“I am willing, be clean”
RESPOND:
- How does this image evoke the tenderness of Jesus?
- Rest in the beauty of His tenderness.
REFLECT AND PRAY:
PSALM 34
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
TENDER:
1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Matthew 8:1-3
REFLECTION:
No one touches a leper.
A leper touches no one.
My ancestors were exiled from their homeland.
I know what that feels like.
Exiled by my family from my own home.
It’s been so long,
since.
I’ve never held my daughter’s daughter.
She’s never held me.
“Unclean, unclean,” I shout wherever I go.
Everyone moves aside with looks of disdain, and contempt.
Words follow me, the same ones – sinner, outcast, shamed.
All true.
From outside the city I heard this Rabbi Jesus as He came through our town.
“Good News,” He said.
“Come to me,” He says, as He motions to His hearers.
I see Him now, again.
He says the same thing, in the same way.
I have nothing to lose in coming to Him.
I have nothing.
“Unclean, unclean,” I exclaim.
He lifts His head above the crowd, as if He hears the shouting and commotion that follows me.
His face softens.
He nods.
I walk as quickly as my broken body will allow and kneel before Rabbi Jesus as one
kneels before King Herod, bowing my head low.
Lower.
Rabbi Jesus has no scepter. He has no crown. He does not hold court.
I have heard He has power, a heavenly one, and He freely gives it away.
Could He bestow on me such a blessing?
Even me?
So undeserving, unwelcomed,
unwanted.
One blessing from Him.
And.
Rabbi Jesus knows the law that should He touch me, He too would be unclean and
be cast out. Rabbi Jesus knows the law and moves in its spirit.
He moves toward me,
His presence brings peace over my fear, over all my frailty.
He kneels down before me as a servant would kneel to wash the feet of a guest.
Rabbi Jesus bends lower,
His eyes now looking up at me.
What does He see?
I cannot see.
He raises His hand and touches
my chin, slowly lifting my head
until my eyes finally meet His.
Eyes of joy.
Eyes of grace.
Eyes of healing
Eyes of compassion.
He speaks five life-changing words.
Words I will call to mind each time I hold my daughter’s daughter and she holds me.
“I am willing…Be clean.”
Then His embrace,
full of laughter and tears.
To be seen.
To be touched.
To be held.
To be healed.
To be whole.
To be holy.
Because of His tenderness,
I am.
Clean.
RESPOND:
-
- Where do you find yourself surrounded by the tenderness of Jesus?
- How might you partner with Jesus in extending His tender touch?
PRAYER:
Jesus, I long to know that you see me. I long to know what you see in me, what you really see. Would you open my eyes to see me the way you see me? Jesus, I long to be touched by you. A healing touch. A calming touch. A soothing touch. A touch that would bring a full and final peace. Would you, in tenderness, come? Come, Lord Jesus. Come.
SCRIPTURE:
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew 4:17
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5b
REFLECTION: (written by Dan Baker)
As we focus our thoughts more deeply on this Lenten season, consider today’s text. Matthew 4:17 states: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” So, “from that time …” what exactly did happen?
Matthew has given us some beautiful details of Jesus and His ministry. Many key events including John the Baptizer having been arrested, Jesus had just spent 40 days being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and lastly, Jesus’ ministry was now beginning. As Jesus begins his earthly mission, Matthew takes us back to a prophecy from Isaiah found in chapter 9, verse 2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
Early in my Christian experience, I associated repentance with guilt, fear, and shame. You may have had some of that same experience and perception. Repentance is a “turning back.” A turning back toward the God of love. In the act of repentance, we also allow God’s “Light” to reveal our shortcomings and our sin. John writes in chapter 1, verse 5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” He states in 1 John 1:5b “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” We are children of Light, and we live in the Light of transformation. Darkness cannot overcome the Light. As we allow the Light to shine deep in our hearts, the Light will reveal our dark places for the purpose of reflection and confession. It is not meant to lead us to despair, but rather to have us be transformed into living and loving like Jesus.
John also reminds us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Yes, Jesus was fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy by bringing Light to those living along the sea of Galilee in Capernaum. That same Light is ours today, breaking through our darkness, transforming us, and allowing His Light to reflect on those around us. We are to be Light to the world.
RESPOND:
- Can you think of a time in your life when you felt overpowered by darkness?
- Are you still living in that darkness?
- Darkness has no power over the Does your view of repentance include the purpose of transformation?
PRAYER:
Father of Light, I open my dark places to You. Please, allow Your Light to shine into those spaces, revealing my darkness in places I have never seen. Give me the grace to agree with You and allow Your transforming power to change me, letting Your Light shine brightly through me to those around me. I ask in the powerful name of Jesus, the Light of the World.
