“A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reach out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said, “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”
Matthew 8:2-3
There’s nothing more awe-inspiring than when Jesus enters the broken, sick and unclean areas of our lives. We all have these areas. Sometimes we carry them in full display and sometimes we do everything we can to hide it. Yet, we all have some broken places in our lives that need healing.
This recorded miracle has so many truths contained in just a couple of verses. A leprous man in Jesus’s day would know he had to stay away from others so as not to make them unclean. Yet, he boldly approached the only one he knew that could heal him. His faith was great and full of desperation all at the same time. His statement, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean,” spoke of his belief and hope that this Jesus he had heard about, held the power to restore his life.
However, what really overwhelms me is Jesus’s action and response. First, he touched the man. He didn’t have to – he performed other miracles just by his spoken word and yet, he touched him. What a statement to those around. It pronounced to all of the value this man carried and of his humanity and need for touch. I wonder what was going through the minds of those watching. Some had fear and some were taking notes. It was definitely a statement to all of us that every created human being has intrinsic value and deserves love in the midst of our deepest ugliness.
Secondly, Jesus affirmed his willingness and ability to completely 100% heal this man. His words, “I am willing. Be clean!” forever changed this man’s life.
For us today, do we know the only one that can heal us from our brokenness, sickness and ugly spots in our life? Are we willing to kneel before Him and believe that He is the only one that can make us whole? I have a firm belief that if we come to Him with our sinful and broken lives that He will reach in to the most darkest of places and say, “I am willing; be clean!”
Rooted in Him,
