Mark 1:40-45
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Jesus is asked by a leper if He is willing, that He can make Him clean...This is a bold leper...A leper would have been abandoned by society...This leper knew that his disease made mean unclean in the Jewish Society...Anything the leper one would touch would become unclean...Yet, he approaches Jesus...A leper could not get close to other people because of their condition...Yet, it seems that the leper has heard about Jesus and has hope and a belief that He can help him...Touching a leper, probably meant Jesus could no longer enter the Temple (of His Father)...He would be unclean...
What is particularly interesting is Jesus did not have to touch Him to heal Him...After all, Jesus is divine...Jesus reaches out and touches the leper...The Greek word for touch used in Mark is haptomai, which means more than touching...It means to fasten oneself, to attach...So Jesus did more than touch the leper...He may have grabbed and probably held him (maybe a hug or embrace), which would make Jesus unclean...But that does not happen...Jesus does not become unclean...The leper is now cleaned and healed...