False healers and quack doctors are alive and well, and with the power of social media, the naïve amongst us may be easily deceived.
Aussie wellness blogger, Belle Gibson, claimed to have cured her terminal brain cancer through oxygen therapy and a restricted diet.
None of it was true. She scammed her loyal followers, and failed to donate profits as promised. She’d never even had cancer.
Another Holistic health treatment claims to cure cancer and asserts their course will make you immune to cancer. Known as ‘Cytoluminator’ treatment a three week course set one brain cancer victim back $45 000. Sadly, the treatment was an online hoax.
Then there are the psychic surgeons who offer bloodless surgery and miraculous healing. A ‘surgeon’ begins by placing his hands on top of your skin. Moments later, he will open his palm to reveal the wet cancerous tumour as proof that it has been pulled out from your body.
It’s all a sham, and these parlour tricks do nothing, but offer false hope to the sick and vulnerable. The psychic surgeon has had years perfecting his sleight of hand techniques, and the ‘tumour’ is nothing more than bloody chicken innards.
Jesus—Messiah—Healer of Men
Yet, when Jesus healed the sick, it was never in pretence and certainly not for money. Christ healed with genuine concern for the individual. He healed with compassion. He had true power to restore.
These miracles authenticated Christ’s messiahship. When his cousin—John the Baptist, asked Jesus’ disciples whether their master was the long awaited messiah, Jesus responded with,
“Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” Luke 7:22
Let’s take a closer look at the miraculous healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-14. I have fictionalised certain aspects of the passage, so be sure to read the actual account in your bibles.
What distinguished this miracle was that it was a mass healing that Jesus did from a remote distance. Who could do that but God alone?
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus enters a village sandwiched in the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he strolls through town he is beset by loud voices—men hollering from afar. Their voices blend into a desperate plea, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
They dare not draw near him. They knew the Jewish laws and customs. Lepers weren’t allowed to come into contact with the healthy in case they became infected with the dreaded disease. So, these lepers kept a safe distance. The unclean had no place amongst the clean.
Jesus turns his face towards this knot of social outcasts draped in rags. “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” he commands.
Some of the men scratch at their scalps. We’re still the same miserable people. We’re not even healed and He wants us to see the priest? This rabbi sure has a strange sense of humour.
Now, a priest did double duties. He acted as both priest and health inspector. His role was to confirm whether a person was healed of their disease or contagious illness.
The best outcome was when the priest gave you a clean bill of health. You were free to go home to the loving arms of your family, worship in the temple and be restored to community life.
So, all ten head off in search of the priests like the rabbi said. On foot, the journey proves a struggle, especially for those lumped with weeping sores on the soles of their feet.
‘Stumpy’ clomps around dangerously with a thick olive branch as a makeshift walking stick. It’s a balancing act he’s yet to perfect.
As they engage in quiet conversation, their eyes trace fingers suddenly unfurling through their bandaged hands—a miraculous reappearance of fingers that had fallen off seasons ago.
Ugly skin lesions shrink to nothingness, revealing clear complexions as delicate and soft as a newborn baby’s. And those burdened with disfigured faces are made handsome once more.
‘Stumpy’ casts off his walking stick in a flurry of movement. He bounds off his restored leg, and whirls in the air like an energetic child.
They laugh loud and deep without restraint. Tears of unspeakable joy stream down their faces. Embracing each other, they marvel at their radical transformations. What wonder of wonders? Each man shouts for joy.
A new life awaits.
The Definition of Leprosy
Leprosy in the Old Testament meant a variety of infectious skin disorders. In humans, leprosy could include impetigo, eczema, vitiligo, boils, fungal infections, scabies etc. The definition also extended to inanimate objects including mold, lichen and mildew growing on clothes and walls.
The modern definition of leprosy is “Hansen’s disease” which is a disease which attacks the nerves. It is spread through skin contact, and from droplets or nasal secretions transmitted from person to person.
Leprosy conjures up the worst disfigurements in our minds. Noses collapsing or disappearing altogether, the twisting of arms and legs, the hideous disfigurement of the largest organ in the human body—our skin.
Tumor-like growths may form on the skin and in the respiratory tract. Vision is impaired or lost due to the deterioration of the optic nerve.
However, the majority of deformities come from the loss of pain sensation caused by the disease attacking the nerves. Damaged pain receptors mean that lepers tend to injure themselves, unaware of injury. While sleeping, some patients have had fingers eaten off by rats.
It is likely that leprosy in the New Testament comprised of a variety of infectious skin diseases including Hansen’s disease.
Now, back to the ten lepers, we pick up the story again in Luke 17: 15-19
One of the lepers stops in his tracks. Slowly, he wills his feet to point in the opposite direction of where he was originally heading. While the other nine race to find the priests for confirmation of their healing in eagerness to reunite with family, this man retraces his steps.
He picks up the pace in search of Jesus, hoping that there’s still enough time to catch him. His chest feels like there’s an eagle trapped inside his body, flapping its wings hard against his ribs. He’s wheezing and stops to catch his breath. Up ahead he spots the rabbi with a few of his disciples alongside him.
Finding the Master’s feet, he prostrates himself, face to the ground in worship, repeating words of thanks and praises unto God.
It is here we discover the ethnic background of this man. He is a Samaritan.
This man knows what it’s like to be doubly shunned, firstly with leprosy, and secondly with his national identity. In the eyes of a Jew, he is nothing more than scum.
Jews vs Samaritans
The hatred between Jews and Samaritans spanned centuries.
Samaritans were half-breeds; the combination of Jewish and Gentile blood. In 721 B.C, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. The remnant of Israelites that were not enslaved remained in the land and intermarried with foreigners.
These Israelites adopted a mixture of pagan beliefs with their own and created a religion that the Jews did not accept.
In 586 B.C, the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians, and the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
By 445 B.C, Nehemiah, a full-blooded Jew was able to return to Jerusalem to rebuild. However, it was the Samaritans in the land that obstructed and caused issues for Nehemiah’s rebuilding efforts. Thereby, triggering a long-standing hostility between Jews and Samaritans.
In Christ’s day, Samaritans worshipped at their own temple on Mount Gerizim. They had their own version of the first five books written by Moses, and dismissed the writings of the prophets. They saw themselves as the true descendants of Israel.
Christ’s compassion
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Luke 17:17-19
We know from Jesus’ other dealing with Samaritans and lepers, that he had compassion on them. He healed them, forgave them and saved them, because salvation is for all people.
May we who have received the gift of eternal life never cease to bow down and worship at the master’s feet. For we were once spiritual lepers, diseased with sin, numb with our ways until Jesus healed us.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15
Bibliography
Cook, A. 2014, ‘Sermon: A lifestyle of thanksgiving – Luke 17’, Lifeway. Retrieved 6 June 2022 from
https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/sermon-thanksgiving-lifestyle-lepers-healed-luke-17
Gillen, A. 2009, ‘Biblical Leprosy: Shedding Light on the Disease that Shuns’, Answers In Genesis. Retrieved 6 June 2022 from
Ichimura, A. 2019, ‘The Weird History of Psychic Surgery in the Phillipines’, Esquiremag. Retrieved 6 June 2022 from
Marris, S. 2017, ‘Fake cancer cure blogger Belle Gibson is fined’, Skynews. Retrieved 6 June 2022 from
https://news.sky.com/story/fake-cancer-cure-blogger-belle-gibson-is-fined-11056907
Rasker, R. 2021, ‘Why do people like Belle Gibson create fake personas online?’, ABCnews. Retrieved 6 Jine 2022 from
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/belle-gibson-fake-online-personas/100304696
Roat, A. 2020, ‘The Samaritans: Hope from the History of a Hated People’, Biblestudytools. Retrieved 6 June 2022 from
Sam, A. 2019, ‘The alternative cancer treatment used to prey on vulnerable Aussies’, A Current Affair. Retrieved 6 June from
Warner, C. 2019, ‘The Samaritan Leper’, Cathy Warner. Retrieved 6 June 2022 fromhttps://www.cathywarner.com/blog/the-samaritan-leper
Hey Miss,
Another great post! I really like the story and how you mentioned that even though nothing had happened to them yet, they still had faith a did what Jesus said. It encourages me to have faith even though I may not see the results immediatly.
Thanks again Miss.
Dim 🙂
Yes, thanks Dim for your insight. I appreciate your comments. God bless.