Physical and Spiritual Healing – Luke 17:11-19

The Illness That Healed Me is Janice Weinheimer’s book on the sudden illness in January 1988 that put her in bed for five months, and forever altered the course of her life. She had flashbacks of sexual abuse, which shook her to her core, and set her on a course of intense soul-searching and strenuous impact training–which she describes as “the most arduous work I would ever encounter”–before she began to see some light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Which healing was most important? Or is that even a fair question to ask?

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”  (Luke 17:11-19 ESV)

The healing of the Samaritan and the 9 other lepers provides three interesting principles:

1) Sometimes we need to act as if we are going to be healed in order to be healed.  Jesus commanded them to go to the priest to be declared healed and they were healed as they obeyed and went.

2) Gratitude is the hallmark of salvation.  Though no doubt healing was incredibly important to all 10, the gratitude of the Samaritan showed his deeper appreciation for the reversal of his hopeless estate.

3) Spiritual healing is more important than physical healing.  Jesus told the physically healed Samaritan that his faith had made him well, a nod to the spiritual healing that set him apart from the 9 who were also physically healed.