The Bungee Cord. 3-18-24

Hello,

There are many stories in the Bible that I find myself thankful to read, and in church yesterday, I heard one of them. Luke 7:36-44. It is the recounting of what happened one day when Jesus had been invited to eat at the home of a pharisee, a very religious person who lived his life trying to follow each and every rule that he had learned from the synagogue. As it happened while Jesus was eating with this man, a woman, who bore the scarlet letter “sinner”, entered the room, kissed his feet and poured a jar of ointment on Jesus’ feet and dried his feet with her hair. When the host saw this happening, this is what he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.”

As the story continues, Jesus makes it quite clear that he, indeed, knew “who and what kind of a woman this was”. And that is why this story is on my list of top 10 stories in the Bible. Jesus knew…..AND…. Jesus let the woman touch him!

I, like you, know what kind of person I am. I know of sin that runs deep in my blood. I know the mean and hurtful thoughts that rattle in my mind and sometimes make their way to my mouth and my hands. I know the selfish and ignorant urges that drive my checkbook and my impression of others. I know the idols that sit on the shelf of my ego. I know, with photographic memory, the times that I have spit at Jesus in the face. I know the people that I have hurt, knowingly or not, because I see them bruised in my wake. I may hide the me that I know so well from other people, as we all do, I think. I try to give the impression that I have it all together. Some people who look at me, and maybe the same would be said of you, “Jerry’s is pretty good guy. He’s not as bad as ……”. But I know that when it comes to sin, sin is like cancer. Even one cancer cell is deadly. I know what kind of person I am.

In Jesus’ day, touch carried a lot of weight. If someone touched you, that person “rubbed” off on you. Their uncleanliness became your uncleanliness. In many ways, I think the same holds today. Maybe not so much those who physically touch us, but those whose lives touch ours. The values that we get from our friends. The way we see the world by the brand of news that we watch. The way we treat others by the fears that are instilled in us. We understand how “touch” can infect our lives.

So, I, who knows what kind of person I am, and who knows the infectious nature of touch read this Biblical story with delight, because like that woman, Jesus knows what kind of person I am….AND….Jesus lets me touch him! When I pray, Jesus turns his ear to me. When I have fallen and need someone to pick me up, Jesus takes ahold of my hand. When I come to the altar and stretch out my hand I hear Jesus’ promise, “This is my body. This is my blood. Given and shed for you.”

I know, as I think we all know, that if everyone knew the real you and me, they would not want us to touch them, but the great news of this story is that Jesus actually wants us to touch him. Even when Thomas (Joh 20) approached Jesus with doubts, Jesus said to Thomas, “Touch me.”

And why does Jesus want us to touch him? So that we do rub off on him. So that all the sin that brings pain and stench to our lives might indeed rub off on him….rub off on him so that Jesus could take that sin to the cross and kill it…take its power away….and then leave it all dead in the grave when he rose on Easter Sunday…gather us up in his arms and “touch us with his love” (as I wrote in my Doubting Thomas musical).

As part of the worship service in my church we “share the peace.” We touch each other and “rub” Jesus off on each other as we say, “The peace of the Lord be with you.” Jesus’ touch is transformational, and when we share Jesus’ transforming touch, Jesus’ powerful love is kindled among us.

It is my hope that these weekly Bungee Cords bring my touch to you, a touch full of Jesus love and mercy. So that you who knows yourself, might also know this: Jesus wants you to touch him and have your lives transformed by his sin-killing and eternal life-giving love.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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