NIV Once-A-Day BibleSample

Matthew 8:1 – 4 Today crowds line up to catch a glimpse of political or entertainment figures, and a few might get close enough to touch them. Crowds surrounded Jesus too, but many of society’s outcasts — ​like lepers and people with a bad reputation — ​wouldn’t have dared to get very close. But those who did found acceptance. Though a large crowd enveloped Jesus, a leper — ​a person considered to be repulsive and unclean — ​knelt before him. “Lord, if you are willing,” he said, “you can make me clean.” Then Jesus did the most remarkable thing: He touched the untouchable. He didn’t have to. He could have simply said, “Be clean. Go your way.” But instead, out of his compassion and kindness, Jesus touched him. That’s welcome news to any of us who have felt like an outcast. It’s also an example for us to follow.