The point about healing is not the healing itself. Luke 17:11-19 tells us about the ten lepers who were blessed for their faith. They had leprosy, a disease for which there was no cure. It was like a slow death sentence – an arm now, a leg or ear later. Everybody would have told them that it was useless to ask for help. If they had believed that, they would have died. But one day they heard about Jesus, and their hopes began to rise. Then they met Jesus and said to him, “Master, have mercy upon us.”

Jesus saw a way to test their faith. He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” They could have looked at each other and said, “Well, nothing is going to happen to us!” Instead, they obeyed him. As they went, they were cleansed. What a tremendous experience!

The point about healing is our response to the Healer. The ten were all healed. But only one took the trouble to come back and say, “thank you.”

It is not far-fetched to imagine tears running down our Lord’s cheeks when he asked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” There could be many reasons why the nine did not come back. Certainly one is that miracles do not automatically guarantee that they become changed in their attitude or freed from pride and self-centeredness. Instead of giving thanks, they were just as self-absorbed as they were in their previous leprous state.

All the ten lepers received a physical blessing the first time, but the one who came back the second time received an even greater blessing. Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” The man learned that spiritual blessings are more important than physical blessings. The lepers who did not thank Jesus had the blessing of healing, but they missed the blessing of wholeness.

The articles in this issue will affirm that physical healing is a divine gift. Some do experience miraculous healing while others continue to live with their condition. God has His purpose in both situations and that purpose is to go beyond the physical.

Get the point?