“Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.” (Mark 1:41, NIV).
There is a story about Dr. Paul Wilson Brand, a pioneering medical missionary who dedicated his life to treating those suffering from leprosy which is known today as Hansen’s disease. Raised in India by missionary parents, Dr. Brand developed groundbreaking techniques to restore mobility and dignity to those whose lives had been ravaged by this condition.
One day, while examining a patient with leprosy at his clinic, Dr. Brand placed his hand gently on the man’s shoulder as he explained the treatment plan. The man began to weep uncontrollably. Confused, Dr. Brand asked his translator if he had done something wrong. The translator replied, “Doctor, you’ve done nothing wrong. He says he is crying because you placed your hand on his shoulder, something no one has done in many years.”
That single touch shattered years of isolation. For the first time in a long time, this man felt human again.
That moment of healing reveals something deeper than physical touch; it conveys restoration, acceptance, and the deep impact of being seen and valued when the world has cast you aside.
Now imagine another scene, taking place over 2,000 years ago.
A man covered in leprosy approaches Jesus. In those days, lepers were social outcasts. They were forbidden from entering cities, excluded from worship, and required to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” whenever someone approached (Leviticus 13:45-46). Their isolation wasn’t just physical; it was emotional, spiritual, and societal.
No one dared touch them. Yet when this desperate man knelt before Jesus, saying, “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” something extraordinary happened.
“Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.” (Mark 1:41, NIV).
Can you feel the weight of that moment?
The disciples might have gasped. The crowds may have recoiled. But Jesus did not hesitate. He didn’t back away in fear or disgust. He didn’t offer healing from a distance. He touched him. In that moment, the leper felt something he hadn’t felt in years: warmth, acceptance, love.
That simple act shattered centuries of prejudice, stigma, and separation. And then Christ said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately, the leprosy left him, and he was healed. The man who had been an outcast was now free to embrace his family, his friends, his life.
That leper had lived for years without human touch. Now, not only was he touched, but he was transformed. Not only was he healed, but he was restored.
There is another kind of leprosy that doesn’t rot the flesh but the soul. It doesn’t cause sores or numbness in the skin, but it numbs the heart. It isolates us from God and others. That disease is sin.
Sin makes us feel unclean, unworthy, and untouchable. It convinces us that we’re beyond help, beyond hope, beyond love. Like the leper, we may cry out, “If You are willing, You can make me clean!”
And Jesus’ answer is the same: “I am willing.”
He doesn’t just heal us from a distance. He reaches into our brokenness, touches our shame, and makes us whole. His compassion is greater than our sin, His power stronger than our past.
Jesus came to heal the sick, not just physically but spiritually. He came to cleanse us from the inside out. When He touches us, He doesn’t just say, “You’re forgiven.” He says, “You’re accepted. You’re loved. You’re made new.”
So if you ever feel like no one would dare touch your pain, your past, or your shame, you’re wrong.
Jesus will.
He will draw near, not because He has to, but because He wants to. He is moved with compassion and sees you not as a burden, but as a beloved child.
Maybe today, you feel like that leper: unclean, unwanted, beyond hope. But Jesus is reaching out His hand to you. He doesn’t see you as an outcast; He sees you as someone worth touching, worth healing, worth loving.
Will you let Him? Will you come to Him, just as you are, and hear Him say, “I am willing. Be clean”?
Today, I invite you to come to Him. Just as you are. Bring your brokenness, your guilt, your fears, your hidden wounds. Let Him touch you. Let Him heal you. Let Him whisper to your soul:
“I am willing. Be cleansed.”
And never forget that what He did for the leper, He will do for you. His touch will change everything in your life.
Blessings!
- How to Accept God’s Forgiveness and Find Freedom from Guilt - September 27, 2025
- “I Can’t Believe He Touched Me!” (Mark 1:41 Devotional) - July 4, 2025
- The Holy Communion: Where Past, Present, and Future Meet - December 27, 2024
