Do you ever feel that parts of your life are too dirty or shameful to reveal? If we are honest there are challenging aspects of our sexual stories that we often prefer to keep in the shadows. We all carry struggles and pains, but what if we could turn them towards Jesus for healing and restoration?
As we reflect upon the story of the leper, a man considered unclean and cast out, we are reminded of Jesus's willingness to touch and cleanse him. This calls us to bring all parts of our stories into the light, embracing the promise of healing and freedom.
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If you are in the Baltimore Area, Regeneration is happy to invite you to our 2024 Dessert Fundraiser, Spark: One Small Thing Leads to So Much More. This annual gathering is a highlight for so many as we gather for tasty desserts, heartfelt worship, vulnerable and powerful stories, and an opportunity to partner with what Jesus is doing through Regeneration. Click Here for more info or to register.
Do you ever feel that parts of your life are too dirty or shameful to reveal? If we are honest there are challenging aspects of our sexual stories that we often prefer to keep in the shadows. We all carry struggles and pains, but what if we could turn them towards Jesus for healing and restoration?
As we reflect upon the story of the leper, a man considered unclean and cast out, we are reminded of Jesus's willingness to touch and cleanse him. This calls us to bring all parts of our stories into the light, embracing the promise of healing and freedom.
Want us to talk about a specific topic? Change up the format, or just tell us the podcast rocks! We want your feedback on Becoming Whole. You can leave your feedback here
If you are in the Baltimore Area, Regeneration is happy to invite you to our 2024 Dessert Fundraiser, Spark: One Small Thing Leads to So Much More. This annual gathering is a highlight for so many as we gather for tasty desserts, heartfelt worship, vulnerable and powerful stories, and an opportunity to partner with what Jesus is doing through Regeneration. Click Here for more info or to register.
Speaker 1:
Friends, when you think about your own sexual story, things you've done, things that have been done to you, what's the part of your story that feels the most dirty to you? What's the part of your story that feels the most out of control or the most evil? What's the part of your story that feels the most sick to you? What's the part of your story that you feel most ashamed about? I'm asking not because I want to stir up painful feelings, but rather because those parts of our story are always active inside of us in some way or another. We may choose not to think about them, but even that choice means that we are walking around a part of our memory, a part of our internal experience, a part of our feelings, and therefore not fully integrated, not fully alive. Jesus' invitation to us is that we would become whole, integrated, that there wouldn't be a part of us that we'd have to lop off and try to hide from ourselves or from others, so we would be free, that, metaphorically speaking, we would be naked and unashamed, as we were designed to be in the very beginning. So what's that part of you, or what are those parts of you? And then, maybe more importantly, what are you supposed to do about it? Where do you go with those parts of your story, those parts of your lives? They may be far in the past, but they're still there, or maybe they're in the present. Maybe it's a part of your life that you're struggling with right now, today. Maybe it's an attraction that you have to someone that you know you shouldn't be attracted to. Maybe it's something you've done to somebody that you feel so much regret about. Whatever that part of you is, I want to offer a gospel story today that I believe speaks to what we're supposed to do with these parts of us as hard as they are.
Speaker 1:
In Matthew's Gospel. He shares this story. That's really profound. It's one of my favorite stories of Jesus. In Matthew 8, matthew writes this when Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him saying Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying I'm willing, be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a proof to them. A little backstory here if you don't know.
Speaker 1:
To be inflicted with leprosy in Jesus' day was shameful on multiple levels. First of all, the law among the Jews said that if you had leprosy or signs of leprosy on your skin, you actually needed to isolate yourself from everyone else. You needed to move outside of the camp to live either in isolation or with others who were also unclean, so that you wouldn't make other people unclean too. And then when you would come to be around other people say you had to go get food or get some water or something. If you ran across other people, you were supposed to cry out unclean, unclean. Actually this is kind of interesting text in the Old Testament. You're supposed to cover your mustache. If you have a mustache and yell unclean, unclean, so that those who are around would know to avoid you, they could get out of the way so that they would not become unclean too. I don't get to cover your mustache part, but that's in there. But imagine for a moment that that's you, imagine that's your experience. So who are the people that you had to leave behind? Who are the people that you were isolated from, couldn't see, because then they would become unclean. And if you did see them from a distance, they would scatter at your presence because they'd see you and hear that you were unclean and try to get out of your way. And I know that there's some of you listening that when I ask what the shameful parts of your sexual story are, those parts feel to you like when other people find out about them, they'll scatter, they'll view you as unclean, they'll view you as one not worthy to be with others and they will try to get away from you. And this was the experience of this man in Matthew 8. Because if anyone did touch him or he touched anyone, then that person would be unclean and they would have to go through this whole ceremonial time of cleansing away from others as well.
Speaker 1:
But look what happens here with Jesus. He comes to Jesus and he says Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean. Let me pause there for a moment. His question isn't can you do this, lord? Is it possible for you? His question is is not that he believes that Jesus can do this? His question is does Jesus want to? Now? Why would he question that?
Speaker 1:
Because it was also believed and this is kind of the secondary shame that came from leprosy. It was also believed in that time that if you had a sickness like leprosy, it was given to you by God as a punishment for your sin, for some unknown sin or known sin, but it was a sign of God's displeasure with you. And so people felt justified in avoiding the leprosy. They felt justified in scattering when they'd come near, because it wasn't just a physical ailment that they were afraid of catching, it was a moral ailment they were afraid of catching. Stay clear of this person, lest you too become morally corrupted. And so his question, jesus, isn't can you, but are you willing to make me clean? And Jesus responds with these words I'm willing be cleansed. But before he responds that way, matthew is very clear to say something that's so important for us. He says Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying I'm willing be clean.
Speaker 1:
Jesus reached out and touched this leprous man before he spoke the words of cleansing. I guarantee you that this man, who believed that Jesus could heal him, did not expect this. He may have expected Jesus to send him off to wash in the water somewhere. He may have expected him to speak words over him, but I can almost guarantee you that he did not expect Jesus to touch him first, why? Because to touch this man would make Jesus unclean. This is exactly what people were trying to avoid. No one wanted the sickness, no one wanted the moral corruption. But Jesus, unafraid, reaches and touches this man who we can assume probably had not been touched for a long, long time.
Speaker 1:
What's the part of you that feels so much shame? What's the part of you that hurts so much because of what happened to you or what you've done or what you're still doing, or what you're attracted to? The best thing you can do with that part of you is not to keep it from Jesus, but to come up boldly to Him and ask Him to make you clean. Let Jesus touch you there. Open that part of you to Jesus, let Him see it, let Him come close and let Him touch you. And I know, I know, brothers and sisters, that there are parts of you that you're thinking but does he really want to? Would he really be willing to Ask Him? Ask Him, jesus. If you're willing, you can make me clean and see what he says to you.
Speaker 1:
Friends, every word in Scripture that Jesus speaks is a word for you. This is the God of the universe who chooses His words carefully. This is the word made flesh. Everything he says is true, and so if he said it to this man back then, could it be that he's saying it to you? I'm willing Be cleansed. What is keeping you from opening this part of your life, these parts of your life, to Jesus for Him to touch? His touch is not violent. His touch will not violate you. His touch will not strip you and shame you. He reaches to touch you, to heal you. And, friends, if this is a part of you that honestly in your heart, of heart, you're like I just feel uncomfortable with the idea of Jesus touching me there in that place, then tell Him that too, he desires to heal you, he desires to come close to heal you and maybe He'll do it with just a word, maybe He'll do it by laying a hand on your shoulder, I don't know. But invite Him and ask Him and keep asking Him.
Speaker 1:
You know I shared in this podcast, probably a bit ago now, but one of the new practices I've been trying with the Lord has been to just be mindful of the way that my body is feeling and where in my body I'm feeling either shame or pain or fear, and just trying to turn that part of my body to face Jesus, and so in my mind I picture Jesus, maybe Jesus on the cross, maybe Jesus at the empty tomb, maybe the glorified Jesus from Revelation 1, maybe Jesus at the well or Jesus in His throne room. But I just picture Jesus and then I try to turn my body, and that part of my body that feels the fear, the shame, the pain, to face Him. And then I just wait, I just spend some time in His presence, and sometimes I don't hear or see anything in my mind. Sometimes I hear a small word, sometimes Scripture comes to mind, but it's just one way for me to be mindfully bringing the parts of me that need Jesus the most to Him, these parts of us that you, the parts of you that came to mind when I asked those questions at the beginning of this podcast.
Speaker 1:
Brothers and sisters, those are the parts of you that need Jesus the most, and so I would suggest to you those are the parts for which Jesus came, and those are the parts that Jesus was scorned for, flogged for, stripped for, shamed for, beaten, abused and crucified for, and he doesn't hold that against you, he did that for you. So let this Jesus come near to those places in you, our team here, regeneration of Team, of Spiritual Coaches. This is exactly why we're here we want to help you connect your struggle to your story and your story to God, because we absolutely positively believe and have experienced that Jesus has come to save you, every part of you, that you be fully integrated, and we want to see you alive and free from shame, free from sin, either those done against you or those that you struggle with doing. So, if we can help you on this journey, please let us know.
Speaker 1:
And in the meantime, jesus, jesus, thank you for this account in Matthew 8. Thank you, lord, that you touched this leper before you spoke the words. Thank you for the difference that made in his life and the healing you brought to him, both physically and emotionally and relationally, spiritually. And, lord, thank you, too, for the ways that these words minister to us. I pray for each person listening and, lord, you know who they are Right in this moment. I pray for them as they're hearing my words on this podcast. Would you come near to them and let them come near to you and reveal how willing you are Save you, come, heal, restore love. We need you, jesus, and I pray these things in your strong, trustworthy, loving name Amen.