Bible Verse of the Day Tuesday May 7th 2024

Luke 17:19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

 

As Jesus was traveling near the border that separates Galilee and Samaria, heading for Jerusalem, he came upon a village where ten men were suffering from Leprosy. Having heard of His healing powers, these men came to Jesus and asked him to heal them. There was no known cure for Leprosy in that day and age. Leprosy was repulsive; it was disgusting and was considered proof positive that those afflicted were the vilest of sinners. If someone came down with leprosy, those around them were sure that God was punishing them in the most extreme way possible.  These men must have believed that Jesus's healing power was the only way out of this life sentence they found themselves in. If Jesus did not heal them, their life was sure to be spent in suffering, pain, and isolation from the rest of society. Moreover, there would be constant pain that no medicine of the day could alleviate. We can only imagine the tension that filled the air among the people of that village that day as their very lives hung on the words of this man from Galilee. Ten lepers were placing their lives in the hands of the one that formed the earth from nothing. There can be a picture of Jesus in our mind's eyes of Him performing this great miracle.  When Jesus removed this Leprosy from their bodies, they began to run and jump for joy. Only one returned to give thanks to the one who freed them from a life of misery and isolation. The other nine only received an outward cure; however, the one who returned received a spiritual blessing along with his physical blessing. Humanity has narrowed the term miracle to the physical instead of the spiritual. There is much excitement surrounding physical healing; however, the physical element is only a dim shadow compared to the spiritual healing that Jesus is ready, willing, and able to bring forth to anyone willing to surrender to Him and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.  I ran into an old fable about two grasshoppers who inadvertently fell into a bowl of cream. One of the grasshoppers complained and grew enraged over the unfortunate circumstance he found himself in. He eventually sank to the bottom of the bowl and drowned. The other grasshopper began to sing and kick his feet around in the bowl of cream. Eventually, the cream turned to butter, and the cheerful grasshopper hopped away to freedom.  Life is what we make of it; we can follow the ways of Satan or Christ Jesus. An old Swedish proverb states: Anyone who desires to sing can always discover a song.