Jesus heals the 10 Lepers
In biblical times, leprosy was a terrible problem. It starts with a white patch of skin that becomes numb, so much so that the victims cannot even feel a needle piercing the spot. The patch begins to spread all over the body and often manifests itself on the face, so the disease is impossible to hide. It then begins to form spongy tumours on the face and, at the same time, attacks the internal organs as well. The nerve endings become numb so the victim cannot tell when something is hurting him, like fire burning his hand. The leprosy itself was not fatal, but more lepers died from other diseases they contracted because of their weakened condition. Lepers were called “the walking dead,” and were kicked out of their homes and villages and forced to live in colonies with other lepers. They couldn’t work or worship at the temple.
It is very interesting for me because as we read the story Jesus didn’t touched them, as he did in Matthew 8:3-4. One came to Jesus and begged for healing and Jesus touched him and sent him to the priest in Jerusalem for his healing to be certified according to the commandment of the Law of Moses and detailed in Leviticus 14. Let’s take a closer look at all the facts of what happened here in this story.
a. These ten lepers did not get close to Jesus. We understand why. The nature of their disease and their law prevented it. b. They stood far off as was customary. c. This is interesting: they did not ask for healing. They simply said, "Have mercy upon us." d. Jesus did not go to them and touch them and heal them. e. He did not sprinkle dirt on them; or water. He did not breathe on them. He did not touch them in any way. f. Jesus did not speak a word of healing to them. He did not say, Be healed! g. He simply said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests in Jerusalem." This was for the purpose of certifying their healing according to the commandment given by Moses.
The ten lepers knew that their physical condition was hopeless. No doctor, no priest, no pastor, could help them, only God could cure their Leprosy. Therefore, when they saw Jesus they cried out, "Have mercy on us." Where going to focus on and look at the attitude of the Samaritan leper and see what we can learn from him.
Now all these ten had to do was, Go, show yourselves to the priests in Jerusalem. What is hard about that? How difficult can that be? Walk from here to Jerusalem, present yourself to the priests at the Temple, let them examine you and let them certify that you are indeed as free from leprosy as you claim. It’s a piece of cake! The only energy expended will be in what is required to walk from this spot to Jerusalem. Anyone could do it. Could you do it? For nine of the ten leper guys, it would be a. A walk in the park. No sweat. No problem. It would be an opportunity for them to visit the big city and walk among the crowds they had not walked among possibly for years. Nine of these Jewish lepers could do this. But wait!
Don’t forget there is a Samaritan among them. This fact adds a new dimension to this story. It complicates things. Seriously complicates things. Jesus said to them all, Go, show yourselves to the priest! Nine of them could have heard that and instantly turned and began the walk to Jerusalem. But what about the Samaritan? He was a different religion to the jews and the jews don’t like the samaritans.
He could have been dumb founded when he hears Jesus say, "Go, show yourself to the priest." He could have answered back saying, Who? Me? Show myself to the priest? Me? A Samaritan outcast? Go to Jerusalem and walk into the Temple court? You’ve got to be kidding! That’s ok for my Jewish buddies but not for me. I know what is written on the front gate. If I go to Jerusalem and walk inside the Temple Courtyard I’ll die on the spot. This man who is already an outcast from society because of his leprosy is now a double outcast. He is an outcast because he is a leper. He is an outcast because he is a Samaritan. Unlike his nine Jewish friends he has no access to the priest in Jerusalem. But that’s where Jesus tells them to go.
Someone has said that "the longest journey begins with the first step." God’s power is not released in our lives until we step out in faith. It only takes one step. This outcast Samaritan concentrated upon the one thing he could do. He could go. Jesus had said, go. He could go. When he went it made the rest unimportant. He didn’t have to show himself to the priest. He was cleansed of his leprosy. He was healed. But he had to take that first step. Faith will not always get for us what we want, but it will get what God wants us to have
A boy was once flying a kite & a passerby, looking up in the sky & not able to see the kite because of its height, asked him, "what are you doing?" flying my kite.' how do you know its there? You can’t see it. "I can fill the tug on the string." Perhaps we can’t see God, but we can fill the tug of conviction He puts in our hearts & we can go on in faith, believing His promise. That’s the way faith works. Faith is trusting and obeying God even if you don’t have any visible, physical evidence supporting your decision. This is what the Samaritan did. Jesus said, go. The Samaritan said I can do that.
It wasn’t until the lepers stepped out in faith and obeyed Jesus, that they experienced His healing power. Jesus gave them the Word, they stepped out in faith and, BOOM! That’s when it happened. They didn’t stand there and say, “Well, after you heal me Jesus, then I’ll go show myself to the priest.”
“Faith is coming to the edge of all you can see and feel and taking one more step into the darkness–trusting that God will either catch you or teach you how to fly!”
On the way to the priest, one of the lepers looked at the other and said, Hey Jonard, your skin is clean!” Then he looked at his own hand, and the colour and life returned. They began to look at each other and suddenly they realised they were healed. Can’t you see them jumping up and down hugging one another?
Nine of the men were content to receive the blessing of God, but only one of them cared enough to return to the source of the blessing to worship God. That’s so true today as well. God’s blessings are poured out on all people, not just His children. Jesus said God makes it rain on the just and unjust alike. But only a relatively few people are interested in having a personal relationship with God. Have you found … you only come to God when you have a shopping list? Or maybe you use God like a heavenly 999 call? “Help, God I have an emergency, bail me out!”
God loves you and wants you to spend time with Him. He desires for you to worship and fellowship with Him. The key is to give thanks, not merely to feel thankful. I’m certain the other nine lepers were thankful about being cleansed. How could anyone not feel thankful after being healed of a deadly disease? But only one of the ten did the right thing by coming to Jesus and expressing thanksgiving. There is a tremendous difference between simply feeling gratitude and expressing gratitude.
With God, don’t just feel thankful: Give thanks!
Thankfulness is so much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else’s.
Thankfulness is so much more than having enough food to eat, a nice, warm home to live in, good health, or financial security, because each of those circumstances can be taken from us in an instant.
Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted. The leper also teaches us that thankfulness completes healing. Healing means to be made whole, and while all ten of the lepers found physical healing, only one found wholeness.
I’m not suggesting that we thank God for crises or pain, but what I am suggesting is that we thank God for his continued faithfulness and presence in the midst of crises. I am suggesting that we thank God for the strength and growth that we experience during crises. I am suggesting that we thank God for the shower of mercy that soaks us during crises. Crisis situations don’t always turn out the way we want them to, and the pain that we experience, be it physical or emotional, is very real, but we can still find healing, and we can still find wholeness by maintaining a spirit of thankfulness.
To conclude Jesus didn’t want to just heal the lepers, he wanted them to come into a saving relationship with him and Jesus wants the same for us. Jesus wants to do more than just clean you up; He wants to make you whole and complete. One of my favourite promises is found in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in your will carry it on until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) It’s a process.
Have you simply approached Jesus because you want eternal fire insurance, or are you continuing at His feet daily with prayer and bible reading so He can make you whole? To be whole means to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus.