The Power of Touch

Both scriptures today deal with a problem that was very real and very present in Biblical times. Both stories are about people who were afflicted with and healed from leprosy. In Kings, we heard the story of Naaman, who was cured by the prophet Elisha. Elisha took a very hands off approach to dealing with Naaman—he sent the afflicted man to take seven dips in the river Jordan. However, in Mark, when Jesus was confronted with the same issue, he took a much different approach. Jesus took a hands-on approach to the problem.

To understand how big of a deal it would have been for Jesus to touch the leprous man, it’s important to understand a little more about leprosy in the Ancient Near Eastern world. In Biblical times, few deseases caused more fear and misunderstanding than leprosy. There was no treatment for the disease and it was believed to be highly contagious. It was terribly painful and could disfigure, deform and kill. Because of this, lepers were completely outcast from society. They lived on the outskirts of towns and villages, begged at a distance for food, and were even forced to warn people that they were coming by yelling out, “Unclean, Unclean!” These were the walking, breathing, living dead…the closest thing to zombies we’ll ever encounter in the bible.

And the worst part, in my opinion, was that people believed that lepers DESERVED their fate. It was believed that someone suffering from leprosy deserved to suffer—that they had done something ton incur the wrath of God and were therefore being punished for their sins. Because of this they were not only physically separated from society, but they were also separated socially and spiritually. They were not allowed to participate in worship, rather they had to watch from behind the bars of a separate quarantine room. They had to leave their families and their homes. They were completely ostracized. This was not only accepted, it was RELIGIOUS LAW. This was the law set down in Leviticus. Lepers were not to be touched, talked to, or cared for.

To be a leper was to be sub human. You were the walking dead. You were beyond worthless, you were unclean and ostracized. You were untouchable, unreachable, and unlovable.

So, here is this leper. This unclean, disgusting shell of a former person—this mass of sores and rags and filth—actually APPROACHES Jesus. We have to assume that the leper did not shout out “unclean” and did not try to stay the proper distance away. This guy had guts. He got right up there and confronted Jesus. He got dangerously close to Jesus and said. “If you want to, you can heal me”.

Now, this is a critical moment in the story for a couple of reasons. First, the leper is essentially calling Jesus out saying “Hey bub, if you’re this fancy healer, you can make me well if you WANT to” the Leper is also making a statement here that Jesus had the power to decide who to heal and who not to heal. Finally, the leper puts himself in the path of Jesus. Jesus either has to do something or make a big show about walking around the guy and going straight to the synagogue to get cleansed because the leper got too close. So, how does Jesus handle the situation?

Well, this IS Jesus we’re talking about. Jewish rules? Pshaw. Jesus was notorious for breaking the law. The rules weren’t as important to Jesus as people were, so he often pushed aside the law in favor of caring for someone’s needs. So Jesus reaches out and TOUCHES the leper. He reaches out and puts his hand on the damaged, blistered, white painful flesh. He puts his hand directly on the disease. Jesus touches the untouchable.

This action has 2 very distinct results—one physical, and one much bigger than that. On the physical level, the man is healed. This is a big enough miracle on its own. With just a touch of his hand, Jesus has cured the disease that has plagued this man. The man’s skin will no longer bear the white blisters. He will no longer be confronted with the pain of his disease. He will be well. But as cool and amazing as this is, it is NOT the big miracle Jesus did that day.

There was a much bigger healing that took place in that moment, and that moment had little to do with the man’s disease or Jesus’ power of healing. That moment was the miracle of a person being restored to person-hood. This man who had been seen as les than human, lower than low, the vilest of creatures, in that moment becomes human again. Not just because of the healing of his skin, but because Jesus TOUCHED him. Jesus reached across the boundaries of law and health and TOUCHED the man. That touch brought physical healing but it brought much more than that. It brought spiritual wholeness.

That moment of human touch was a great miracle. The man was restored, and as soon as he went to the priest to get the a-ok, he would be fully readmitted to society. He was given his life back. He could go back to his family, back to his job, back to his life and his home. He could lay with his wife again, hug his children again. He could go to worship and sit in the synagogue with his loved ones and be a part of community once more. He was no longer the outcast.

This wasn’t just a healing. This was a resurrection. This was the full restoration of a life that had been completely taken away. This man was resurrected. He was no longer one of the walking dead. He was alive! All because of the power of human touch.

Human touch is one of the most powerful things we have. While we may not have the divine capacity to work the miracles that Jesus did, we too can touch someone and help restore them to wholeness. It is within our power to provide comforting, loving, APPROPRIATE touch to those in need.

Beyond that positive and appropriate human touch is necessary for our health and wellbeing. In the early 20^th Century, nearly 100% of babies in orphanages died before they reached 7months old. They did not die from malnutrition, they did not die from disease or injury or abuse. They died from lack of touch. Many hospitals now have in place volunteer programs where premature infants are simply held and rocked. Study after study has proven that these infants gain more weight and leave the hospital sooner than those who had not been so cared for.

This need for human touch does not lessen as we grow older. Hard news is better processed if given with a hand on the shoulder. Elderly nursing home patients are less likely to experience illness and depression if visitors offer a hug or hold their hand during the visit. The act of a hug can lessen anxiety symptoms, and MRI evidence has shown that human touch can even lessen physical pain. That old adage of “squeeze my hand when it hurts” actually has scientific backing!

As humans, we need to be touched in healthy loving appropriate ways. A hand on the shoulder, a gentle hug, holding hands, and even therapeutic massage can improve your day, can improve your week, and can even improve your life. Think about it for a moment, how often have you just felt like rubbish and someone has offered you a hug. Doesn’t that make you feel better? It says: You are loved and lovable, accepted and acceptable. You are safe! A hug or a hand on the shoulder can convey more love, more sympathy, and more understanding than our words can muster. We NEED to be loved and touched.

So, knowing all of this, we can only imagine how painfully lonely it must have been for someone suffering from leprosy. These people didn’t just go a few days without being touched…they went YEARS without any human contact. They had to warn others so that there wasn’t even accidental contact. But Jesus ignored all of that, touched the leper and healed him. One person touching one other person changed everything. Suddenly this man mattered. His problem mattered. His life mattered. All of that was conveyed in a simple touch.

But here’s the thing. Even though leprosy is not really a 21^st century disease, we still treat people as lepers and outcasts. We still refuse humanity to large groups of people based on their health, their wealth, their social status, or even their beliefs. We have a habit of declaring groups of people “Untouchable” and then going out of our way to make sure we don’t contaminate ourselves.

Do you remember the story of Ryan White? For those of you who don’t let me refresh your memory. Ryan White was a young boy who suffered from hemophilia—his blood wouldn’t clot and even slight injuries would bleed severely. In order to stay alive, Ryan had to receive blood transfusions. It was through one of these transfusions that Ryan contracted HIV and would ultimately develop AIDS. At one point during his disease, he felt well enough to return to school, but he was not allowed to return because people were terrified that he would infect them with HIV. Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, people believed (and some still do) that you could contract HIV through casual contact. When he was finally readmitted to school, many families removed their children. He was forced to use separate bathrooms and eat with disposable utensils that were labeled biohazards. But when he transferred to Hamilton Heights High School, Ryan was greeted by a group of students who were unafraid to shake his hand.

Or perhaps you have been moved by the work of Mother Theresa who worked with the sick and the poor in Calcutta. She even dealt with leprosy even in these modern times. She worked tirelessly to see that those who society had deemed unworthy would be able to die with dignity. Her mission was to care for, in her own words, "the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." Her mission began as a small order with 13 members in Calcutta; today it has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospices, and charity centers worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine. All of these are run with the same tenet… “Let us touch the dying, the poor the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.” And while she may have struggled with her faith from time to time, she was able to overcome her struggles and continue her ministry of touch until her death in 1997. She once said, “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. “ She, like Jesus, touched the untouchable and brought them into humanity.

The image that is burned most clearly into my brain is that of Princess Diana. I’ll never forget the picture of her from 1987 where she was pictured holding the hand of an AIDS patient. While research at this time had shown that the disease could not be spread through casual touch, there was still a large fear of AIDS and HIV. But, she ignored the fear of the majority and touched and hugged AIDS patients. She was the first real “Celebrity” to show that you can touch someone living with AIDS and not catch it. She brought humanity back to a group of people that had been ostracised. While her act didn’t’ completely fix the problem, she most definitely made a difference.

Now here’s the thing, those kids at Ryan White’s high school, Mother Theresa, and Princess Diana all did the EXACT same thing Jesus did minus the miraculous healing. They touched the untouchable.

Yay! Happy ending right? The leper gets healed. Jesus does the healing. And they all lived happily ever after, right? Well yes, but no. While Jesus and Mother Theresa and Princess Diana all touched the untouchable. They did not change the ultimate injustice. Yes, they made it better. Yes they made changes! But at the end of the day:

There are still untouchables among us. And the worst thing is that we’ve decided who they are. We’ve declared who will be untouchable. Those people are too poor. Those people are in jail. Those people are too needy. That one is dying. That one has AIDS. Those people are too different. Those people are too irresponsible. Those people deserve what they’ve got. Those people brought it on themselves. Those people should just stay away. Those lepers…those untouchables.

Well. Here’s the truth of the matter. In this story we’re not supposed to be like the lawmakers who were frightened of those who were sick. We’re not supposed to be the disciples who walk along kind of aimlessly not paying attention. We’re not even supposed to be the leper. We’re supposed to be Jesus. We’re supposed to be the ones that are so compassionate, so loving, so bold that we would reach out and touch the untouchables.