Touch

Mark 8:22 Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch him:

.... they did not ask for a sermon; neither did they seek a healing; they wanted physical contact - a touch.

This is so rare in our world. We substitute human touch with everything else, thinking that possessions, clothing, entertainment, and words will show our love for another. Jesus showed this to be a hollow substitute by offering the one thing that is prized above every other gift: Jesus offered human contact. In touching the blind man he affirmed the fact that he was not an "unclean" reject of society. In this human touch, Jesus affirmed this man as a beloved brother.

I am challenged by this story to examine the ways I show love: and to be committed to offering human contact to those who are shut out into the margins of my world. Pray for me.
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