You see it often in the gospels; Jesus reaching out with his hand to touch people. He touched Peter’s wife’s mother on the hand and took away her fever (Matthew 8:14-15). He touched the eyes of two blind men and gave them sight (Matthew 9:27-31). He touched the ears and the tongue of a deaf mute and gave him hear-ing and speech (Mark 7:31-35). He even touched a leper to make him clean (Mark 1:40-42).

What is it about touch? There is no substitute for it. It comforts and reassures in ways that other gestures and words cannot. Touch can be like medicine to relieve stress, calm nerves and ease tension. Interestingly enough, it can do the same whether you are on the giving or the receiving end.

We are often compelled to touch by the depth of our relationships. There are people we greet verbally, which is good and proper for many relationships. Then there are others to whom we may automatically extend a hand to clasp theirs. Thankfully, we also have those whom we are drawn to hug. Even beyond that, there are some we embrace longer than others and literally hold on to for the warmth and joy of the embrace.

Connection. We seem programmed for it, as if it were hardwired into our psyche. Our only tangible outlet for it is through the body. God, however, has put His Spirit within us connecting our spirits with His (Luke 9:51-56, 1st Corinthians 6:15-19, and many other passages).

I now must wonder if these bodies that enable us to touch, also limit us as to the depth of our connections with one another and whether we will know God, ourselves and each other more purely and intimately when freed from them in eternity.

Perhaps 1st Corinthians 13:12 is some kind of an allusion to this: