Just One Touch

Sermon: “Just one Touch ”

Text: Matthew 8:1–4

Introduction

Matthew 8 begins right after Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount.

The people were astonished at His teaching because He spoke with authority, not like the scribes.

And immediately, as He comes down from the mountain, a man with leprosy approaches Him.

This moment is not an interruption—it’s a divine appointment.

It shows us how the power of Christ’s words is matched by the power of His touch.

Matthew 8 1-3 1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed

Luk 5:12-16 NKJV - 12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

Mar 1:40-45 NKJV - 40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 

41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.

I can Imagine the Leper watching and listening from a distance while Christ was preaching the Sermon

the anticipation once he was done, if I can just speak with him, if I can just have him heal me, I know he can

HE MUST HAVE BEEN LISTENDING WHEN JESUS SAID, ASK - AND IT WILL BE GIVEN YOU

HE HEARD HIM SAY - SEEK- AND YOU WILL FIND, IT WAS RINGING IN HIS EAR SEEK- AN YOU WILL FIND

WHEN NEED TO TAKE JESUS AT HIS WORD, WHEN HE SAID HE GIVES GOOD GIFTS

1. The Leper’s Desperation (v. 2)

Leprosy in Bible times was a disease that not only destroyed the body but also separated a person from society, family, and even worship in the temple.

When the leper came to Jesus, he carried both physical suffering and social rejection. No one dared touch him—yet Jesus did the unthinkable. He reached out His hand and touched the untouchable. With one word, the man was cleansed.

The leper comes to Jesus in humility, kneeling before Him, saying: “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.”

Notice his faith—he did not question Jesus’ ability. He questioned only His willingness.

HE IS Jehovah Raphe: The Lord Who Heals

This man had nothing left but a need for the Savior.

He was blemished. He was outcast. He dreamed about the touch of another person. He dreamed of acceptance. He dreamed of seeing love and compassion in another’s eyes. He longed to be held, hugged, pat on the back.

It was this man’s condition that caused him to seek out the Savior. When we look at the disease of our soul...sin, we realize we need to meet the Savior.

This leper knew there was nothing he could do to heal himself, it would take someone more powerful than he.

Our situation really is no different. We are born into sin. We alone are powerless to overcome our sin nature. He had heard that Jesus could heal. We have heard that Jesus can heal/save/wash away our sin.

Application:

We may feel like spiritual lepers—unclean, ashamed, or cut off from God and others.

The first step to healing is to come to Jesus with honesty and faith.

2. The Savior’s Compassion (v. 3)

Jesus does the unthinkable—He touches the leper. According to the law, this should have made Jesus unclean.

But instead, His purity overcomes the leper’s impurity.

With one touch and one word, Jesus says: “I will; be clean.” Instantly, the man is healed.

This shows that Jesus is not afraid of our brokenness.

He moves toward the outcast, the hurting, and the sinner.

We learn an important lesson about our Savior. We must come to Him with a broken and contrite heart. The man was broken before the Savior and he was in no position to bargain or make demands. He humbled himself before Jesus. He recognized Jesus’ ability to heal and humbly asked that it be done.

We learn that Jesus is attentive to our needs. Jesus knows what you need. The man needed to be healed, but Jesus knew that he longed for the touch of another.

Jesus could have healed him with a word or the snap of a finger, but Jesus knew the importance of the touch.

The touch brought comfort/the words brought healing.

God touches us to show His love and to grab our undivided attention. The touch is a sign of affection/endearment.

Application:

No sin, no shame, no scar is too deep for Jesus to touch.

When others avoid us, Jesus draws near. His touch changes everything.

3. The Command to Obey (v. 4)

After the healing, Jesus tells the man to say nothing but go show himself to the priest, as the Law of Moses required.

This served two purposes:

(1) to be restored to community life, and (2) as a testimony that Jesus fulfills the Law.

True healing leads to obedience and witness.

Application:

When Christ touches our lives, we cannot stay the same. We are called to walk in obedience, not just enjoy the blessing.

Our changed lives become a testimony to the world of Jesus’ power and love.

Conclusion

Matthew 8:1–4 shows us:

The leper’s faith—he believed Jesus could heal.

The Savior’s compassion—Jesus reached out and touched the untouchable.

The call to obedience—healing is not the end, but the beginning of a new walk with God.

Jesus still touches lives today. No matter how unclean, broken, or rejected you may feel, His hand is stretched out to you. The question is—will you kneel before Him in faith and say, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean”?