He Touched the Untouchable: Love, Grace, and the Power that Overcomes Stigma
“Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him” —Mark 1:41
Jesus revealed God’s power through His deeds, yet everything He did was driven by deep compassion and love.
Mark tells the story of a man with leprosy who approaches Him, begging to be healed. Mark shows us that Jesus' compassion was the driving force behind His actions. When the man says, "If you are willing, you can make me clean," Jesus, moved with compassion, reaches out and touches him, saying, "I am willing. Be clean!" Instantly, the leprosy leaves the man, and he is healed. His willingness to heal stems from a deep place of love and empathy for those who suffer.
Despite the social stigma surrounding leprosy, He not only speaks healing but also physically touches the man, breaking barriers and demonstrating the power of compassionate love. He demonstrates the kind of love that overcomes fear, social stigma, and prejudice. As Scripture says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” – 1 John 4:18
The apostles exemplified this same kind of love. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “Christ’s love compels us.” Love is one of God's communicable attributes. When we truly come to know Him, we begin to love as He does, and we begin to give the best of ourselves. God’s love compelled Him to give: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). And when He gives, He gives us His very best.
Every great story with God begins with a change of heart. When we encounter His presence and discover His grace and truth, it profoundly moves and transforms us. As we immerse ourselves in God's Word, and practice His presence through prayer and obedience, we find ourselves growing in humility and experiencing a deeper capacity for love. We begin to love better.
If we want to have a meaningful impact on those around us, we first need to let God impact us. As we begin to influence others, we discover that this act of impacting others also profoundly affects us. For instance, when God works through us to touch others during times when we feel most unworthy and unprepared, it profoundly impacts us as well. We become more humble and appreciative of His mercy. This dynamic unfolds when we begin to walk in both grace and truth.
God's character, in all its various aspects, is revealed to us in the Scriptures. They unveil profound truths about the God we serve. For example, God is Spirit. He is invisible and eternal. The Scriptures show that He does not judge by outward appearance, but rather looks at the heart. He knows each of us intimately, including our most cherished and hidden secrets. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is the God of truth, the God of principles, yet He is also full of grace and mercy. But that’s not all. The Bible also speaks about us. It advises us not to rely solely on our own understanding, as our emotions and thoughts can be deceptive. It reminds us that our time on earth is limited, and that after death, each of us will stand before Him and be judged according to how we chose to live our lives.
The reason we experience a profound change when we encounter God personally is that we realize He knows everything about us including the good, the bad, and even the parts we’re most ashamed of, yet still chooses to draw near and embrace us. Tim Keller puts it this way: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”
God knows us fully, yet loves us truly. We all dread the possibility of being let down by someone we deeply care about when they discover who we truly are or what we have done. We fear they might leave once they learn about our past, our struggles, or our health and financial situation. When someone says to us they’re searching for true love, what they’re really asking is, “If I reveal to you the truth about myself, will you still love me?” Because we so deeply fear rejection, we become experts at hiding our weaknesses while secretly longing for a community or someone who knows us completely and still chooses to love us unconditionally. The kind of love in human relationships, where we are fully known and truly loved, is a lot like being loved by God Himself.
Moses brought the law, but the law could not bridge the gap. But when Jesus came, He brought the fullness of grace and truth to heal our broken nature. God understands that true transformation happens only when truth is met with grace, and structure is balanced with relationship. When we allow God's grace to shape how we treat one another and choose to speak truth in love, we begin to experience something incredibly powerful in our relationships: the power of healing
When we speak the language of truth, we reflect the character of God. Whenever God speaks, He speaks truth, and every word He says can be trusted. We come to know His will and His intentions for our lives because everything He says is rooted in truth. Truth brings clarity, structure, and order. Truth has logical effects. However, for healing to truly happen, grace must enter the picture. As powerful as truth is, it can only bring healing when grace and compassion are applied. What grace does is enable change and empower transformation. Remember what Ephesians 2:8 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved.” This shows us that God’s grace is just as powerful as His truth. Yes, grace is just as powerful as truth in how we relate to one another.
Speaking to the depth of Christ’s love for us, the Bible says, “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matthew 8:17). Not only does God fully know us and still choose to love us, but He also chooses to carry our burdens. He cares for us just as He cared for the man with leprosy!