Healing Touch

"While he was saying this,

a ruler came and knelt before him and said,

'My daughter has just died.  

But come and put your hand on her,

and she will live.'

Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding

for twelve years came up behind him 

and touched the edge of his cloak.

She said to herself,

'If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.'

Jesus turned and saw her.

'Take heart daughter,' he said,

'your faith has healed you.'

And the woman was healed from that moment.

When Jesus entered the ruler's house 

and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd,

he said, 'Go away.  The girl is not dead but asleep.'

But they laughed at him.  

After the crowd had been put outside,

he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. . .

As Jesus went on from there, 

two blind men followed him,

calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!'

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him,

and he asked them,

'Do you believe that I am able to do this?'

'Yes, Lord, ' they replied.

Then he touched their eyes and said,

'According to your faith will it be done to you';

and their sight was restored."

Matthew 9:18-25, 27-30

There was a man who lived in the French Alps during the first part of the 20th Century.  Due to careless logging practices, the mountains became barren.  Brooks and springs ran dry, killing the villages whose people depended on the life-giving water.  A once pleasant home become an infertile place where the wind blew relentlessly unhindered.  

Thankfully, Elzeard Bouffier had faith that one man could make a difference.  He devoted his time to collecting, sorting and planting acorns.  Over three years time, he planted 100,000 trees.  While only 20,000 sprouted, his efforts gradually transformed the landscape back into a fertile, healthy and prosperous land.  People came back as the streams returned, and life is full and adventurous as it once was.  Mr. Bouffier's healing touch made a difference.

In a much more powerful way, Jesus can transform a barren soul into a bountiful spirit, can heal a broken heart, and turn a dry and meaningless life into one filled with purpose and abundance.  Seeking the One who is the Great Physician can make all the difference in my life.

Death

The limp, ragged body of the deaf, feral cat lay on our deck.  I was awakened in the wee hours of the morning to the horrible sound of a cat screeching in terror.  Two dogs had escaped their yard and jumped our fence, surprising the stray cat who had finally built up the courage to sleep on our back deck.  She couldn't hear them coming, and now she was gone.  As my tears stained her still form, I realized this was the first time I'd ever touched her; she'd just been too afraid to let me get close. Poor little girl.

As difficult as that experience was, I can't imagine the grief that would overcome the heart of a parent who peers down upon the still form of his or her beloved daughter.  There must be no greater heartache, as a ruler in the synagogue could testify.  He came to Jesus for help, knowing that even death was not too much for Jesus to overcome.  

I, too, am surrounded by death.  Marriages are failing all around me.  The vow the man and woman took before God seems like a distant memory, weak and unable to conquer the feelings of disappointment, hurt and bitterness.  There seems to be no hope to revive the love that once held the two together with an unbreakable bond.

Dreams sometimes die a slow death.  As time marches on, the passion to change the world, reach a goal or make a difference tends to fade.  What once looked within reach, now appears to be as far away as the moon.  There seems to be no hope to renew the spark that once drove me to reach beyond the possible into the realms of the impossible, where Jesus resides.

Just as the father pursued Jesus as the only One who could revive his dead daughter, so I can place my lifeless hope in His hands for restoration.

Affliction

Doctor after doctor examined her, each with the expectation that they would be the one to offer a cure.  After 12 years, she had all but lost her faith.  There's nothing that can be done.  I might as well face reality and come to grips with the fact that I'm permanently broken.  

That was before Jesus came to town.  I've heard of this man.  One touch of His cloak and I would be healed, I just know it.  I must get to Him.  And get to Him she did.  Her healing was instantaneous and complete; no one had ever seen anything like it.  Her suffering was finally over, thanks to Jesus.

What kind of suffering is going on all around me?  Long-term misery where faith is gone and resignation is the word of the day; distress that seems to have no end.  

There are illnesses which no one can find a cure.  Other times fear grips a being, cutting off the flow of life-giving love that comes from the Father.  Sometimes discontent rules, leaving behind a restlessness and quest for meaning.  Many times I am afflicted with a lack of purpose, floundering as I turn to expert after expert for help.

When I'm suffering, the only help I need is Jesus.  He can heal sickness with a touch, drive out fear, offer peace and provide an abundant life full of significance.

Just as the bleeding woman knew a single touch could heal her affliction, so I can reach out to Jesus for relief from my long-term suffering.

Impossible

"Listen, I've lived with him for ten years.  There's no way he's going to change."

"I've always been impatient and stubborn, and I always will be."

"My sister is the kind one.  That's just not me."

"I've always wanted to write a book, but I can't do it with my schedule. . .or my temperament."

The two men who couldn't see perceived something most others never catch sight of.   They believed that Jesus could accomplish the impossible.  Most damage done to the eye is irreversible.  It is out of the question to expect that anyone who is blind could be healed, especially during Jesus' time.  But these two mean believed that Jesus is the God of the impossible.


It seems impractical to expect that a zebra could change his stripes, but it's doable with Jesus.  I may think my impatience and stubbornness could never turn to endurance and compliance, but with Jesus my ugliness is transformed into delicious fruit.  I like to think I'm a certain way and could never change, but with Jesus I am a new creation.  My lack of understanding of how great is God's power could prevent me from taking a step of faith to pursue a dream, but if I give my all to Him, Jesus will give me the desires of my heart.

Just as the blind men believed that Jesus was able to heal them, so I must believe that all things are possible through Him who gives me strength.


Jesus healed many people when He walked the earth as a man.  Even now, He is still in the business of reviving the dead, delivering from suffering and accomplishing the possible.  The only question left to ask is this: Do I believe?




As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will trust Jesus to do all that He is able to do.


How do I forget that Jesus is able to do that which is deemed impossible?


What impossible thing do I need done today?