Leprosy is a skin disease that meant separation and isolation for the people who had it in ancient times. In the gospel of Luke, he records two instances of Jesus healing those with leprosy.
Here is what happened in Luke 5:12-14,
“ In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly, the leprosy disappeared . Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” (NLT)
The second account is in Luke 17:11-19,
“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” (NLT)
As we read both accounts, the situations were different, but both the men cried out to God. In our lives, it is important to cry out to God for our needs.
Our cry is our recognition that we need God’s help. We know that we can do nothing in our strength. It is by God’s grace and mercy that we can move through our struggles. Our Lesson: crying out to God acknowledges our need for Him in our lives.
If we look at each account individually, we see other lessons for our lives.
In the first story, the man came to Jesus humbly asking for the will of God to be done. “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” (Luke 5:12b). When we pray, we should pray in faith, but also that the will of God be done.
God’s will can sometimes look different than what we often want. We know that God’s plan is always better, so as Christians, we want to be obedient to His will. We should have faith that God hears us and will provide us with His best. Our lesson: pray for God’s will in our lives.
In the second story, we see the faith of the men who were lepers. Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the high priest. They had not been healed yet; they had to step out in faith. They had to be obedient. It says, “And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.” It was on the way that they were cleansed. Our lesson: God can work in our lives; we have to act in obedience.
Gratitude. Of the ten lepers, only one returned to thank Jesus for healing him. On the way, they were healed, and midway he stopped and turned back to thank Jesus. Gratitude. Sometimes we forget to thank God for healing us or for providing our needs. Our lesson: let’s never forget to thank God for what He has done for us. Never!
Is God teaching you any of these lessons? I would love to hear how God is working in your life. Please leave a comment below and email me!
