WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: We often carry shame for sin we’ve committed or because of our low self-esteem. Today’s verses show Jesus’ healing love. Before turning to them dare to be honest with God; come to him and see if he is willing to make you clean. Unclean outcast Having a skin disease was a serious problem in Jewish culture. It was seen as a consequence of sin and made the sufferer ritually unclean, which meant that this man would have been cut off from society. He was unable to participate in religious ceremonies, no one would touch him or get close to him for fear of being made unclean, and he could not work to pay his way. So destitute, lonely and feeling rejected by God, he falls on his knees before Jesus. Redemptive love The miracle would have been amazing enough, showing God’s power in Jesus. But Jesus’ ministry was about more than power, it was about redemptive love. His compassion caused him to reach out and touch the man. Instead of Jesus becoming ritually unclean, the man became clean, his skin healed. Jesus models love and power. His holiness was more powerful than the disease and overcame it. Life in all its fullness Now the man can re-enter society, make friends, get married, earn a living, no longer rejected by God. Jesus has changed everything. This is the heart of Jesus’ ministry, delivering us from controlling sin and showing us God’s love and acceptance, bringing us life in all its fullness (John 10:10). Respond: Praise God today that he has reached out and touched us. http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-01-23