I Am Willing. Be Clean.

Day 10: Matthew 8:1-17

“And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” - Matthew‬ ‭8: 3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So, how does Jesus really feel about us? Are we those that He tolerates, because His status as God demands it? Or does Jesus feel obligated to care for us? What is Jesus’ motivation?

When I read about this leper, I often find myself relating. Many times, I am not “boldly approaching the throne of grace.” (See Hebrews 4: 16) I mostly approach Him hesitantly, hoping that He will find it in His heart to forgive me.

Yet He is willing.

This means the door for grace is always open for me to walk through.

Leprosy was viewed as incurable (see 2 Kings 5: 7). Lepers in Israel also had to abide by the strict quarantine rules of Leviticus 13-14. Something we all related to during the pandemic.

Know that Jesus doesn’t want you to keep your distance from Him. He longs for you to draw near; because one touch from our Savior sets everything right.

May we draw near today.

"To touch an unclean person was to contract defilement oneself (Lev. 5:3); Jesus’ disregard for this ceremonial point should be seen in the light of his attitude to the law in 5:17–48 and such passages as 12:1–14 (on Sabbath observance) and 15:1–20 (on ceremonial defilement). The mission of Jesus and the demands of love clearly took precedence." - France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 156)