40  A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

41  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"

42  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

43  Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:

44  "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

In this passage, we se Jesus do something that that most people of his day would have considered unthinkable.  He reaches out his hand, touches a leper, and then healed him.

Think about that for a moment.  Jesus touched the leper first, and then healed him.  Most of us, if we had the power within us, would have healed the leper first, and then touched him.  But not Jesus.  Why?  Because he knew that, as a leper, this man probably hadn't felt the touch of a human hand in months, perhaps even years.  Jesus knew this man needed to experience God's unconditional love in a concrete, physical way.

The life of Jesus in us makes it possible for us to follow his example.  We can love the unlovely.  We can reach out and touch people who might feel out of place in our company---people unlike ourselves, those whom in our pride may consider "unclean."

Every time we break through the barrier of racism, favoritism or prejudice, we show the love of Jesus in the most practical way possible.