I was scheduled to speak before the residents of Highland Oaks Care Center on Sunday, April 5th. Ironic enough in our current environment of social distancing my topic was the need of touch. Nonetheless, our current restrictions do not change observed or obvious truths.
Humans, when things are working as they should, possess 5 senses. These are sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. All of them are important as we relation to the world around us. I am thankful to God that I am not without any. They are a part of God’s marvelous design.
Yet, it is the sense of touch that places us into direct contact with our world. When we touch, we are becoming intimately involved with the objects of our interaction. Can you imagine not being able to touch your world? Was it not touch rather than sight that convinced the apostle Thomas of the resurrected Lord?
Can you imagine not being able to touch those you love? To not to be able to touch them might be worse that not be able to see them! Be sure of this, the ability to touch and to be touched is critical to us in the human experience.
Back in the 20th Century a study was conducted among 26 children in an orphanage. The babies were cut off from human contact as much as possible. By the time the babies were 1 year old, they were less curious, less playful and more subject to infections that the child raised under more traditional conditions where infants are held for extended periods of time each and every day. When they reached their 2nd and 3rd year of life, of the 26 children only 2 could walk and manage a few words.
(http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/histoire_bleu06.html)
Research has revealed that newborns who are frequently touched gain weight faster and have superior mental and motor skill development. Touching on the back and legs generally soothes babies while touching on the face, belly and feet tends to excite them (you know this is true, don’t you!).
In the earliest stages of a child's life, touch is a critical part of the establishment of a bond between parent and child. Extensive research by the University of Miami's Touch Research Institute, along with other researchers, has revealed that human touch has wide-ranging physical and emotional benefits.
In other words, touch affects us outwardly and inwardly. In the Institute's experiments, touch lessened pain, improved lung function, increased growth in infants, lowered blood glucose and improved immune function.
From my own personal observation and experience, I would add that touch is great therapy for the depressed, the lonely, the underappreciated and the under loved. Human touch is important for all ages, but research tells us that by the time children reach their teen years, in most cases, they receive only half as much touching as they did in the early part of their lives. Adults touch each other even less. Adolescents and adults need touch too, but for various reasons it just becomes awkward and not nature for us as the young mature for most of us.
Regardless, the same researchers also found that touch with moderate pressure stimulates a cranial nerve of the brain that slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure. This produces a state that is relaxed while making one more attentive.
Touch also reduces stress hormones and enhances immune function. There is some evidence that the level of aggression and violence among children is related to lack of touching.
Researchers have also found that senior citizens receive the least touching of any age group as seniors are more likely to live alone, which means they are less likely to have daily physical interaction with friends and family members.
However, the aging process tends to loosen those restrains. So, seniors are more likely to touch and to accept touching than younger age groups, especially teenagers.
Where am I going with of this? Well, the Gospels use the words “hand,” “fingers,” and “touch” nearly two hundred times, and the words often refer to Jesus:
“Jesus put out His hand and touched him . . .
So He touched her hand . . . .
He went in and took her by the hand . . . .
Then He touched their eyes . . . ..
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand . . .
Jesus came and touched them . . . .
Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray . . .”[1]
The story is told of a little boy who once became very frightened in the middle of the night as a thunderstorm raged on. He called out to his Dad, “Daddy come in here to my room I am afraid.” His father answered back, “You will be OK son, Jesus is with you!” To which the little boy answered back, “I know that Daddy but sometimes I need somebody with skin on!!”
Our Creator God knew that the time would come in His relationship with His created that man would need God with skin on. Thus, He sends His son, Jesus, into the world as God in the flesh to reveal God to man in a unique way.
(John 1:14 NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(Col. 2:9 NIV) For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
Please remember that the Christ currently has a body. Not the body that He used for His earthly purpose but His resurrected body as the first fruits of the resurrection. (see 1 Cor.15:20-23 & Col. 2:9 above)
As God in bodily form, Jesus touches mankind in a way that only God can.
Touch as defined by dictionary;
: to put your hand, fingers, etc., on someone or something
: to be in contact with (someone or something)
: to change or move (someone or something)
Touch can be of the physical outer type or of the inner spiritual type as one’s inner self is prompt to change by the power of having our inner person touched in the sense of moved. Many a time it is the physical touch of the outer person that induces the inner benefit as one is moved in a positive way.
Jesus came to touch the whole person. The outer person and the inner person. And when Jesus touches people….people are changed!
Jesus has the compassion and the power to touch and change a person’s situation in accordance to His good will when they seek Him out by calling out to Him.
(Matthew 20:29-34 NIV) 29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Jesus was willing to touch and heal even if He wasn’t asked but as He saw the need.
(Matthew 8:14-15 NIV) 14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
We can easily understand upon the people hearing of the powerful and compassionate touch of Jesus and the results there of that the people began to seek Him out so that they may touch Him.
(Mark 3:10 NIV) For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.
(Mark 6:56 NIV) And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
(Luke 6:19 NIV) and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
(Matthew 14:35-36 NIV) 35 And when the men of that placed recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
The question that we must ask, and answer is, “Why did Jesus miraculously heal so many in His compassion for them?” After all every one of them would eventually die of some sort of affliction. The healing touch of Jesus as seen in the gospels were miraculous, complete and instantaneous but they weren’t forever…. were they?
Well, here’s the thing, Jesus came with a greater purpose in providing man his greatest need that only He could provide.
(Mark 2:1-12 NIV) 1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
The miraculous touch of Jesus to heal was the convincing proof that He was God with us (Emmanuel). He is God who provides forgiveness of sins. He is as John the Baptist said, “The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”
You see man had an inner condition, a rotting away of the soul, an eternal disease called sin that only Jesus could take away. As the sinless, Son of God, only He can pay the ransom or the price of the penalty of our sin.
(Mark 10:45 NIV) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And that would happen on Calvary’s cross where His body was broken, and His blood was shed that takes away the sin of the obedient believer.
As we come to our conclusion, I want to share with you briefly some “touching stories.” It was this past weekend that my son shared with me something that is very special to him as he makes his way to the various stores of the company that employees him. With the necessary 6ft distancing order in effect, what is a person to do when your fellow person desires to embrace you? For him, he can’t deny. Why? The touch of a co-worker, who he hasn’t seen in many of a month was just too needed by his inner man. The touch of hugs speaks louder than words, it says I am glad to see you again, I value you, you mean something to me in a special way. It is acceptance and appreciation. He needs that. It is of no benefit to his outer man but means a lot to his inner man. The touch that moves our inner person is powerful. It motivates us to keep on going. I guess the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree. I need that too. And we are not alone in this need.
In my mind, I desire to obey the order of social distancing. It is just the right thing to do. I want to protect my outer man and the outer person of others. I don’t want to be sick or even worst be the cause for others becoming sick. I want to do my part in stopping or preventing the spread.
But sometimes the opportunity to touch comes quickly and unexpectantly. As when I went to pick up my food order at the next door to the church building Mexican restaurant as I do my small part to help them through a hard-financial time. The owner is appreciative and quickly offers a handshake. I am surprised and got off guard. It’s decision time that must be made in a blink of an eye. I can’t say no, I can’t refuse his expression of appreciation. I need appreciation. He needs to express it. We shake. Not much happening on the outside but inside he and I are lifted-up as our faces are lighten and our voices speak out as the evidence of being moved in our inner beings. We need each other!
And there is Luke, whose daughter we know well and love. Luke as with many others as been recently laid off from work. We deliver him and daughter a food box although he didn’t, like others, ask for one. But he is appreciative his text messages have made it plain, very plain. But at his house he can do something that he cannot do on a I-phone. He offers out his hand for the shake of appreciation. This time I am more prepared. We shake and then he asks do we need anything? Oh yell, we need each other! We need closeness, we need touch!
There is BJ down at the Boondocks, a local eatery. Different place, different face yet the same story. We need each other! We need the power of touch!
And then there is Jessica, who works the produce section at the smallest yet the friendliest Krogers in the world. Mother of three precious daughters. Between the potatoes and the tomatoes, she offers up the priceless touch. A quick little hug. No way can I say “no way!” We need each other! We need the power of touch!
I really don’t like drive-thru banking. I like lobby banking of the First National Bank type. Because I like and even love the people inside there. They are very special to me. It is not that we shake hands or hug each other there. But what it is, it is a close encounter of the needed kind. I go there to make a deposit. I go there to make a withdrawal. I do so on a regular basis. No, not of the monetary type so much but of the encouragement type that comes with shared appreciation. I need to receive it, and I need to give it. We need up close face to face encounters. We need each other! In a close kind of way!
The church as the body of Christ needs closeness. We need to touch others and be touched in both applications of the word. We need each other up close and personal!
Please understand I am not advocating disobedience to a government order. I don’t offer up touch. I keep the distance for the most part. But I am confessing that at unrehearsed times, I do disobey as the offer is extended to me. In my mind I want to obey but I can’t. For the mind can be heartless while the heart can be mindless.
At this time there is something I fear greater than any virus and that is living in a world where we cannot be close with no touching allowed. Well, at least for now but subject to change as when the virus hits home. At the time of this writing there is no cases in Morgan County, Ohio.
I think that Jesus understands. He knew the law like no other that required social distancing. Yet, one of the earlier healings that Jesus performed took place after He came down from the mountain side upon delivering His Masterpiece, we call the “Sermon on the Mount.” And who does He heal? A Leper! Now that’s really interesting, because lepers were considered “untouchable.” Leprosy can be a terrible disease where those of the disease are shut off from contact with others but not from Jesus. (Matthew 8:1-3 NIV) 1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
We all, at all times, need the touch of Jesus! He has asks us in our distress to come to Him in order to be yoke with Him (which requires closeness) for our betterment. More than any other or all others I need, and you need the touch of Jesus!!
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)