The Touch of the Master's Hand

Introduction

To songwriter penned:

"Shackled by a heavy burden

'Neath a load of guilt and shame

Then the hand of Jesus touched me

Now I am no longer the same.

Since I met the blessed Savior

Since He cleansed and made me whole

I will never cease to praise Him

I'll shout it while eternity rolls.

He touched me, oh He touched me

And oh the joy that floods my soul

Something happened and now I know

He touched me and made me whole...

Yes, when one experiences the touch of Jesus, he or she is never the same. We read about one such person in the Gospel of Mark. Scholars often remark about the exciting way that Mark told the story of Jesus. I believe Mark was an exciting writer because he was an excited Christian. Mark's desire was to show emphatically the glory of Christ through all that Jesus did and said. In the story before us, we see Jesus healing a leper. This miracle was fascinating to Mark, not only because of the sheer sovereign power required to accomplish it, but also because of the lesson it taught. So, let’s look at Mark 1:40-45.

I. The Disease of the Man

A. A Sad Disease

Leprosy was a disease which attacked the nerve endings in the body, especially those in the extremities. Also known as Hansen's disease, it was a chronic infectious disease, caused by mycobacterium leprae, affecting the skin and superficial nerves. The disease produces numerous skin and nerve lesions, which, if left untreated, enlarge and may result in severe disfigurement.

Leprosy separated a person from family and the normal population and, because it was an infectious disease, the community could not take a chance on others being polluted by it. A person with leprosy was required to live with other lepers and to shout to anyone who approached that he was a leper. It was a debilitating, demeaning, and defeating illness.

B. A Symbolic Disease

Leprosy was a symbolic illness in Israel. It pictured sin and many people considered it to be a direct result of some sin that had been committed. The man with leprosy not only had to deal with the effects of the disease, he had to cope with the social and religious implications of his disease.

Why was Leprosy associated with sin:

• Sin eats away at the sensitivity that one should feel toward that which is harmful.
• Sin separates us from God, and from God's people.
• Sin demeans us and destroys our self-worth.

II. The Desire of the Man

A. Bowing

We note that the leprous man came to Christ and fell on his knees before the Lord. This reveals a reverence which is so necessary and is so often missing in much of modern-day praying. He revealed that his heart is in the right place. Many people will not come to Christ today because they are too proud to do so. Arrogance and self-sufficiency keep many people from the Lord. This leper was perfectly willing to fall down before Christ in humility and faith.

B. Begging

His begging shows that he really desires change. He is not playing games. He wants this cleansing more than anything else in the world. It is interesting that many who come to make a decision for Christ in this era have no tears and no brokenness. I remember a time when people wept before God when asking for salvation. This is not to say that emotion is necessary for a person to be saved. We are all different and we act according to our personalities; however, if one actually realizes the awful condition and consequences of sin he will not be arrogant when coming to Christ.

C. Believing

The leper believed that Christ could save him, heal him, and make him whole. Without faith we cannot come to Christ? Without faith, we cannot please God. The just shall live by faith – in other words, there is no life with God without faith. Note that the leper left it to God’s ‘will’ to change him and heal him. There was great faith in his heart and God honors great faith.

III. The Deliverance of the Man

A. The Compassion of Christ

Jesus does not just have compassion for this man, He is filled with compassion for him! Our Lord cares for us and all the various sorrows we face, that is why we are told to cast all our cares upon Him. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

What small, wee things we are in this giant Universe, yet God loves us and cares for us. He cared so much that He sent His Son to save us, heal us and make us whole. He loved us so much that Jesus died for us. Having given us His Son, will He withhold any good thing from us? No, never!

B. The Cleansing by Christ

The leper is made clean. He was not just healed of a disease, he was cleansed. You see, leprosy was viewed as something unclean – dirty. That is one reason leprosy was looked upon in the biblical days as connected to sin. Sin is essentially an uncleanness of soul. There is no soap to wash it away. The finest fragrances in the world cannot cover its odor. Only Christ can cleanse us of our sin and make us pure. He alone possesses the power and means of making us clean before God. He restored this man to the community, to his family, but more importantly he restored him to the family of faith.

C. The Command from Christ

The command Jesus gave fulfilled the law. The leper was to go forth and show himself to the priests. This was a requirement before one could be placed back into the community. Now, listen, when God changes our lives He always gives us orders. He expects us to be obedient. And, let me say, God honors activities that witness to the changes He has made in our lives. We are to show forth what God has done for us.

IV. The Delight of the Man

A. His Victory

This man experienced victory over something that was beyond his control. He did not simply have a disease; the disease had him! That is way it is with sin. When a person is lost, they don’t just sin but are actually held in sin’s grasp. The sinner is imprisoned by sin. Sin is like a chain holding a person captive. The leper had victory over the terrible disease from which he had been suffering. His deliverance came through Christ - the only way he could have found peace from the disease that plagued him. He was set free! When a person comes to Christ in believing faith, he or she is set from the guilt, the power, and penalty of sin. In addition, we will eventually be set from the very presence of sin when we go home to be with the Lord. What a victory Christ gives us when we trust Him by faith.

B. His Voice

Note that the leper could not stop telling what Jesus had done for him. Those who are truly saved are never ashamed. We raise our voice to praise the Lord. We raise our voice to call others to Him. We are glad to tell the story of what Jesus has done for us.

There are those in our day that complain that witnessing is so much harder in the 21st Century. Listen to me, it has never been easy to share one's faith in Christ. But, those of us who have been delivered from the leprosy of sin are to share our victory - our faith - to share the wonder of our deliverance.

Conclusion

Have you been set free from sin? Have you trusted Christ to cleanse you and rid you of the awful stench of sin? He is still ready to reach out and touch those who will trust Him. I know, for He touched me and made me whole.

Mark told this story from the life of Christ to reveal the Lordship of Christ over evil and disease. But he also told it to show how loving and kind the Lord Jesus was toward the outcasts of society. Remember, everyone has sinned and come short of the glory of God, so all of us were outcasts at one time. Till we receive the touch of the Master's hand all of us are outcasts . The Lord Jesus is ready to touch those who come to him by faith. Will you come to Him today? Bow your heart to Him now. He will touch you and make you whole - He will save you and give you a great life in this world and eternal life in the world to come.