A reading of the Old Testament would indicate that touching in that era appeared to he a rather negative thing; at least for those living under the Mosaic law, there were a throng of prohibitions against the touching of certain things lest some evil should befall those who reach out and touch. A contrast however needs to be made between the Old Testament period of Law, and that which Christ initiated and practiced during His earthly ministry. Many are the instances when Jesus was involved with feeling and touching as He inter related with people. Do you remember the leper who was granted healing at the touch of Jesus (Matthew 8:3)? Do you recall the incident when Jesus reassuringly touched Peter, James, and John to quell their fears on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 7:17)? Have you forgotten about the children whom Jesus touched as He took them in His arms and blessed them (Mark 10: 13-16)? Or the time when in deep sorrow Jesus felt Peter leaning on His bosom (John 13:25)? Can You call to mind the occasion when all who touched Jesus were healed (Luke 6:17-19)? Do you remember how Jesus tenderly touched the feet of His disciples as He poured water into a basin and stooped to serve them in that act of humility (John 13:5)?
Perhaps the gift of touch and feeling is one of the most precarious and hazardous of the senses because of its voluptuous nature, but God fully intended that we should enjoy this particular gift within the perimeters of His standards of morality: The warm handshake of a friend . . . The feel of silk, taffeta or burlap … The tender embrace of a parent and child. . . The delicate touch of a rose petal . . . The masculine roughness of a beard. . A mother’s soothing touch on a child’s hurt. . . The gentle caress of lovers. . , The callousness of a laborer’s hands . . . The whiter-than-snow feeling of a refreshing bath or shower . . . The sensation of a dog’s cold moist nose against your cheek. . The tingling sting of Merthiolate in a wound . . . The touch of a baby’s soft skin . . . The warming touch of the sun against your face and arms. Say, when have you last thanked God for the ability to feel and for the gift of touch?
January/February 1980