Leviticus 13-14

"In Scripture the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast: infected by a condition he did not seek, rejected by those he knew, avoided by people he did not know, condemned to a future he could not bear. And in the memory of each outcast must have been the day he was forced to face the truth: life would never be the same."- Max Lucado.

God spends two chapters in Leviticus detailing the treatment of lepers. I don't know if you realize but leprosy is not just an ancient problem. Today, in India alone there are an estimated 4.5 million infected people suffering from leprosy's devastating effects. This disease just as Lucado recognized can completely change one's life. Its very stigma turns an average Joe in the community into the expelled unclean outside the city gates. It takes away hope and completely effects the way that person is to interact, or not interact, with everyone else.

I can not imagine how demoralizing it must have been to have to call out "Unclean, unclean!" every time someone would approach you. What does that do to your mind, your heart? You have become worthless to society and have been isolated from family and friends. How would you survive, was surviving even worth it?

In the midst of this huge social and divine stigma, we still find Jesus reaching out. Mark 1:40-44 "A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.' Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 'See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.'"

Jesus touched the "untouchable." Mark goes out of his way to show us that Christ was willing to love and reach out even to those who were unclean. He gave hope to this hopeless individual. I wonder how long it had been since this man had felt a compassionate touch. Jesus knew the desperation and healed him.

Though leprosy is almost non-existent in America, we still have our own untouchables for various reasons; the single mother, the divorced spouse, the AIDS patient, the mentally ill, the homeless, the elderly... just to name a few. We must never forget that we are Christ's body now. He has left us to carry on His ministry through us.

Jesus only touches the untouchables today if He can do it through someone like you. When was the last time you allowed Christ to touch the unloved, unwanted, unrecognized through your hands and through your heart? Decide today to find someone to reach out to, then do it.