In Leviticus 14:1-9 we read of the many laws regulating such skin diseases and how anyone with questionable skin eruptions must go to the priests at the tabernacle or temple. The priests must determine if it was an infectious disease, or not.
If it was, then said person must social distance him/herself "outside the city walls".
When a leper saw "well" people, even at a distance, they were supposed to shout out, "Unclean! Unclean!" On top of that, they would often look rather grotesque because of tissue that had been injured and had never healed properly, rotted off or had been bitten off by rats, for example.
Incidentally, it was discovered that leprosy didn't attack the body's flesh which was originally thought, rather, the nerves were affected and therefore, without the feeling of pain, the individual leper would not be aware that he/she was harming themselves or being harmed by someone/something else.
Indeed, one Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul W. Brand, co-authored a book entitled, Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants. That title says it all. If you were a leper, you would rather want to have the pain "gift". I believe I must have also learned about one of the simple "remedies" for protection from having the flesh nibbled at from this book. That is, each leper should have a cat! The blind often have seeing-eye-dogs, why not the lepers have keep-away-the-rats cats? Simple, yet effective while the leper slept.
By-the-way, Dr. Brand lived in India and worked among lepers, medically, for many of his adult years, so he knew much about these people and pioneered much of the successful treatment and medications to help those who suffer from leprosy.
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem one day and was met by ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19).
"They stood at a distance, and shouted, "Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us" (ESV)
Isn't that interesting that they only pled for "mercy" or "pity"!? They hadn't asked for healing!
Curious.
From the time of Moses in the Old Testament until Jesus' day, thousands of years later, NOT a single soul had been healed from leprosy! No one, that is, except for Naaman the big macho commander of the Syrian army. So I guess, the ten lepers didn't have "healing" on the brain; it would have been inconceivable to them.
Look at 2 Kings 5:1 (ESV), which relates the story of Naaman. Of this mighty man of valor, it says,
"...but he was a leper."
He had won great victories in battle but not his battle against his body.
What a death sentence to be pronounced upon a person. "Sorry, you've got leprosy." Sounds like a curse.
Yet there was hope. Hope in the form of the faith of a "little girl from the land of Israel" (vs 2). She had been a "trophy" of the recently won war Naaman had affected for his king of Aram. This "little girl" must not have had vindictiveness and vengeance on her mind. She didn't think that she'd just let Naaman suffer as punishment for his capturing her and making her a slave.
Her focus, rather, was on God. She must have had great faith in God; well-taught by her parents. She must have hid the compendium of Israel's history in her heart, told to her from her father and mother's knees; so many stories of miracles, God's dealings with the children of Israel exacerbating their rescue from Egypt, the journey through the wilderness and all that transpired and then His help in bringing them into the Promised Land and beyond. One of the family's of faith in their Almighty God.
Keep in mind, however, NO ONE had as yet been healed from leprosy since Moses' time til the couple of hundred years later to her time. What was she thinking?
Of course, the Lord did say in Luke 17:6,
"...if you had faith as big as a mustard seed..."
Mustard seeds aren't so big. In fact, they are the smallest of seeds.
Just think how powerful, even that wee bit of faith must be! Look at the continuing story...that little girl of faith did not see "no one yet cured", as an obstacle to Naaman's healing. Her God, was Almighty God and could do it. He could heal. The God of Israel rewarded her faith and Naaman was healed.
He, of course, had his responsibility towards his own healing as well. He had to be obedient to Elisha's instructions. He had to overcome his pride. He had to "obey" that Israelite who was now from a vassal state of Syria. He did, eventually swallow his pride, bite the bullet and dip himself seven times, per prescription, in the Jordan River; albeit at his servants' urging.
Naaman, "manned up" to it and what was his flesh like after the seventh dip? The ESV describes it as being,
"...restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (vs 14).
How merciful and kind God was to Naaman. How God vindicated and acted upon the faith of a "little girl". Not only was Naaman made well, and not only was the flesh restored, but it had become like a young child's flesh. Give God and inch, and He takes a mile!
What mercy or pity did Jesus show towards the ten lepers? Indeed, what exactly were they expecting Jesus to do for them? Jesus pulled out all the stops, and like Elisha did for Naaman, gave an instruction. No waving of hand over the "spots"; no special words to affect a healing, no touch. No, He spoke and made the lepers engage in their faith journey.
"Go and show yourselves to the priests" (Luke 17:14 ESV).
"Ah, Jesus, didn't You forget a step?"
According to the Old Testament, the person is supposed to be healed first, then go show themselves to the priest.
The ten lepers didn't bat an eye it seems, and so set out towards the Temple and priests. Oh joyful day!
"As they went they were cleansed" (Luke 17: 14 ESV).
That makes my heart palpitate faster. Did you get goosebumps on your arms? What a miracle! Ten out of ten must have had the faith to take the steps on the path to the Temple. Ten out of ten lepers were healed. One out of ten turned back and praised God,
"...with a loud voice."
See what else he did,
"...he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him praise" (vs 16).
Run through that again: all had faith; all were healed, one came back and gave thanks and adoration to Jesus.
Let us always be the one to praise and thank our Heavenly Father for all He has done, and still does for us. Turn back to Him in joyful thanksgiving.
Why does Luke go out of his way to tell us that one leper,
"...was a Samaritan" (Luke 17:16)?
Given the prejudice and bad feeling that was rampant between Jews and Samaritans at that time, you'd think that notation would stir up more unpleasantness. I'm sure I don't really know, as Luke didn't say. However, his being a Jew, likely that fact stuck out like a sore thumb to his observant self, that is, assuming the other nine were of Jewish descent.
I query, that in very practical terms, would a Jewish priest be willing to examine a Samaritan? He likely figured that, no, he wouldn't. However, what I'd really like to make note of is that perhaps this Samaritan saw Jesus as his priest. Was it an acknowledgment that Jesus was the true Priest? We, at least, can see it thus.
Another facet on this, God sent His Son Jesus for the "whosoever" of the world (John 3:16) and God's grace and mercy extend to all peoples of all nations, tribes, and kingdoms of Earth. He turns none away who come to Him in repentance and faith.
The disciples in Jesus' day were really trying to get their heads around this idea and it wasn't really until the coming of the Holy Spirit indwelling them, and Peter having his visions of clean vs unclean food up there on the rooftop, that they could grasp this concept better (see book of Acts).
In closing, let's remember to give thanks and praise to God our Healer. Let's have right hearts towards God and bring about FULL restoration, saved souls and sound bodies. In both the cases: Naaman, and of the lepers, it remarks that they were "cleansed". I see this as being thoroughly clean; scrubbed squeaky clean sort of idea. God does not do half measures. Naaman's flesh was restored and made like a child's skin. I believe that when the ten lepers were cleansed and healed, that any of their missing parts were restored like new.
Did you take note of Luke 17:6?
"Faith as big as a mustard seed?"
This amount of faith was capable of moving a mulberry tree, pulling it up by its roots and planting it in the sea.
Astonishing!
Mulberry trees are known for their tenaciousness. The roots adhere to the ground as if their life depended on it (which it does, ha). Furthermore, its very difficult to kill a mulberry tree. You can think you've got it chopped down but up it will sprout almost like Jack-and-the-Beanstalk's magic bean seeds.
By the way, I've learned there's a mulberry tree in Jericho that's 2000 years old! Go ahead and check that fact out!
Can you see the magnitude of what Jesus was saying and the impact on His hearers?
Read Luke 17:6 again. Something so infinitesimal could accomplish what seemed impossible. Put your faith, no matter how minuscule you think it is, in Jesus, He'll do wonderful things for you, so that His purposes will be accomplished in you and for you and for His kingdom.
Take a time out and praise Him for all He has done for you. Praise and adore Him. May your faith grow.
Learn from the lepers.
~ERC May 2020~
Based on Luke 17:11-9
Find a mustard seed, tape it into your journal as a reminder you'll be able to do big, seemingly impossible things for God even with "small" faith.
BTW, leprosy is also know as Hansen's Disease.
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