“Touched Him” (Luke 5:1-14)

(Luke 5:12-13) “And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and begged him, saying, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean'.  And He put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, 'I will: be you clean'. And immediately the leprosy departed from him”.

The sinner comes in desperate need, willing to be made whole on God's TERMS by God's appointed King. He receives Him as He is, which is King of kings and Lord of lords, and by this, we acknowledge the King's RIGHT to show mercy, having earned it by the cross (Rom 10:9, 13). He ascended His throne in power because He RANSOMED God's elect, earned the salvation of all the Father gave Him, satisfied justice, and has the POWER and right to give us mercy. We can be saved, if He wills it, if He GIVES us what He has.

But, to take us to heaven, He must descend the earth and pay hell's torment for us. Not only does the touch CLEANSE the leper, but it gives punishment to the Savior and demands that He pay the penalty for our sin. So, salvation is TRUSTING the Lord to have PAID for your wrongs, so that He can FREELY give you cleansing in character and standing, a cleansing that is PERFECT in heavenly acceptance and honorable in earthly behavior.

When Peter fished all night, he caught nothing. But, when he acted upon the word of God, he caught more than imaginable, and he tasted God's power in Christ, which revealed the SINFULNESS of his sin - “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.' And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'" (vs4-9). Yet, the Lord Jesus, by word, touched him too. He said, “Fear not; from henceforth you will catch men”, and this “fear not” is God's touch, saying, 'I have paid, and you may have my righteousness or my RIGHT to do you good, my character, and the blessings thereof' (vs10).

Instead of standing in what you deserve, stand in what God in Christ deserves to give sinners. Instead of struggling in what you can do, catching nothing, preach and touch men with the gospel of Christ, proclaiming good news in love that gives - “And when [Simon, James, and John] had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him... And He charged [the leper He healed] to tell no man: but go, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a witness unto them” (vs11, 14)