After the lepers cry out, asking Jesus for help, he tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. Luke's Gospel tells us that they are cleansed as they are on their way. One of them, seeing that he is clean, turns back and, praising God, throws himself at the feet of Jesus and thanks him. Next, Jesus asks
where the other nine are – they have vanished. He then tells the returning Samaritan leper that his faith has saved him.
Like the nine lepers, we may often want something instantaneously – in their case, to be cured of their leprosy. However, if we ponder this event, perhaps we will begin to see another deeper dimension: the difference between healing and cure.
We human beings are made up of different dimensions. We are physical beings, psycho-social beings and spiritual beings. Healing is about the whole person, not just one dimension. Suppose the nine lepers were looking for a cure. They were merely looking for a release from their physical ailment. Their physical illness, however, had an impact on their psycho-social and spiritual selves. As we saw earlier in the week, they were cut off from their
community and religious structures. They had perhaps become foreigners to themselves, unaware of their true identity.
Jesus knows that healing is holistic, the integration of the whole person. Sometimes, when healing takes place, it does not mean that we are cured. A cancer patient, for example, might be at peace and feel consoled, willing to face their demise. They still have cancer and are not cured of the
disease, but healing has taken place.
This is, at once, a difficult yet also a grace-filled space to be in. We, at times, encounter such people. A deep healing has taken place in them, their physical, psycho-social, and spiritual selves have been integrated, and they are at peace, ready to face their fate.
The nine lepers
sought a cure and then went on with life. We know nothing more about them. Only one leper returned, giving praise to God and thanking Jesus. He is healed – or, as Jesus says, "saved" because he has turned to Jesus and integrated his physical dimension with his psycho-social and spiritual self.
We often pray for healing, but do we mean we want healing or are we seeking a cure? Spend time reflecting on your
life today. Where might you need God's healing rather than simply a cure?
