Ten men were languishing, eking out an existence while waiting to die from leprosy.  They were outcasts, unclean, and excluded from society.  The disease had become their identity, they were the ten leppers.

One day as the leppers were watching the crowds pass by from a distance, they saw Jesus. They had heard stories that Jesus had healed people. Could they dare to dream? 

The ten Leppers started Calling out, “Jesus, have mercy on us.” The plight of these men drew Jesus to them. He had pity on them and told them to go and show himself to the priest. Could Jesus have healed them already just by talking to them? There was no lightning flash, there was no angel choir singing, but a simple direction. Go, show yourselves to the priests. 

As the men were hurrying to see the priest, they could feel that they were different, they knew Jesus had healed them from their terrible disease.  Of the ten men that were healed, only one stopped and returned to Jesus, falling at His feet, praising Him.   

The Bible doesn’t tell us the composition of the group of men that were healed, but it identifies the man that returned, he was a Samaritan.  This man came from the group of people that Jews despised most.  He was the lowest of the low. 

Jesus said to the Samaritan who returned, “Were there not ten men that were healed?  Where are the others? Your faith has healed you.”  Jesus didn’t care about this man's heritage. He didn’t care that this man was defined by the world as an outcast. Jesus just loved him for who he was. Ten men were healed physically, but only one was healed physically and spiritually by their genuine faith in Jesus.

Jesus can sometimes be used as a ‘get out of jail free card’, someone we turn to when every other option is exhausted. The 9 other men believed in Jesus, were healed by Jesus, but then ran off without any further connection with Jesus. Their faith was superficial and shallow.  The one that went back to Jesus displayed genuine faith. He understood that healing needed to be more than physical, and he faithfully returned to be with Jesus, expressing his gratitude towards Him.  The important thing here is that this is not just a story about gratitude, it shows the difference between superficial faith and true saving faith. It demonstrates the difference between faith that is shallow and faith that saves.

This same physical or spiritual healing is available to us through Jesus, we just have to possess genuine faith in Him… faith that saves!

“We are not saved by a profession of faith, but by the possession of it.” - R.C. Sproul

Have a great week, 

 

Chaplain Phil