Luke 4:38-44
Jesus Heals Many
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Matthew 8:1-4
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
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. 4 Then Jesus said to him,“See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Have you ever wondered why Jesus healed some with words and others by touching?...There is an importance to touching...In fact, babies need touching from the ones that love them...Studies show that babies cry less, sleep better, and have better brain development when they are physically touched more...And in this touching of their baby, it also helps the newborn's mother demeanor...
Jesus has authority over disease...And Jesus could heal with both words and touching...But He often reached out and touched people to heal them...Jesus knows the importance of touch...He chose to touch many that He healed...This is an approach in healing others, that He wanted to use...We understand this approach as man, and we can feel this power of the touch...He knew that people would feel safe and be comfortable from His divine touch...
Dr. Paul Brand, in the book Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, said this about touching and the importance of Jesus touching others...Dr. Brand said, "I have sometimes wondered why Jesus so frequently touched the people He healed, many of whom must have been unattractive, obviously diseased, unsanitary, smelly...With His power, He easily could have waved a magic wand...In fact, a wand would have reached more people than a touch...He could have divided the crowd into affinity groups and organized His miracles--paralyzed people over there, feverish people here, people with leprosy there--raising his hands to heal each group efficiently, en masse...But He chose not to...Jesus' mission was not chiefly a crusade against disease (if so, why did He leave so many unhealed in the world and tell followers to hush up details of healings?), but rather a ministry to individual people, some of whom happened to have a disease...He wanted those people, one by one, to feel His LOVE and warmth and His full identification with them...Jesus knew He could not readily demonstrate love to a crowd, for love usually involves touching."...