“And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:12-14).
The ten lepers cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Apparently, they had heard of Jesus the healer, because they called Him “Master.” And since faith comes by hearing, they came expecting something. They came in faith.
However, under the Levitical Law, lepers were to be stoned if they came within 100 paces of a healthy human being. So these ten lepers stood afar off and cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus instructed them to go show themselves to the priests. Verse fourteen says, “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.”
Did you notice that the lepers weren’t cleansed until after they went? Many people don’t get healed because they don’t “went”! They sit around hoping they will somehow receive a miracle. Meanwhile, God wants them to believe they receive their healing and then go their way in faith.
That “went” part was the lepers’ act of faith. When Jesus told them, “Go show yourselves to the priests,” they immediately turned around and started on their way. They didn’t feel anything; they didn’t see anything. In the natural, their condition wasn’t any better. But when they obeyed what Jesus had told them to do, they were healed.
Like the ten lepers, we have to take God at His Word, regardless of what we see or feel. We have to believe we have the answer and go our way in faith. Remember, those lepers were healed as they went. But they had to “went” before they were healed!
Symptoms may seem to keep me “afar off” from victory, but I believe I receive God’s provision of healing. And as I go my way, believing, God’s healing power works wholeness and strength in my physical body!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.