Matthew 8:1-4
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. As you breathe in, say the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
In today’s passage, Matthew moves from Jesus’ declaration of the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount to Jesus’ demonstration of God’s Kingdom through his miraculous works. In both declaration and demonstration, the Kingdom is present where Jesus is present. Read Matthew 8:1-4 imagining yourself as the desperate leper.
Leprosy is a terrible progressive disease, and in the first century it was an absolute death sentence. The Jewish laws of cleanliness dictated that lepers stay far away from healthy people and loudly warn others of their unclean state, and the religious elite of Israel believed that leprosy was a judgment from God for sin. Lepers were despised by many rabbis who considered them dead people walking.
But this leper’s hope is not dead. In his desperation he runs to the only source of possibility and kneels down before Jesus in worship. “Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean.”
Have you ever come to a point in your life where you were utterly desperate for Jesus? Take a moment to think about this and share your thoughts and feelings with Jesus now.
Read Matthew 8:1-4 again imagining the touch of Jesus.
In first century Israel, to make physical contact with a leper was equivalent to touching a corpse. A ceremonially clean person who touched a leper would be defiled and ineligible for engagement in religious practices until they could be cleansed.
But the touch of Jesus is restorative, so whatever Jesus touches becomes clean, whole, and holy.
Get quiet and still for a moment or two and invite the Holy Spirit to search your soul. Where do you need the touch of Jesus today?
Picture yourself kneeling before Jesus as you ask him to make you clean. What does Jesus do?
When you are ready, return to silence and listen to Jesus.
What do you sense Jesus saying to you today?
How will you respond purposefully to what you have heard from Jesus?
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