The Faith that Enforces Satan’s Defeat (5)

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  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. - Luke 17:11-13

Luke gives us the account of lepers who desired to be healed.We see how lepers were treated in the Old Testament (Leviticus 13: 43-46) and how they had to go to the priest to examine them before they were allowed to mix with the congregations of Israel.That was the condition of the law as touching the lepers. In Luke 17, ten of them spoke to Jesus to heal them. He said “and when he saw them, he said unto them, go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went were cleansed” (verse 14).  The Lord asked them to meet the priest for examination. He had released their healing by His spoken words; after all His words are life and spirit.

The lepers believed those life- giving words. They were convinced that Jesus was not only willing; they also believed He was able. Their coming to Him and praying Him to heal them was upon that conviction. But as good as that may be, unless they acted out their faith by going as Jesus commanded, they would not see results. There would not have been a substance to their hope or optimism to be healed. They went and got result. How long they went was not told but surely their healing had not manifested when Jesus spoke to them. ‘’it came to pass’’ of verse 14 indicates a process or a time lag. The healing did not manifest instantaneously as it was a progressive thing.In that story, the ten lepers believed they have received their healing before they had it manifested. How do we know they believed they have received? They won’t have gone in the direction of the priest if not for what they believed.

Faith is an act; it rests on the wisdom of God by taking God for His word.