"Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him." Matthew 20:34
Jesus had become well known in his day for a variety of reasons. Most assuredly chief among them was his compassion in general and his ability to heal specifically. The story is told of two men that happened to be blind. When Jesus came to their town and happened to pass near them, they began to cry out for mercy. Though the crowd tried to quiet them, they cried out all the more. Jesus heard their cries and stopped. He then engaged them and asked what them what they would have him to do for them. They asked to be relieved of their blindness. Jesus then applied compassion through touch and healed them.
Beloved, touch is among the most human of actions we can take. There literally could be no life without it. Compassion also comes naturally to us. When we meet someone, the impulse in our culture is to reach for the person's hand. In other cultures it involves and embrace or even a kiss. When someone receives bad news or suffers a loss, our impulse is to comfort them by hugging. And when serious prayer is needed, we tend to hold hands with or lay hands on the person for whom we are going to God.
Let us consider the source of this trait. It was God who scooped up a mound of dirt and formed man. It was God who removed Adam's rib and formed woman. It was God who took on human flesh so that He could more intimately interact with the pinnacle of his creation. The apostle John famously wrote, "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—...we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" 1 John 1 & 3. God made himself available to us that we might touch him and that he might touch us. What an amazing display of compassion and love.
Committed,
Lee
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