The Healing Touch

A young man was anxious to change his uptight ways. He was looking for a book that might help him and he spotted one on the shelf entitled “How To Hug.” He quickly bought it, went to a quiet place, and began to read. Then he discovered that he had purchased the eighth volume of an encyclopedia.

It is remarkable to consider how often the Gospel writers seem to go out of their way to tell us about how Jesus touched people, physically touched them. One example is the story of Jesus healing a leper. To appreciate this fully, we need to imagine what it was like to be a leper in the time of Jesus. Lepers were so feared that they were forced into total isolation — away from society, away from the community. They had to ring a little bell or they had to call out as they walked along, in order to warn people that they were coming. No one would…