week 7: clean

Hey guys! This week, we talked a lot about miracles, and I was especially touched by the story of Jesus healing the leper in Matthew 8:

2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

There are so many beautiful elements of this miracle, but I just want to focus on one, at the beginning of verse 3: "And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him."

In order to fully comprehend the significance of Jesus' action, we have to understand some of the historical context. In first century Jewish culture, at the first sign of the disease, this man would have been declared "unclean," and his life would have shattered. He would have been taken away from his friends and family, sentenced to a slow, painful death.

At this point, no one would have wanted to be within 100 feet, let alone come into physical contact with him. So for Jesus to reach out his hand and touch him would have been unheard of, and quite possibly could've been the first time this man had been shown affection in a long while.

My professor described this moment like this: "Jesus specializes in touching the unclean." Christ has never been one to follow social norms, and His touch has the power to make that which is unclean clean again. Whether it is touching a leper, eating with the publicans, or forgiving a sinner, Christ has the power to help everyone He touches feel His pure love for them.

Today at Stake Women's Conference, one of the speakers shared this poem by Boyd K. Packer, and it describes this idea beautifully:

"Washed Clean" 

In ancient times the cry “Unclean!”
Would warn of lepers near.
“Unclean! Unclean!” the words rang out;
Then all drew back in fear,

Lest by the touch of lepers’ hands
They, too, would lepers be.
There was no cure in ancient times,
Just hopeless agony.

No soap, no balm, no medicine
Could stay disease or pain.
There was no salve, no cleansing bath,
To make them well again.

But there was One, the record shows,
Whose touch could make them pure;
Could ease their awful suffering,
Their rotting flesh restore.

His coming long had been foretold.
Signs would precede His birth.
A Son of God to woman born,
With power to cleanse the earth.

The day He made ten lepers whole,
The day He made them clean,
Well symbolized His ministry
And what His life would mean.

However great that miracle,
This was not why He came.
He came to rescue every soul
From death, from sin, from shame.

For greater miracles, He said,
His servants yet would do,
To rescue every living soul,
Not just heal up the few.

Though we’re redeemed from mortal death,
We still can’t enter in
Unless we’re clean, cleansed every whit,
From every mortal sin.

What must be done to make us clean
We cannot do alone.
The law, to be a law, requires
A pure one must atone.

He taught that justice will be stayed
Till mercy’s claim be heard
If we repent and are baptized
And live by every word. …

If we could only understand
All we have heard and seen,
We’d know there is no greater gift
Than those two words—“Washed clean!”

- Boyd K. Packer

I want to bear my testimony that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse us, who are so very unclean. He is not afraid to reach forth his hand and touch our hearts. I would even venture to say that if He could physically be with me right now, face-to-face, even though I would feel so unworthy in His presence, He would not hesitate to give me a hug.

He specializes in sanctifying the sinner, healing the hurt, and loving the unlovable. Because of His sacrifice, He we can, indeed, be "washed clean." Never forget that He loves you, more than you can imagine.

If you want to learn more, lds.org is the official website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For more about Jesus Christ, go here. To read the full chapter of Matthew 8, go here. You can also find Boyd K. Packer's full talk, "Washed Clean," here. Thank you so much for visiting!

All insights inspired / catalyzed by Prof. Tyler Griffin's 02/22/18 lecture, REL A 250, Brigham Young University.

Artwork: "He Healed Many" by J. Kirk Richards.