The Touch of Fire

And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him. (Luke 5:13 NASB)

This simple verse is hiding the most amazing treasure!

It says Jesus reached out and touched him, and my immediate impression of that action is Jesus lightly placing His hand on the man's shoulder. It sounds like a "laying on of hands" that we might do when praying for someone. The Greek here tells a different story. The word used in this verse is haptō, and it is used to mean "to fasten to" or "to fasten fire to a thing or set it on fire." 

You might say it this way:  The fire of the Holy Spirit was flowing through Jesus (of course, being both God and man), and it is a healing, cleansing fire. Jesus grabbed hold of this man as tight as He could (maybe by both shoulders) and that Holy Fire flowed from Jesus into the leper, bringing cleansing and the healing for which he was so desperate. When that fire started, the man must have been so surprised! Imagine his delight when that fire burned the leprosy right out of his body! Now THAT is a mighty touch!

I could use a touch like that, couldn't you?  Let's pray for that healing touch of godly fire for ourselves and our loved ones today. Pray that the fire of God's love will flow through us all and bring cleansing, healing, and wholeness.