News » Today’s City Story
The "Godly Touch"
July 4th, 2009
Manage them and your hands become instruments of grace - not just tools in the hands of God, but God’s very hands. Surrender them and these five-fingered appendages becomes the hands of heaven. -- Max Lucado
Wouldn’t it be interesting to watch a documentary of just our hands and observe all that they have done in the past year? Most of us would have both proud and humiliating moments. I know that I would find myself wishing that my hands had done certain things more (spending less time flipping through my daily planner and more time perusing the Scriptures, or taking the time out of my seemingly overwhelmingly-detailed agenda to give a child a hug or a pat on the back). Due to the service-oriented nature of my job, I could also see myself feeling content with many of the works of my hands. Upon pondering these proud moments though, (even with good intention) they can become simply “works”, devoid of that unique touch that comes when our service to others is focused on nothing but portraying God’s love and His grace. I was reminded of this “Godly touch” while reading the account of Jesus and the leper in Matthew 8. A familiar story to most of us, it would be easy to interpret it as a common occurrence in Jesus’ ministry in which a helpless man - an outcast - came to Jesus and asked for deliverance and was healed. But, if we look closely at verse 3 it says, “Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ He said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.” I can just picture this man with rotting skin moving through the crowd that surrounded Jesus. As he approaches, the mob begins to separate. People shout, “Unclean!” so that everyone knows that a leper is present. Individuals cover their faces and mothers hide their children as to not be infected by this diseased man. Jesus does not move away. He sees the leper’s physical pain and admires his courage. He handles the situation in a unique way. Matthew seems careful to portray that it was the word of Jesus that healed the man. He did not need to touch him, but He did. Why did He do this? I believe that He wanted to meet more than a physical need. He knew that this man had not been touched for many years because of his condition. He had been rejected by his family and shunned by those who never knew him. Therefore, with one seemingly simple physical touch, He validated and honored a man who had not known love or compassion for years. As the crowd probably gasped in horror, a person unworthy of the touch of man became worthy of the touch of God. Inspired by this account, I began to think of ways in which I could apply the example of Jesus. I wanted to do more than just meet physical needs. I wanted to see people through God’s eyes and allow His love to flow through me and “touch” them. Ironically, the kids at an inner city youth program that I work with gave me a first lesson in how this is done. A homeless man named George often hung around the church where these kids would play basketball and hang out. He was looked upon as an outcast in the community because of his condition. The boys in the program seemed to see past his dirty clothes and his unkempt appearance, and a few times I noticed that they would intentionally include George in a game of hoops. Due to a nervous twitch, he was not very coordinated and he would rarely come close to making a basket. Regardless, the kids would encourage him and cheer him on. As an observer I could tell that this inclusion would make George’s day. I also knew that not just anyone could join a game of basketball with these boys. It was a big deal that they had interrupted their game to allow him to play. In a unique way, the kids were giving this man a “Godly touch” as they passed him the ball, and made him feel a part of their group. It may have been the only time he had been validated as a person that entire day. Unfortunately, a few months later George was found beaten to death not too far from the church. Although he may not have had family or friends who mourned his loss, there were kids who shed a tear for him. They had developed a special relationship with him because they had seen his pain and reached out to him in their own unique way. It seems that some of the best lessons are learned from children. They are not as prone to let fear and inhibitions keep them from living and giving to others. In this case, they saw George’s physical needs, but also touched the soul of the matter. I pray that each of us would look for ways to reach out with the touch of God to a needy world.Stacey Emick, City Director (2000-2002) Houston Center for Student Missions
