WILL YOU COME BACK TO SAMARIA AND GALILEE WITH HIM...

to the spot where he meets with 10 lepers?

                     "...then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were
                     lepers, who stood afar of. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus,
                     Master, have mercy on us!" Luke 17: 12-13

You see, because of their leprosy, they, according to the Jewish laws, had to remain a certain distance from all other people. They were deemed 'unclean', having a contagious disease, almost as people with AIDS are being viewed by modern society today - there was a stigma attached to them - so they could not come close to Jesus but had to shout at him from a distance... and He, because He knew all this, did not even ask them to come close to be healed, no, we read :

                      "So when He saw them, He said to them, "go, show yourselves to the
                       priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed." Luke
                       17:14

Jesus knew that to prove that they were healed, or clean, they would have to get clearance from the priests in order to return to their families and their homes, so He does not even say : "You are healed" or "Be healed" or "Be clean", no He just sends them straight to the priests to get the required clearance.

He also knew that they would only get cleansed and healed if they had faith enough in His words, to obey His command and go before they could see that they were in fact healed! He also saw to the core of them whether they indeed had that faith!

And they did! And they went! And they were cleansed!

Do you and I have faith like these men?

You see, the Word of God says we are all unclean. Maybe not of leprosy or Aids, but because of sin.

                    "For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard."  Rom. 3:23

Sin separates us from the presence and glory of God. Will you have enough faith to "shout to God" from a distance to ask for cleansing and healing of your sinful nature? He is waiting. He sees you. He sees to the core of you whether you really are desirous to be clean and if, in faith, you accept that He can and wants to cleanse you, He will do it now this minute!

                    "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
                     whoever believes on Him, shall have eternal life." John 3:16

Do you? Will you?

Thank You, Lord God, that You can cleanse of anything - any sin, any unrighteousness, any disease, any criminal tendencies, any obsession, any addiction, anything whatsoever. Thank You that You are willing to do so, even NOW this minute. Help us to have enough faith to approach You and to believe Your words and to act on them as the lepers did.