«And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’ » (Matthew 8:2).
The only thing worse was dying. You started by losing sensation in some parts of your I body. Then the muscles atrophied, and the tendons contracted, making your hands look like claws. Ulcers conquered every inch of your skin until your fingers began to fall off. Leprosy also cut off your place in the community; it isolated you from your family and friends. There really wasn’t a worse disease! In Jesus’s time, some rabbis boasted about how badly they treated lepers. They threw rocks at them when they saw them and refused to buy food at the market if a leper was nearby. It was in that cultural context that a leper dared to approach Jesus and say, «Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean» (Matthew 8:2). Jesus’s response was even more astonishing! Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. Who knows how many years had passed without any type of physical contact? Then Jesus said, «l am willing!» and healed him from his illness.
This story illustrates repentance in the most beautiful way. Repentance is running to Jesus with our sickness. It is falling to our knees, confessing that He has the power to cleanse us, but above all, it is receiving His touch and His healing words. «l am willing!» Jesus said. I want to welcome you, dirty, sick, and depressed. I am willing. I want to heal you and restore you. Don’t wait any longer! Don’t let anyone stop you. Come to me because I do love you.
We don’t have to cleanse ourselves first, nor be healed first, nor even repent first! We must first go to Christ. In To Be Like Jesus, Ellen G. White reminded us that if sinners «could repent without coming to Christ, they could also be saved without Christ. . . . We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ (p. 372). First, let’s go to Christ. Then His love leads us to repentance. He welcomes us, hugs us, and says, «l am willing; be cleansed.»
Dear Lord, I thank You because I can come to You as I am.
I confess that You have the power to cleanse me of my selfishness, my self-reliance, and all my sins. I beg You to extend Your hand, touch my forehead and say, «I am willing; be cleansed. «
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.
