by Janice Curry (Find out more about Janice below)
Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy (NIV)
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
For the Parents:
In the midst of this Coronavirus Crisis, I imagine all of us are praying fervently. If we have someone that is truly ill, by this virus or some other illness, our prayers might even sound something like the psalmist in Psalm 44.
Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
During the course of our life, we may have prayed for:
· God to save a family member
· Help us find/keep a job
· Guidance with a family/child issue
· Help with financial struggles
Sometimes requests are constantly on our mind and during the course of the day we raise them up to God repeatedly as the needs or concerns come into our minds.
What about when these prayers are answered? Are we as fervent in our prayers with thanksgiving as we were in asking? Do we constantly thank God throughout the day as we remember the guidance, help, healing or resolutions that he has provided or do we do a quick ‘Thank you, Jesus’ and never bring our thanks to him again?
In the lesson we read in Luke 17 unfolds, we learn that it matters to Jesus whether or not we show thanks. It matters if we remember who our healing, help, guidance and resolutions come from. Do you sense a sadness in his words as he asks ‘Where are the other nine?’
He also tells the leper that returned in verse 19 that his ‘faith has made him well’. Wasn’t he already ‘well’? Hadn’t he already been healed? Maybe this is a whole different kind of ‘wellness’ that was gained as he recognized the Healer and stopped his awe and celebration over being healed long enough to give thanks and awe to the one who healed and who we celebrate!
This crisis will eventually run its course. Let’s remember, and teach our children to remember, to give thanks and praise just as fervently as we have asked for health and a restoring of our normal daily life and routine.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, leprosy is a skin disease that causes disfigurement and nerve damage to the limbs. All the lepers would have been considered “unclean” and had to practice social distancing!
For the Children: (Use this only as a guide. The important thing here is to read the Bible and spend time together. Whatever works for your family will be ok!)
Enter:
Find a place where your family can sit comfortably together. You can ask questions like these (don’t feel the need to ask all of them!):
Hear:
Read the Bible Passage. For younger children, a picture Bible may be used.
Pause:
This might be hard at first, but take a few seconds, or maybe a minute to sit with the scripture in silence. With little ones, it may be a ten count, but we can sit still and let God’s word work!
Wonder:
How many men were sick?
Why did they stand so far away? (Social distancing even back then!)
Did he tell them they would be healed or just tell them what he wanted them to do?
Did they get healed before they obeyed Jesus or after they obeyed and started on their way to show themselves to the priests?
How many came back to thank Jesus?
Was Jesus happy or sad or both?
Have you ever been sick or scared?
Did you ask God for help?
What can you thank God for right this minute?
When would be a good time to remember this story?
Bless:
Affirm what was discussed about the story.
Reaffirm Jesus’ love and compassion for the sick. Discuss how it made Jesus’ happy to be thanked and sad to be forgotten.
Pray together (you may ask kids what they are thankful for or things they want to pray for/confess before the prayer:
Praise God, Give thanks, Pray for others, confess sins, Praise God!
Example: Thank you God that no matter what happens, we know that you love us and that you already knew everything that would happen in this life and in this world before it ever happened. You are in control of all things. We pray for anyone that is sick, hurt or scared. We thank you right now for our families, our food, our home and your love. Amen!
Enjoy the video below as a wrap up!
About the Author:
I (Janice Curry) was born across the street from the First Baptist Church Weslaco and lived there until I was 6 years old: so I've gone to this church my whole life…29 years! Actually 65 years in August. I was saved in this church as a little girl and continued to attend as I got older. I was in the youth choir and youth group and have sung in the adult choir since I was 19. I was married at First Baptist Weslaco and my children grew up in this here so I helped with the youth ministry for a while. The ministries I remember as a child were Sunday School and Training Union. Now, the choir, Sunday School, worship service and food pantry (I used to help with this during the summer when I was teaching but it is still close to my heart) are ministries I love. I also, of course, love Wednesday nights with the kids!