Although we have heard it many times, the poem about the old violin never fails to touch my heart. Myra Brooks Welch penned this masterpiece entitled, "The Touch of the Master’s Hand."
"Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, but held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bidden, good folks,’ he cried. ‘Who’ll start the bidding for me? A dollar, a dollar’; then, ‘two! Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; going for three---‘ But no, from the room far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; then wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings.
"The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said, ‘What am I bid for the old violin?’ and he held it up with the bow. ‘A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand! And who’ll make it three? Three thousand, once; three thousand twice, and going, and gone,’ said he.
"The people cheered, but some of them said, ‘We do not quite understand what changed its worth.’ Swift came the reply: ‘The touch of a master’s hand.’
And many a person with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin, is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game—and he travels on. He is going once, and going twice, he’s going and almost gone. But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand…the worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand."
Read any of the four gospels and you can’t help but notice how frequently Jesus touched people physically. I wonder what his hands looked like. As a former carpenter, they must have been strong, callused, and scarred. But through them ran divine currents of love and healing. Everybody he touched was helped. Let’s look at just one example. Luke 5, verse 12, tells us that Jesus was in one of the towns of Galilee. A leper fell on his knees and shouted to Jesus, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Leprosy was a slow, agonizing, terminal illness. Notice the keen physician’s eye of Luke. The other gospel writers just note that the man was a leper. But Luke tells us that he was covered with leprosy; he had a severe case. Perhaps he was missing several fingers or a nose. The leper’s encounter with Jesus must have happened near the edge of town because lepers were not allowed to enter towns. In fact, they had to stay at least twenty paces from a healthy person. I wonder how this leper knew about Jesus. Perhaps he had a loving wife. Her heart was broken because she could not come within twenty paces of the husband she loved. But perhaps each day at sundown she brought some food to the old olive tree at the fork of the road to Nazareth. They sat at a distance and talked as he ate his meal. No doubt they wept too. She longed to hold the sick man she loved, but could not. But perhaps she shared with him what she had heard about Jesus, that he was a man sent from God who had powerful healing capacities. The disciples must have been petrified as Jesus started moving toward the leper. Then he reached out and touched him! This was perhaps the first human touch the leper had felt in years. "Be clean," Jesus said. And immediately the leprosy was cured. The man was completely well. Then in verse 14 Jesus asked the impossible, "Don’t tell anybody." Have mercy, Lord. If a condemned man on death row is pardoned by the Governor, how can he keep that a secret?! Jesus then sent the healed man to the priest so that he could be officially registered as cured and thus enabled to return to his family and employment. Jesus was sensitive to all of this man’s needs. Verse 15 tells us that the grapevine spread the news of this miracle even faster than the Internet. Now more sick people than ever came to Jesus. Notice in verse 16 how Jesus replenished his power supply. "He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." This is one of seven passages peculiar to Luke that talk about Jesus’ dependence on prayer. Here is my main message of the morning: Jesus is still touching people, sometimes through us. We believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, are the hands, feet and spokespersons for Christ. Please look with me at five categories of people whom Jesus touched, and let’s consider if there are ways even today that we can continue touching them in his name.
FIRST, AS WE SEE IN TODAY’S SCRIPTURE, JESUS TOUCHED THE UNTOUCHABLES. "Jesus reached out his hand and touched the (leper)." (Luke 5:13) When other people say that you are worthless, and you feel that way about yourself, Jesus says that you are priceless! Several years ago Charles Colson of Prison Fellowship visited a prison in Trivandrum, India. He preached the gospel to about 1000 inmates, many of whom were untouchables at the very bottom of the Hindu caste system. He told them that each one of them was so valuable in the sight of God that Jesus would have died for him alone. The untouchables were amazed by that radical thought. Colson invited those unfortunate people to receive Christ. Then he did something strictly on impulse. He jumped down off the platform and waded into the crowd, shaking hands and patting prisoners on the shoulders. The result was incredible. Like a flock of birds, those untouchables clustered around this man who dared to touch them. Somehow being able to touch him was a confirmation that the love of God was real. Colson says that he has no idea how many of those men received Christ that day, but he is sure at least one message got through---that in Christ they are not untouchable. (1) Even in our culture, there are some people that most folks don’t want to touch. An AIDS patient, a drug addict, a prison inmate, a homeless person. Could you have the opportunity to touch one of these this week in Jesus’ name? Too often the church has treated persons with a homosexual or lesbian orientation as untouchable. Shame on us! These are precious persons in the sight of God. It is unbecoming for some sinners to beat other sinners over the head with their sin. Our first task is to introduce all persons to the God who loved them enough to die for them. After there is a love linkage, then lifestyle choices can be worked out in the light of biblical truth and Christian fellowship. You see, outside the love of Christ, the Bible looks like just a long list of impossible demands dreamed up by a narrow-minded, judgmental God. But after we see the cross and what he did for us there, then the Bible becomes a love-letter from God's heart. With the help of Christ, can't we become places of hospitality for persons struggling with same-sex attractions? Think what a tremendous help good friends of the opposite sex can be for such persons. When we touch these persons, it could be with the touch of Christ.
OF COURSE, THERE WAS A SECOND CATEGORY OF PERSONS WHOM JESUS TOUCHED—THE SICK. All kinds of sick people. One woman was healed of internal bleeding when she acted on this thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." (Mark 5:28) Have you ever felt the power in the fingertips of a caring physician or nurse? That same power of touch is extended by lay pastors and Stephen’s Ministers of our church who visit regularly with homebound persons. When they hold someone’s hand and pray, the power of Christ flows. I talked with Carole this week, one of our members who is now home from the hospital. She said, "Bill, Christ Church prayed me through a near-death experience. When I could barely breathe, I felt no fear. The prayers of the faith community made the difference. Now, my circle is bringing us food almost every day. I am weeping with joy." Carole was describing the continuing power of Christ to heal the sick through the touch of the faith community.
JESUS TOUCHED A THIRD CATEGORY OF PERSONS—THE TERRIFIED. One day Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a mountain. There they saw Moses and Elijah, returned from the dead, and they heard God’s voice. They fell facedown to the ground, terrified! "But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’" (Matthew 17:7) I’m thinking about a godly psychiatrist in our congregation who assists troubled people through panic attacks, delusional disorders, and intense anxieties. Often his touch is indeed the touch of Christ.
A FOURTH CATEGORY OF PERSONS TOUCHED BY JESUS WERE THE DYING AND GRIEVING. Passing through the little village of Nain, Jesus saw the saddest funeral procession imaginable. The only son of a widow had died, leaving her heartbroken and destitute. Jesus stopped that procession in its tracks. "He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’" (Luke 7:14) And he did! Christ is still reaching out to the dying and grieving. I will always be grateful to the Hospice organization because of their care for my mother during her last months. They came to her house every day and their touch was indeed the touch of Christ. Are you familiar with the "Living Water" ministry directed by Carolyn Hamlet here in our church? This wonderful group helps people walk the sad path of grief in a healthy and faithful way. As they share each other’s pain, Christ is among them, touching each one.
A FIFTH AND FINAL CATEGORY OF PERSONS TOUCHED BY JESUS WERE THE CHILDREN. How Jesus loved children! "People were always bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them." (Luke 18:15) Not everybody delights in little children as much as Jesus did. In a recent comic strip, Dennis the Menace and his friend were walking past two young mothers who were marveling over a little baby in a crib. Dennis said to his friend, "I don’t see anything cute about a bald-headed, wrinkled, crying baby." I can’t think of a better investment on earth than sharing a healthy hug and a word about Jesus with a child. I commend those of you who invest some time in our nurseries and children’s ministries. I know that some say, "Well, I did that when I had young children, but not anymore"; or "I’m with children all week; I don’t want to be around them on Sundays." But I remember that Jesus always found time for the children, no matter how busy he was. We have the privilege of continuing his tradition, touching the little ones in his name. As someone has said, "One hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the size of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." (2) Think what an army of "Christ-extenders" we can be. Did you know that on any given weekend there are more people in houses of worship than attend major league baseball games all year long? (Even though the baseball pitchers make lots more money than the preachers) If each of us touches somebody each week as Jesus’ representative, we can change the world! When St. Francis of Assisi turned his back on worldly wealth and walked out of his village, he saw a leper standing on the edge of the path. He walked past him, but then turned around, walked back, and embraced the leper. He then turned and continued his journey. Glancing over his shoulder he noticed that the leper had vanished. For the rest of his life, St. Francis was convinced that this leper was Jesus Christ. Our Lord said, "Whatever you’ve done for the least of these, my brethren, you’ve done also for me." (Matthew 25:45)
Now, I’m going to ask you to reach out and take the hands of the persons beside you, bow your heads, and listen to this inspired song by Cheryl Boyd. As you listen, think about the ways you have been touched by Christ and how you can pass it on.
(1) Colson, Charles, How Now Shall We Live?, (Tyndale: Wheaton, 1999), pp. 137-138.
(2) Author unknown