We see two powerful facets of this healing in a simple, yet astounding, story. First, we see an awesome faith in Jesus. The man believed Jesus could cure the incurable. He believed Jesus could give him back his life. That awesome faith brought him to Jesus — face down in the dust, to honor Jesus and to ask for his help. Second, we see the tenderness of Jesus. While the man was cured at the spoken word of Jesus (Remember one of the key themes that run through several of the recent stories about Jesus is the power and authority of his words!), here the focus is on the touch of Jesus. This touch is not about healing; healing occurred through Jesus' spoken word, but grace came through the touch of Jesus! Jesus touched a man who was ritually unclean and let that man know that he was loved even in his diseased and unclean condition. The message for us is clear: We come to Jesus claiming nothing for ourselves and knowing he is everything. As we offer ourselves to him, we find that he blesses us with what we most need — personal love and acceptance from our Creator and Lord!