Moved with compassion, Jesus reached
out His hand and touched him.
—Mark 1:41
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Brand pioneered tendon-transplant operations on leprosy victims in India. One day a patient started weeping when Dr. Brand reached out and touched him. A nurse explained: “You touched him, and no one has done that in years.”
Moved with compassion, Jesus once touched a leper and said, “Be made clean.”
Leprosy was a dreaded disease that rendered its victims ceremonially unclean—and contaminated anyone who came in contact with them. So if someone came near, the leper had to cover the lower part of the face and shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” It was a lonely life.
The coronavirus pandemic has us donning face masks—visually warning, “Keep your distance; I may have something you don’t want to get.”
I have a heightened appreciation for handshakes and hugs. I miss them.
Never again take handshakes
and hugs for granted.