Tami’s Meandering Thoughts

“But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew 17:7

Last week I wrote about the Lord’s Prayer and some reflections I had while meditating on those verses. I have no idea whether you remember that, but I sure do. That night, at one point in the night, I woke up panicking about money – especially retirement and kids’ college costs! I don’t remember the dream associated with it, but I do remember lying there in bed repeating, “Give us today our daily bread” while remembering what I had written earlier that day. That night I consciously had to re-give all of those anxieties to God and remind myself that as long as we are spending as God wants us to, the provision is up to him.

Why am I telling you that story? Because of what I read this morning.

This morning I read the story of the transfiguration. Jesus, Peter, James and John go up onto a mountain where suddenly, right before their eyes Jesus changed to be as bright as light. Then Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus to talk for awhile. As they were speaking, a cloud came down, and a voice from heaven spoke, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (vs. 5). What would your reaction be? Probably the same as Peter, James and John.

“They fell facedown to the ground, terrified.” (vs.6) Terrified. Scared. Fearful. Afraid. Then Jesus’ reaction comes. “But Jesus came and touched them.” I had never noticed that phrase before. Jesus did not get frustrated with their lack of faith, he did not rebuke their lack of courage, he did not lecture them on the safety that they have with him. No, he touched them.

In my mind I have a picture of the God-man Jesus who walked the earth showing his power, his mercy and his care. Yes, he loved the crowds and mingled with them, but it also seems as though he should be a bit aloof to the cares of the world. After all, he knows how pointless our fears are. It seems as though he should be a bit condescending towards the concerns that people carry around. But he wasn’t.

In this instance, he noticed his friends’ fears and didn’t just utter words of comfort, but he touched them. When I read that, it surprised me. Because even though I know that Jesus was compassionate, touch means much more than compassion, it is an invasion of personal space to show personal interest and care for the other individual. Perhaps it is just that I don’t tend to be a “touchy-feely-huggy” type of person, but this picture of Jesus kneeling next to his terrified disciples, touching them on the shoulder and saying, “It’s ok, get up. You don’t have to be afraid” struck me as an intimate gesture of one friend to another.

For me it is so easy to keep Jesus at arms length. I know he loves me. I understand he provides for me. I acknowledge he is God and yet he died for me. But he actually wants to get close enough to touch me? His touch brings him into my personal space. In my fear, it may make me a bit uncomfortable to have him care so much that he would not just utter words of comfort, but actually kneel down, reach out and touch.

Are we allowing Jesus into our “touch-zone” or keeping him at arms length to handle our fears there?