WALK BY FAITH
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Tuesday 10th January 2023
“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14 (KJV)
Put on your imagination as you read this story to get the full weight of it. This happened at a time lepers were banished and people were not allowed to interact with them. So, coming into the city was one thing, but instead of Jesus healing them, he told them to go show themselves to the priest – that sounded like reporting them for breaking the rule of lepers coming into town. When Jesus said to the 10 lepers, “go and show yourself to the priest” He was simply saying, I don’t see you as a leper, so, go and show yourself to the priest because you are already cleansed.
When He said go, there was no evidence that they were healed. Nothing around them showed that they were cleansed. They could have run away because Jesus wanted to put them into trouble, it is bad enough they came to meet Jesus, and now you are asking them to go to the Priest. What audacity! But thank God they obeyed and went, and as they went, they were healed.
As they went means there was a positive response. It means there was an action. It means they did something with what they heard, irrespective of the conditions. “As they went” was where their healing took place. It did not take place before they went but as they went. It did not look like it, but they started to move. Somewhere along the line before they got to the priest, the sickness disappeared. That is proof that any tree the Father has not planted will be uprooted.
The same thing happened when God changed the names of Abram and Sarai – from Abram to Abraham and from Sarai to Sarah. “As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” Genesis 17:4-5 KJV. It sounded ridiculous but they obeyed, and Isaac came forth.
Further Reading: Genesis 17: 1-16, Genesis 21:1-7
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Gen 25, 26 / Evening- Matt. 8:1-17