A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured (Mark 1:40-42 NIV).

Our reading today is another one of those places where we are challenged and stretched. Remember that in Jesus’ day lepers were literal “untouchables.” Under no circumstances were lepers supposed to be touched by a Jew! Not only was it breaking the Jewish law, lepers were just plain offensive to every sense.  They were “unclean,” if you touched one, you would be unclean, too. The laws given to Moses were as much a hygiene issue as they were a moral issue; nevertheless, being "filled with compassion" for the man, Jesus reached right out and touched him. Jesus was bringing a new law, and according to this new law, no person was too unclean to touch.

In Jesus' day Leprosy was widely believed to be divine punishment for some grievous sin, much as some people believe AIDS is today. Jesus debunked that idea when he healed the leper. He didn't question the man as to what sin he might have committed to "deserve" leprosy; he simply reached out with grace and touched the man. You'd better believe the healing the man experienced in that touch went far deeper than his leprosy.

Just as Jesus' power and willingness to cleanse was far greater than the leprosy's power to render unclean, Jesus' power and willingness to forgive is far greater than any sin. If Jesus sees no person as "untouchable," why do we? If Jesus sees no sin as unforgivable, why do we pick and choose and pass judgment? Who are we decide who is welcome in God's kingdom and who is "untouchable?"