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Question of willingness

When Jesus encountered a man full of leprosy, very interesting conversation happened. Here it is:

"While He was in one of the towns, there came a man full of (covered with) leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cure me and make me clean.
And [Jesus] reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him." Luke 5:12,13

As I was contemplating on these 2 verses, tears welled up in my eyes. Here was a man full of leprosy, a social outcast, who is not allowed to move freely among the society. His words spoke volumes about his faith in Jesus, but humble enough to seek confirmation about Jesus willingness to heal him. In other words, we can infer that none of the people around this man are willing in his well being. He was kind of helpless.

Jesus response and actions were equally surprising -
  1. He reached out His hand - This action of Jesus signifies that it was His purpose to bridge the gap between the human race and God. Until Jesus arrival, man and God are separated but upon his arrival, there is a bridge between the two parties - the bridge being Jesus Himself.
  2. He touched him - Even though it was prohibited by Moses' law to touch a leprous man, Jesus touched him. I am wondering, in our modern times (where we have so many advanced medical facilities) how many of us are willing to touch a man full of leprosy, who is in need of help.
  3. He confirmed, "I am willing; be cleansed!" - What a great news. By confirming His willingness, He is making a statement that God is willing to reach out, touch and heal us. It is indeed a good news for us - "God is willing!"
Knowing the fact that God is willing, now the question is are we willing to seek God's hand in our day to day matters by thanking Him for His willingness to intervene in our lives? As a matter of fact, this is what God's grace is all about - His willingness.

Questions to ponder:
  1. Knowing God's willingness, are you willing to seek His help?
  2. If not, can you make a note of the reasons?
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