Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

A person that feels loved through physical touch is looking for connection. 

They feel love when they are close to their spouse, and they experience love through the physical side of their relationship. 

While God doesn’t physically touch us today to show His love, He has done it in the past. 

Mark 1:40-42 says, “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.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.” 

In the time of Christ, leprosy was a disease that immediately made you an outcast. If you had this disease you were considered unclean and you were forced to live in isolation from everyone else. Lev. 13:45-46 tells us, “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.” 

The leper was forced to live alone because this disease was spread through physical touch. 

This is what makes what Jesus did even more incredible. Jesus didn’t have to touch the leper, but He went above and beyond by physically touching him. 

It says, “Moved with pity, He stretched out His hand and touched him.” Through this we see the compassion of Christ. Mark through inspiration makes it a point to tell us that Jesus physically touched this leper. God expressed His love through the physical touch of a compassionate Savior. 

This same loving Savior is who we serve today. 

While He doesn’t personally touch us today, He has given us a family to physically care for us. God loved us so much that He made sure we would never be absent of physical comfort and encouragement. The church is a place where we can experience comfort and compassion from fellow-believers, a hug when we are struggling and a shoulder to cry on in times of grief. 

Contained within the pages of scripture we read of a truly touching Savior. So how will we respond to the love of God?