Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Day 242: Matthew 8:1-4; 9:1-17; 12:1-21; Mark 1:40-3:21; Luke 5:12-6:19

Today we find Jesus healing a leper, forgiving the sins of a paralyzed man then healing his paralysis. He was accused of blasphemy for the forgiving sins part. He calls Matthew (a tax collector!) to follow him. He is questioned about fasting and keeping the Sabbath. He names 12 to be his apostles ( "...that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." Mark 3:14-15) and we find that his family thinks he's crazy: "When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'" (Mark 3:21)

When Jesus heals the man with leprosy he doesn't just heal him...he does something more:
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. (Matthew 8:1-3)
He reaches out and touches the man. I don't know for sure but I think it's possible that this gift...the gift of another human reaching out to touch him...was just as valuable as the fact that he was healed. Jesus touches the man while he's still a leper. In a way, I think it's easier for us to stand back and do good deeds by giving our money, or our time in ways that don't bring us into contact with "those people". While it's important to do the those things - the things that provide medicine, or funds, or food - it's also true that people need a human touch. If Jesus can do it...so can we.

When Jesus met the man who was paralyzed, the first thing he did was forgive his sins. This, of course, stirred up the religious leaders who thought this was a blasphemous thing to do...I mean, after all, who can forgive sins but God alone? Jesus knew what they were thinking...
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?" (Matthew 9:4)
Yeah...and he knows what I'm thinking, too.

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