Lessons from the Lepers

“Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17 NIV)

The Word teaches us in Luke 17 that Jesus healed ten men with leprosy. Lepers were social outcasts in Bible times and were forbidden from intermingling with others in society (Leviticus 13). These ten men were living a life of extreme agony. Leprosy attacks the body, leaving sores, missing fingers, missing toes, and damaged limbs. In many cases, the initial pain of leprosy gives way to something more terrible than that – a loss of sensation in nerve endings, leading to more damage to more body parts.

Lepers tended to roam together, looking for food, begging for assistance from a great distance, learning to yell in loud voices, both from the need to warn others, and to beg for help from across

the way. What would it have been like to have been removed from friends and family for a lifetime, and to have been forced to announce yourself as “unclean” on a daily basis? In Luke 17:11-19, ten men with leprosy encounter Jesus, and asked from a distance to be healed.

The local priests had duties other than leading worship on each Sabbath. They were also a health official. If a person was miraculously healed of leprosy, it was up to the priest to inspect the body, to test for a complete removal of the disease, and to announce the person healed. In such cases, the person would have been cleansed, and at that point, it would be fine for the leper to see his family again.

Now, Jesus says to these lepers, “Go and show yourselves to the priests… (Luke 17:14).” He did not heal them on the spot. He wanted to see their response. They left to see the priests and “…as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). They left Jesus in the same condition as what they found Him. For the miracle to happen, these men had to start walking in faith before their circumstances had changed one tiny bit. Many times Jesus healed and acknowledged the person’s faith. The first recorded instance of Jesus saying, “Your faith has made you well” is found in Matthew 9:22 where Jesus heals the woman with the issue of blood.

Below are a few lessons that I think we can glean from this short but powerful Scripture.

You cannot wait until the problems are over to start walking in faith.

You cannot put conditions on God. You cannot say, “Lord, as soon as I have enough money, time, or feel better I follow your instructions. God wants us to respond as did the first disciples and follow Him now. God loves us so much that He will give us the opportunity to be thankful when nothing seems worthy of thanks. That is the very definition of faith.

Be thankful in the work of God’s goodness.

One of the men came back to Jesus, and praised God. He was thankful. This is worship.

Express thanksgiving.

Only one healed leper came back. “Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? (Luke 17:17.” Jesus never commanded that any of them express thankfulness to God, or return to Him. The race of the nine that did not return is not disclosed in the Scripture. However, if they were Jews, then they would have had the Torah and know the importance of thanksgiving to God as expressed by the Psalmist (Psalm 50:23, Psalm 100:1-5, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:28-29).

Jesus welcomes all.

The man that came back was a Samaritan. Jews disliked Samaritans and viewed them as idolatrous. The man knew that Jesus was a Jew, but he elected to put faith above race, a great example for us today.

Prayer: Dear God: We come to you today in need of mental, physical, or spiritual healing. We ask in your name for Your healing. Shine your face upon us. Amen.

Meet the Author

Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Men, You Can Add Power to Your Prayers!

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NIV).

Our prayers already have great power – more than we can ever imagine. The problem is that we often fail to recognize the power of our prayers.

Prayer is an open line of communication with God. The idea that we have 24/7 ability to connect to the Creator of heaven and earth is hard to comprehend.

First, why would God want to talk with us? Is there a right and wrong way to pray? Why does God answer some prayers but not others? Does it matter that we only have a little faith?

Thankfully, the Bible gives us insight into these questions and more. Since God desires to have a relationship with us and knows of our human frailties, it’s no surprise He gives us some help. Below are some of my favorite Scriptures on prayer.

Luke 18:13-14: “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

This Scripture is from the well-known story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple, reveals the prayer that allows us to enter into a relationship with God: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The tax collector was honest with God about his sin. He humbled himself, repented, and acknowledged his need for God’s mercy.

Summary: The first step in developing a prayer life is to humble our self and call upon God for salvation.

Psalm 66:18: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

The Psalmist teaches us a major obstacle to God’s willingness to hear our prayers—unconfessed sin. The word “cherished” means to embrace. If we embrace our sin, we are not reconciled with God, and the sin will act as an impediment between us. God knows we will not live a sinless life, but He does want us to continue to remove our sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Summary—We can’t live a consistently sinful lifestyle and expect God to hear our prayers.

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry.”

As we move closer to God, we begin to gain more of His peace which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). We know that He is listening to our prayers because we are both seeking the same things. The Psalmist assures us that He is carefully attuned to our lives.

Summary—If you trust God, He will hear your prayers.

Daniel 9:18: “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.”

This verse is from Daniel’s prayer on behalf of the Jews exiled in Babylon. It reveals an important truth about prayer—that God answers our prayers because of His mercy, not our good works. While there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service.

Summary—God’s mercy, not our actions, is the basis for answered prayers.

Psalm 5:3: “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

The Psalmist is teaching us to have eager expectation as we pray. This is reinforced in the Mark 11:24. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” As we pray with confidence, God sees our faith and trust in Him.

Summary—Pray with anticipation that God will hear your request.

Prayer: Dear God: We thank you for the blessing of prayer. May we always be appreciative of it. Amen.

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Not Happy?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 NIV).

A recent Harris poll reported that in 2017 only 33% of Americans are happy. A first reaction might be that only 33% are true followers of Jesus. Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States, with 75% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2015.

Upon deeper reflection I realize that not all Christians are happy, nor should they be. Life is complicated, difficult, and busy. We live in a broken world and broken promises are the norm. Life sometimes seems to be more about loss than gain. We lose our children as they grow up and move away, we lose our parents and friends as they enter into glory, we sometimes lose our sense of purpose upon retirement, etc.

We live in an era of instant gratification in both our spiritual and secular lives. We want to be happy, and we know that God wants us to be happy so why do we have periods when we are not happy?

There is an old saying “Life is not always a bowl of cherries. Sometimes it is the pits.” There is some Biblical truth behind this saying because God doesn’t expect us to be happy all the time. The Bible teaches, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). Sometimes the only appropriate, logical response to life is grief. The Bible teaches us to grieve over your losses, sin, injustice, and your friends who are spiritually lost. God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time.

It is important to remember that we were created in the “image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26). So, does this mean that God cried? There are few passages in the Bible that express grief as pointedly and passionately as Jeremiah. 8,9. The Bible tells us that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Other Scripture tells us of God’s sadness (Genesis 6:6, Psalm 78:40). Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44) and over the death of Lazarus (John 11).

Grief is important for our physical health. Grief is a painful and difficult emotion, but it is also a healthy and helpful emotion. Grief is a gift from God and has an appropriate place in our lives. It is essential that we grieve to move, with the help of the Holy Spirit, through tragedy and adversity. David expressed the need for grief in Psalm 32:3: “When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long.” The bad things that happen to us are not your choice, but our response is our choice.

Prayer: Dear God, As we grieve may we receive a peace that surpasses all understanding. Help us move through the grief as we stand steadfast on your promises. Amen.

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Seeing Without Sight

“Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So, they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus” (Mark 10: 49-50 NIV).

I am grateful to have good vision, but yet I wonder how much I don’t see. I am often reminded of the story of the blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) who sits by the roadside hopefully calling out to Jesus to pay attention to him and heal him. Some of the people in the crowd tried to hush him up. (Probably they felt, as we so often do, that he should set his mind on “higher things”). The more they tried to silence him, the louder he shouts.

Jesus turns to him instantly and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Within each of us is that which cries out, begging to be heard. Often the manner of its crying out is expressed through

grumbling, negativity, irritability, and anxiety. To shout down the cry, to put it out of the room, to breathe it away, or to shake it off is not how we should show God’s love.

In verse 52, Jesus names faith as what has healed Bartimaeus. We see his faith in what Bartimaeus does.

He understands who Jesus is. No one else so far in the Book of Mark has been able to perceive so much about Jesus from so little information. For Bartimaeus, the title he uses to address Jesus, Son of David, obviously indicates that Jesus is God’s designated agent, and it introduces the notion of Jesus as a royal figure Bartimaeus, despite his blindness sees the divinity of Jesus.

He persists despite hindrances. Faith does not come easily to people in Mark; it must surmount obstacles to obtain what it seeks (see 2:4; 5:27, 35-36; 7:27; 9:18b). Others in the crowd rebuke Bartimaeus, demanding he be silent. This detail reminds us that blind beggars dwell near the bottom rung of social privilege in ancient (and contemporary) society. The people shout Bartimaeus down because they probably think he deserves to be who he is Bartimaeus knows better, and so he yells “even more loudly” until his words penetrate Jesus’ ears.

He expects a transformation. Jesus could have walked to Bartimaeus to talk with him. Instead, he tells the onlookers to summon Bartimaeus to him. Now those who sought to inhibit the beggar are engaged in Jesus’ ministry to him. Scripture tells us that Bartimaeus tosses aside his cloak. Clearly, he expects to regain his sight because a blind beggar would ordinarily keep his possessions close at hand. When Bartimaeus casts off his cloak, he expects that he will no longer sit on it as a blind beggar.

He asks for the right thing. Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” His reply is simple request voiced with confidence and brings honor to Jesus. “That I would see again,” is the response. Bartimaeus seeks no special privileges. This reiterates that Jesus has not come to bestow power and honor but to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

In Mark, Bartimaeus is not the first person seeking a miracle who approaches Jesus in faith, but he is the only one who winds up following him, presumably straight into Jerusalem and His ultimate crucifixion. He is also not the only one who was told by Jesus “your faith has made you well” (Matthew 8:13, 15:28 9:22; Mark 5:34; Luke 17:19, 18:42).

How many times have we tried to quiet or ignore someone who was in need? How many times are we that person in need that keeps shouting out? I think throughout life we will all find ourselves in all of the roles in the story of Bartimaeus.

Prayer: Dear God, As we go through life and encounter others that are in need of your love, please give us the courage and conviction to approach them and ask “what do you want me to do for you?” We know that whatever we do for the least, we do for you. Amen.

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Men, What Do You Crave?

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NIV).

We all have cravings. A craving is a deep desire that implies something stronger than a mere want or desire. Life is full of temptations and urgent problems which all serve as distractions from our spiritual cravings. So, how can we be expected to sustain a spiritual appetite? Below are five steps to consider.

Remember God loves you always

Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). His grace is infinitely stronger than our sin. A life lived in Him and for Him means that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Stand firm on His promises.

Stop filling up on junk food

We all have free will to choose how we feed ourselves. Some of us will try to complete themselves with work, promotions, status, salary, power, possessions, etc. These things feed the ego “flesh” but not the soul “spirit.” If you feed the flesh, you will never be satiated. Proverbs 15:14 teaches, “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”

Put God first in all things

As Christian men we need to have a hunger for God and His word. There is nothing no important than Him and our relationship with Him. Everything else (family, work, house, hobbies, etc.) will all fall into place when we maintain a spiritual hunger for God. The hunger for God must be sincere and must be a natural product of prayer and submission to the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Philippians 4:12). His secret was living through God and tapping into His strength.

Get into God’s Word every day

The Bible is God’s word and nourishment for our souls. Eating one healthy meal a week won’t keep your body healthy. The same is true for our spiritual health. We need to feed on His word every day. 1 Peter 2:2 teaches us, “You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.”

Appetite is influenced by association

We influence each other. Our thoughts, opinions, accents, etc. are influenced by those close to us. Men need a band of brothers for the battle. We need others seeking God’s face in our foxhole. My weekly small group of men helps me to hunger for God. Proverbs 27:17 teaches us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Prayer: Dear God: We pray the prayer of Psalmist in Psalm 51:10. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

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Can saying ‘No’ please God?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).

Each day we all get asked by others to do things. Some tasks are fun, some are mundane, and some are someplace in the middle. Service to others is an important way in which we show the love of Christ. Service is ministry. Service is important.

I struggle with saying “no” to help people, especially when the request is from my home church, a Christian organization to which I belong, or a good friend. I guess I am a people pleaser, and I suspect I am not alone in that regard. However, I have come to learn that perhaps the most important word to remember for a meaningful spiritual journey may be a surprising one – “no.”

Our faith journey is a long journey. Several people start off well in their spiritual journey but burn out, lose interest, or become detached due to a tragedy that they cannot reconcile.

As we learn in Hebrews 12:1, God has set out a race for us. We can still run a good race with some extra weight in our pockets. “Some extra weight” to me means an appropriate amount of carrying other’s burdens. If we overload ourselves with Christian work, we can not run our race that “has been marked out for us.” God wants us to run our race and finish the race. He wants to tell us at the end of our race, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.” To me, the key here is “that slows us down.” Weights are not bad or sinful. I can run with a little bit of weight in my pockets and not be slowed down. Each of us is different in how fast we can run and how much weight we can carry. Each of us must discern through the Holy Spirit what weight we should and should not carry.

So, if we feel that everything is important, then nothing is important. We are not all called to participate in every service project, mission trip, etc. Yes, these activities are great and an excellent way to bring the light of Christ into the world. Our first responsibility is honor God, and we do that by “running with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

My race is essential for me to “work out my salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Your race is essential for your salvation. Works are how we show the love of Christ, but our salvation is through the grace of God and the blood of Jesus. So, saying “no” can please God, if you are saying “yes” to Him.

Prayer: Dear God: Help us realize that sometimes when we say no to others we are saying yes to you. You are our rock and redeemer. We have faith in you, your Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our righteousness comes from you. We love you and need you. Amen.

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What Motivates You?

“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Proverbs 16:2 NIV).

We typically won’t do anything unless we are motivated to do so. We take action based on a variety of motivations. Our motivations can be positive or negative. Some of the common negative motivators include pride, anger, revenge, entitlement, or the desire for approval or to impress others. These motivations are clearly negative and come from a sinful flesh and do not honor God (Romans 8:8).

Nothing is hidden from our Lord. He even evaluates the motivation of our hearts when we give offerings to Him (2 Corinthians 9:7). If we have selfish motives our prayers will be hindered. James

4:3 teaches us, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” This is why it is so important for us to invite the Holy Spirit to search us and reveal our sins to us. I love the prayer of the Psalmist, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

The Bible has much to say about motives and many examples of people that took action based on sinful motives. In Genesis 4, Cain kills his brother Abel due to jealousy. Proverbs 16:2 reads, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” The human heart can be deceitful, and we can rationalize to ourselves that are motives are pure. I suspect that Cain was convinced he was doing the right thing. We can fool ourselves and often those around us that we are pure of heart, generous, and kind, but God is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

So, what is a good motivation? The Apostle Paul demonstrated good motives to the Church in Thessalonica by writing, “We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). On becoming king of Israel, Solomon prays to our Lord: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon was motivated by a sincere desire to discern good from evil rather than a desire to glorify himself. His prayer had power.

When we give the outward appearance of obeying God, but our hearts are hard we have not fooled God. The only way we can operate from pure motives is when we “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). When we allow Him to control every part of us, then our desire is to please Him and not ourselves. As we yield more of our heart to God, then we can approach our prayers with confidence and thanksgiving because we are both seeking the same things.

Prayer: Dear God: Thank you for loving us. Please continue to draw us closer to you. Help us to desire what you desire. Amen.

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Lessons from the Lepers

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Men, You Can Add Power to Your Prayers!

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Not Happy?

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Seeing Without Sight

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Men, What Do You Crave?

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Can saying ‘No’ please God?

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What Motivates You?

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