The Lord Who Touches the Untouchable
Jesus is powerful both in word and deed. When he spoke, he spoke with divine authority. People of his time were astonished not only by his teaching but also by his actions. That's what we read in the Gospel of Matthew when he touched the leper, considered untouchable during his time.
Matthew chapter 8 begins with the scene in which Jesus, after finishing the Sermon on the Mount, comes down from the mountain and reveals His actual authority. The Lord did not show His authority only through words, but He Himself testified that His word is true and living power by healing the sick, casting out demons, and calming the storm. His authority was not mere inspiration or moral influence, but the absolute sovereignty possessed by the Son of God, the Creator. The news about Him spread in every direction, and that news finally reached a leper who had been living in despair.
That leper had to live isolated outside the community according to the Law, and when someone came near, he had to cry out, “Unclean, unclean” (Lev 13:45), to announce his uncleanness. His disease was not merely physical suffering but a condition of social, emotional, and spiritual separation. He had to be cut off from his family and community, and no one would reach out a hand to him. People of that time often misunderstood leprosy as God’s punishment, and rather than pitying them, they frequently condemned them. But the news about Jesus that reached him was like a ray of light in the darkness of despair. The report that “He proclaims words with authority, heals every disease, and casts out demons” stirred faith in his heart. That faith was not simple curiosity but a bold faith that made him come to the Lord with the resolve, “If I perish, I perish.”
He could not hide his body, and entering into the midst of people was a dangerous act that could result in being stoned, yet he overcame all those barriers and came to Jesus. And he bowed before the Lord and confessed, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (Matt 8:2). This confession was a confession of faith that did not doubt the Lord’s power and, at the same time, an expression of humble trust that entrusted himself to the Lord’s will.
Jesus had compassion on him, stretched out His hand, touched him, and said, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Matt 8:3). At that time, touching a leper was considered contracting uncleanness and was something unimaginable, but the Lord went beyond human systems and customs, stretched out His hand, and directly touched his body. The Lord’s touch was not merely an act of healing but an expression of God’s compassion and warm love toward the one who had been cast out. At that moment his leprosy was immediately cleansed. Just as the Creator made the world by His word, the Lord’s single word carried creative power that restored decaying flesh and bone.
This event goes beyond the physical healing of one man and shows what kind of grace faith experiences when one comes to the Lord. The Lord is the One who says, “I am willing.” Nowhere in Scripture does the Lord ever say to a sinner who comes to Him, “I am not willing.” Therefore, whoever comes to the Lord is never rejected. Just as He said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden” (Matt 11:28), the Lord is still calling us to Himself.
After the completion of biblical revelation, the revelatory miracles that appeared in the apostolic age are not repeated in the same manner, yet the Lord still works with sovereign power in situations where help is desperately needed and cares for His people. The Lord did not promise us only heaven; He is the One who grants “grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16) as we live on this earth. Therefore, the believer may bring any problem to the Lord. People may not understand our suffering or may even turn away, but the Lord knows our tears and groans. To the one who comes to the Lord and cries out, “Lord, help me,” the Lord stretches out His hand. What matters is whether we come to the Lord with the faith and desperation of that leper. Faith is not a mere emotion but trust that places all hope in the Lord and fully entrusts oneself to His will.
Many people live with their gaze fixed only on the reality before their eyes. But the believer is one who looks to the Lord—a “Lord Seeker.” Just as a sunflower turns its head toward the sun, the believer is one who sets his gaze upon the Lord. When we look to the Lord, we experience His comfort and helping hand.