Welcome back to this final foray into the healing encounter of ten lepers…
When He saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
He saw them. Not only did He hear them crying out, He saw them; He drew near. This is of great importance! This is something we need to remember as we cry out from our own personal pain and struggles—He both hears and sees us. He is that close. In fact, He is closer to us than even our own skin, because His Spirit dwells within us.
In this and so many other encounters, Jesus heals without one iota of hesitation. Immediately upon hearing their cry, His compassion moves Him near. He wants to lock eyes with those who have endured such prolonged and agonizing suffering and He wants them to see in His face—not the pity for which they had pleadingly cried out—but a penetrating love and acceptance. He is not far off from His own sustained suffering, and He continues to heal with abandon. Jesus knows this ten-fold blessing will change their lives dramatically for the better. His greater concern is that it will solidify their eternal relationship with the Father and that their personal testimony will continue to spread the gospel.
“Go, show yourselves to the priests”. The absolute certainty in His directive meant that what they had so desperately sought, has now been freely given. They knew who He was, for they had addressed Him as, “Jesus, Master”. That was all that was required—believing in who He was and knowing what He could do for them. They came to Him in faith. That is all that is ever required from any of us.
So He sent them on their way to be declared “clean”, and with that pronouncement, the beginnings of a brand new life. If Jesus was further testing their faith, they proved themselves faithful. They left in the same condition as when they had come—they still had leprosy. But they also still had belief. They didn’t question anything at all, they did exactly what Jesus told them to do…and they were healed along the way. Just as in Genesis, He spoke and it was so.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan.
Utter elation has stopped one of them dead in their tracks. He comes back, like a sheep returning to its Master. While the nine are running headlong into healing, one is leaping back to thank the One who was responsible. The priests can wait, all they can do is absolve; to declare the evidence that renders them “clean”. It’s as if this single leper knows that the temple priests, even the chief priest, are but a shadow of this High Priest, Jesus Christ, in whom he has been healed.
He is overwhelmed with this gift of healing which begs to be acknowledged—loudly! With sincere gratitude he comes singing God’s praises, and literally throws that now healthy body at the feet of Jesus. I can imagine the profound joy and thanksgiving he expresses, is being done so through tears of dumbfounded gratefulness, humbleness, and love.
Luke readily points out this man was not merely a leper, but hear this—he was also a Samaritan. Essentially, a low class, half-breed (whom the Jews avoided like the plague). So this leper was doubly accursed! By his disease and by his DNA—neither of which he had any control over. But Jesus does!
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?
Where are the nine? Remember, Jesus is walking toward the cross. He was willing to die for all believers. He was surely deserving of proper thanks—from all of them. He is curious about this one solitary returning leper. Did the others not see the one turning back and ask him why, so they might follow suit? Were they so caught up in the screaming of exultations, they didn’t notice? Perhaps they couldn’t get to the priests fast enough, fearing that if they stopped, the healing might stop as well. The returning one was willing to take that risk…
He may have reasoned that a momentary healing could last him a lifetime. (Don’t we long for just one more moment with a lost loved one to help carry us to the end?) He had met The Master, and even more than physical healing was the compassion and acceptance that had embraced his entire being. This Samaritan leper had likely been shunned for most of his life; discarded and separated not just from society, but from his own family! I love the fact that Jesus, not wanting to diminish the thankful leper in any way, does not call him that divisive term “Samaritan”, but simply refers to him as, “this foreigner”. No more leprosy, no more labels. Everything about him has been made brand new.
I know the nine usually get a bad rap for not returning, yet their extraordinary daring sent them seeking and even screaming for Jesus. They were not willing to take any chance on missing Him pass by, or being passed over. Their desperation guided their humility. Their faith guided their obedience. We need to have a faith like that: obediently going wherever the Lord directs us.
Can we mirror what those ten lepers did? Moving on as if the healing has already occurred, even though they could not “see” it yet? These ten came asking and believing; they went away not seeing, yet trusting. How amazing it must have been to experience Christs’ cleansing as their health began to be restored! Limbs beginning to tingle back to life; the stench of rotting skin now as soft and smooth as a brand new baby’s. Jesus doesn’t cure just a little bit—He heals completely; He restores. It is a life-altering experience—particularly for the marginalized in society, for that is where His heart resides…He too was greatly marginalized while on this earth.
Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Ten lepers received physical healing. One of them received an additional blessing—the one who was so overcome with emotion that he had to run in the opposite direction of the nine so that he could thank Jesus for all He had done. Your faith has made you well. The compassion of Christ always heals so much deeper than expected. When we receive answered prayer, may we rush to His side, fling ourselves at His feet and utter our heartfelt thanks.
Emmanuel. God is with us, God is for us. Ponder Him daily and sing loudly His praises! Live thankfully, through a grateful and grace-filled heart. No one deserves our thanks more than Jesus.
Amen and amen.