Sign & Wonder

The first chapter of Mark shows us the first miracle of touching the untouchable. Then Jesus brought justice to the leper found in a supernatural act healing his sores. We must remember to allow for every opportunity of touch to be an opportunity for the sign and wonder of God.

 

As we wrote about on our page Touch the Untouchable, we shared how Jesus' act of touching the leper both violated the old Law and yet fulfilled it by Him loving His neighbor. There were two miracles that took place in Mark 1: the miracle of touch and the miracle of a man's leprosy gone.

Compassionate Action Changes The Atmosphere

Jesus was moved to compassion and that brought Him to touching the untouchable. But Jesus carried with Him the Spirit of God (John 1:33) and wherever He went, He changed and shifted the atmosphere around Him. In His life, Jesus was all about righting the wrongs of injustice, whether it be those in place from the religious systems (outcasts and untouchables) and those in place due to the fall (sickness and disease).

On Earth As It Is In Heaven
As we engage the poor and least and those in need, we must be sure that we make ourselves open for the Kingdom of God to come to earth just like Jesus did. He told the disciples to pray to the Father, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". All that the Father and Son are asking us to do is to be people who make space in our lives for "on earth as it is in heaven" and be open to the seen and unseen realities for us as we bring justice to the earth. After all, even salvation itself is an act of justice, righting the wrongs of sin and making us "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)

Healing Is An Act of Justice
The touch Jesus gave broke the Law and fulfilled it in one go. He loved His neighbor and changed the man's heart through His touch and reestablished the man's place in society through the physical healing—a true sign of justice that is complete and everlasting (Amos 5:24).


All of these are acts of justice as much as clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, giving AIDS antiviral medication, providing clean water or loving our enemies.

As we revolt towards justice, may we remember the Spirit we carry within us in the same that raised Jesus from the dead and it's the same one that changes the odds when we encounter our modern-day lepers, enter the hospital emergency rooms and sit in the dust with those in that needing healing in the world's AIDS and disease-torn countries.

Let us be open to the mystery, sign and wonders of justice that point to the glory of God.