When they followed Jesus’ command, they were cleansed.
Last week, our sermon was on the ten lepers that Jesus healed. Lepers, in the Bible, lived on the edge of society. They had to call out to anyone who came near them, to warn them they were unclean.
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for Passover when the lepers cried out to Him. He was on a mission. He knew His time had come, yet even though He had important plans, even though He knew the brutality that was coming to Him in a very short time, He still took time to heal them.
That’s the love and compassion that Jesus has for humanity.
But, what my pastor pointed out this time that caught my attention, was that, Jesus didn’t have a long conversation with them or go through any long ritual. He simply gave them a command. “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.”
And the next sentence is the headline. “And as they went, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14
The lepers were not healed until they obeyed Jesus. Their obedience led to their healing. Jesus said, “go.”
How many times does Jesus tell us to go? Go and apologize. Go and forgive. Go and share. Go and tell. Go to the meeting. Go to the worship service. How many times do we just stay in the comfort of our own little world and stay? Stay and be angry. Stay and live with the hurt. Stay and hold on tightly to all we perceive as ours. Stay and be quiet. Stay and do our own will.
What would our lives look like if we simply went in obedience wherever He tells us go or did whatever He tells us to do? All ten lepers were healed. They were cleansed of all that had kept them separate and isolated. They were free.
We can be too. One of those ten lepers was so overwhelmed with thanks that when he realized what Jesus had done, he turned around, ran back, and threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. That particular leper, was the wisest of all. Not only did he obey, when he understood that his obedience had healed him, he couldn’t help, but to give thanks.
That leper, like Martha’s sister Mary before him, understood that at the feet of Jesus is where we should all be, when we are in need, but when we have been blessed as well. It’s easy to find ourselves at the foot of the cross when things are bad for us, when we are worried, sick, or scared. It’s another thing to understand that our thanks for our many blessings go there too.
One leper out of ten got it right and Jesus told him so. Jesus told him to”Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
May the one guy who got it right, serve as a shining reminder for us all. When we live in obedience with thankful hearts, our lives are permanently changed.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding today.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂