They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?†  Mark 8:22-23 (NIV, my emphasis)
My pastor spoke about ‘touching’ yesterday. He used Mark’s passage that described Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the bleeding disease. (Chapter 5) As he often does, my pastor made me think.
In this passage from Chapter 8, a group brought a man to Jesus who was probably their friend and was blind. They had heard about Jesus and thought that maybe the rumors of miracles might be true! “Let’s take our friend, Jimmy, to this guy Jesus. Maybe he can do something!†They want Jesus – no they begged Jesus – to touch their friend. Just touch him. And Jesus does. Not exactly in the way they thought He would!
When I cry out to Jesus and ask Him to touch me – I do not expect Him to spit on me! Why did He do that? I have no idea. What I do know is that Jesus, more often than not, will make me come out of my comfort zone to meet with Him! Maybe Jesus is building my faith and trust level?! Maybe Jesus is asking me to trust that He does know what He is doing!
Jesus brings me out and away from the crowd and meets with me. Jesus touches me in the way that will get my attention. Jesus wants to heal what needs to be healed in me, not what I may think or present to Him to be healed. Jesus wants the best for me.
Do I see myself being healed? Too often my inner child tries to tell me that I am not worthy to be healed. I’m not. But I am loved. I am loved by Jesus and that is the beginning and the end of it. I am healed because of love. That is something to soak in.
Jesus was about touch. He touched lepers, the dead, Gentiles, children, and all who would come. His peers and society may consider Him “wrong†or “crazy†– but He did not live for them! These were His hurting children and He wanted them to know His healing love.
Touch is not just about physical touch. It is about investing in another person. Jesus showed me by His example that every person that comes across the path He has given me is important. I have an opportunity to touch someone every day. I have the opportunity to be touched by Him every day. Both are essential to my life.
Reach out and touch and be touched.
