The Healings of Jesus – Lesson 11
Healing of the Ten Lepers
(John 21:25 AMPC) And there are also many other things which Jesus did. If they should be all recorded one by one [in detail], I suppose that even the world itself could not contain (have room for) the books that would be written.
There were innumerable healings and miracles performed by Jesus, but we do not have record of them all. We do have record of 19 of them and because the Holy Spirit instructed those men to record them for us, we should take the time to study them.
In studying these healings, we can learn that if we will do what the people did, we can receive what the people got. (Acts 10:34)
For this reason, we are looking at the details of each case.
Remember, pay attention to the details. Sometimes the key for you to be able to receive from Heaven is in the details.
In studying these healing miracles, we can learn how to receive healing for ourselves and learn how to minister healing to others.
This is a summary of the ministry of Jesus: He went about teaching, preaching, and healing.
(Matthew 4:23 NKJV) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
(Matthew 9:35 NKJV) Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
We want to emphasize what Jesus emphasized!
These truths belong to us!
Preaching is a proclaiming of the Good News and is designed to draw the attention of people. Teaching brings people into knowledge and revelation of what belongs to us as believers.
- We need to hear proper teaching on healing so that we can cooperate with the healing power of God.
- What you hear, is going to be what you have faith to receive.
- Jesus wants you to have a life of health and healing and to walk in it, you must know something about it and be skilled in what you know.
- As you hear these things being taught, you can receive your healing!
(Luke 17:11-19 NKJV) Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. (12) Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. (13) And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (14) So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. (15) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, (16) and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. (17) So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? (18) Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (19) And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
(Luke 17:11 NKJV) Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Samaria was an area that Orthodox Jews did not go into because Samaritans were considered to be half-breed Jews because they had at one time married Gentiles.
Despite all of this, Jesus walked right through (the midst) this region. Why? Because religious tradition did not dictate to Jesus where He went or did not go and who He should talk to or not.
Jesus went anywhere that there were hurting and/or hungry people. He did not care about what people would say about where He went.
No matter where someone’s life might be, off course, and away from God, Jesus will pass right through the midst of their life to reach them like He did these people. He loves people that much.
He was letting this society of outcasts know that He was available to them.
He will never force Himself on someone, but He is available to everyone who will receive Him.
(Luke 17:12 NKJV) Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
These men must have been deemed outcasts by the priest because of their physical condition of leprosy.
They left their lives, their families, and their society. Therefore, it was not uncommon for lepers to live together in groups because, all they had was each other. They had to stay a certain distance from other people.
Also, if someone caught leprosy, it was believed that they had come under the judgment of God for some reason. They were looked down upon because of this mindset. They did not receive compassion from others in society because it was believed that God had done this to these people. God does not put sickness and disease on anyone!
These lepers came as close as they could to Jesus and the other people without violating the guidelines of the law. Then they lifted up their voices to Jesus.
(Luke 17:13 NKJV) And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
They would not have called out to Jesus unless they had heard something about Jesus.
They were in a hopeless situation but somehow, they received hope that Jesus could and would help them.
Many people needing healing would cry out for mercy. Sometimes, they would not say, “heal us”. They would cry out for God’s mercy. This tells us that healing is a flow of God’s mercy.
Anything that their life needed, God’s mercy could fulfill!
(Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV) Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
God wants us to live in His mercies every day otherwise He would not give us new mercies every single morning. Anything His mercy can do is available to us every day. Receive His mercies!
Healing is an outflow of God’s mercy!
Provision is an outflow of God’s mercy!
The Mercy of God contains all of the help of God!
How do you receive His mercy? With the words of your mouth.
(Luke 17:14 NKJV) So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
(Luke 17:14 MSG) Taking a good look at them…
Jesus saw them… When no one else was looking at them, Jesus saw them. And when He saw them, He said something to them.
Jesus gave them the best thing He could have possibly given them and that was His words. His words are the greatest gift He could have them or us! He gave them Himself in His words.
The word was given to them, “Go show yourself to the priests” before there was any physical change in their bodies. The ONLY reason to go show themselves to the priests would have been if they were cleansed. The men turned and went believing the words of Jesus and “as they went”, they were cleansed.
The removal of leprosy is referred to as a “cleansing” and not as a “healing”. The process of leprosy was stopped at that moment. No more damage to the skin was taking place.
When we need a miracle, He will give us a word to obey.
To go and show themselves to the priests meant they were to go somewhere they weren’t supposed to be and among people. This required faith to obey this instruction.
(Luke 17:15-16 NKJV) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, (16) and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
He must have not seen anything when he first went, but as he obeyed what Jesus said to him, he was healed.
“…loud voice…” (GREEK) megas phōnē
This man got loud in his giving of thanks. He was a Samaritan. He did not know the formal way to worship God. He had not been taught.
Before now, he was visibly a leper, but now he was very loudly healed!
(Luke 17:17-18 NKJV) So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? (18) Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
Jesus was expecting all of them to return to give thanks! Returning to give God glory for what He has done for us is important to us and it is important to Him.
Only one returned to express proper gratitude for what they had received. Are we showing proper gratitude to the Lord for what He has done in our lives?
Gratitude keeps the door shut from allowing the devil from being able to steal what we have received.
(Luke 17:19 NKJV) And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
When the man returned and worshipped Jesus, Jesus called that “faith”. Worship is one of the highest flows of faith.
(Luke 17:19 KJV) And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
The other lepers were healed of leprosy, but this man was made whole. The process of leprosy was stopped in all ten of the men, but this man had received what was taken by the disease restored and made whole. This man’s worship gave him something the others did not receive from Jesus.
Jesus was disappointed that the others did not return because He wanted to make them whole too.
Jesus once said to Norvel Hayes – “…My children basically love Me, but they live in poverty, sickness, and defeat. They don’t live in Heaven’s blessings, because they don’t worship Me enough.”