(74) Touch of the Master

Inspired by Joseph Prince Ministries:

In the Old Testament (Torah) the Jewish nation was bound by certain laws to become holy or clean before the Lord Adonai.  If you sinned or had afflictions you had to do certain acts.  You had sacrifices.  You had ceremonial cleansings.  You had to be isolated for certain amount of times.  You had to leave your community until the affliction was gone or you were.  Such as lepers had a skin condition that by the law made them unclean.  Lepers were not allowed to walk in the streets, they had to stay in the valley of the lepers.  There was a woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years and because of this she was considered unclean.  When she touched Jesus' clothing as He walked by she then tried to hide for fear of the people because of what she had done.  By the law, those who were considered unclean were not allowed to touch those who were considered clean.  If they did then the unclean passed onto the clean thereby making them unclean as well.  People ran from them.  People ignored them.  People were frightened to be around them; causing those with afflictions to feel like outcasts, loners, and unworthy.  Leviticus 21:7, says:

• When anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from his people.

But Jesus through the new covenant of grace changed all of that.  When Jesus saw these people He did not shy away from them like the regular population.  Unlike others who backed away, Jesus went to them and even more He touched them.  Matthew 8:2-3:

• And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

By the law, the leper and the woman would have been considered unclean but because of who He was the tables were turned. Instead of the unclean causing the clean to be unclean this time the clean made the unclean...clean!

 

Those who are touched by the Master are cleansed.  It doesn't matter what our past holds.  It doesn't matter how unclean we have been, when we are touched by the Master our sins are washed away, our past stays exactly where it is, in the past.  Our unworthiness is now made worthy.  This is why Paul says Your grace is sufficient.  Paul had a horrible history with God's new family members and yet Paul knew he was forgiven because He was touched by Jesus.

 

Whether Jesus seeks us out or we seek Him, we can have this cleansing.