Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. Mark 1:42
M y body spends most of its time in the Eastern time zone. This means that when I travel west—especially all the way to California—I have a hard time sleeping past about three a.m.
One morning, I woke to the usual West-Coast-early-morning darkness. Throwing on some clothes, I sleepily stumbled down the hall to the elevator. I was glad to smell fresh-brewed coffee the moment the elevator doors slid open on the lobby level.
I pumped myself a cup and headed back to my room. A couple of floors up, how- ever, my hand started to burn. For some reason, the paper cup, printed with some catchy gourmet coffee name, wasn’t adequate to keep the heat inside the cup from reaching my tender fingers outside. “Ouch,” I said out loud, glad that I was riding in the elevator alone.
Leprosy is a disease that, among other physiological effects, deadens the nerves. A man with this condition would not have noticed the hot coffee. He would have ridden the whole way up to his floor in the elevator. Meanwhile, his skin would have been burning. Insensitivity is a dangerous thing.
A man with leprosy—the disease of unfeeling—came to Jesus and pled his case, “If you are willing,” the man begged, “you can make me clean” (v. 40).
Jesus was struck with the man’s desperation and faith. And then Jesus did some- thing He was accustomed to doing. He “reached out his hand and touched him” (v. 41). Take a second to think about this. For the first time, perhaps in years, the man felt something. And incredibly, that “something”—God’s own hand—was also delivering his healing. What a moment.
As men, you and I are susceptible to emotional leprosy. We can contract this dis- ease without even knowing it. It may be that the cares, pressures, and sheer pace of our lives have desensitized our hearts. We think. We do. But we do not feel. We have stopped touching, and we have stopped feeling the hand of others.
The Bible would call this problem a disease, no less perilous and life-threatening than leprosy. And Jesus is in the business of healing this affliction.
If you’re married, God has blessed you with a family. In your mind’s eye, take a moment and see each one. Your wife. Your kids. One at a time. You’re blessed beyond comprehension. What a gift each of these people is to you.
And now, here’s the question for you to consider: Do these people need your touch? Do you need to feel their tenderness? Do you need to be healed of your leprosy?
The man with leprosy was desperate. His desire to be healed was far more powerful than his interest in displaying good manners that day. He didn’t care what it took. He wanted the Savior to know he was tired of living a life of isolation, so he went to his knees, right there in front of everyone. And he was healed.
Is your life missing some tenderness? Are you moved by your heavenly Father’s love for you? Are your children missing out on your touch? Get on your knees and begin by asking God for a more loving and humble heart toward Him. His love overflowing from yours will fill you with compassion and tenderness for your family. He will heal you.