look on the spiritual leper with pity? Do you bring to this most lonely soul the Savior who touches the untouchable?
