“Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean,’” (Mark 1:41)

The ghastly label of leper is his sole identification mark, for we are not informed of his name or the city of his origin. Banished from society, his kind becomes invisible.

Whisperings about the man who commands evil spirits to obey and diseases to evaporate have filtered through the streets, down the alleyways, and slipped inside the cracks of the leprosy barracks where he hides. All the sick brought to Jesus’ doorway in Capernaum have been healed. Surely, there is room for one more.

With the heroic courage of a warrior fighting for his own existence, the leper bends his knees and begs, “If you will, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). I know what you are capable of, I grasp the fact that you do the impossible, but I am uncertain if I am even worthy of your power.

Three of the Gospels distinctly record that Christ “stretched out his hand and touched him.” Before saying a word, the all-­‐-­‐-­‐compassionate Savior heals the scars inside the man before cleansing his diseased skin.

The God we serve is like that. He sees beyond our seeping wounds, reaches for us, never recoiling from our frailties and imperfections. His compassion moves him to act on our behalf; his limitless power ensures he is successful. He is not stumped or overwhelmed by our staggering loads.

His hands are full capable of handling it all.