Lesson 28
As proof of his messiahship Jesus performed the messianic miracles. He healed a man of leprosy and then had him show himself to the priest with his guilt/trespass offering. Believing leprosy could only be healed through an act of God, this miracle got the attention of the Jewish Sanhedrin authorities. Anxious for the Messiah to come, they had Jesus followed to document any other miracles he might perform. Making sure the first time wasn’t forgotten, Jesus goes on to heal ten Lepers at once.
Luke 5:12-14 Evangelical Heritage Version
12 On another occasion, Jesus was in one of the towns, and there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 13 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Jesus ordered him to tell no one, “But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony for them.”
Luke 17:12-19 Easy-to-Read Version
12 He came into a small town, and ten men met him there. They did not come close to him, because they all had leprosy. 13 But the men shouted, “Jesus! Master! Please help us!” 14 When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” While the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed. 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus. He praised God loudly. 16 He bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (He was a Samaritan.) 17 Jesus said, “Ten men were healed; where are the other nine? 18 This man is not even one of our people. Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?”
When Jesus completed the second messianic miracle, the Pharisee observers didn’t want to believe that his second public messianic miracle was real. Trying to find a plausible reason the people might believe to reject Jesus, the Pharisees put forward the idea that Jesus was using the power of Satan to cast out demons. They repeated this claim whenever Jesus would cast a demon from someone. Amplifying the miracle, Jesus later casts out a demon both deaf and mute. In a perplexing situation, will you follow God or your preconceived ideas? How can we hear the words of God today? How does he talk to his children?
Matthew 9:32-34 International Children’s Bible
32 When the two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not talk because he had a demon in him. 33 Jesus forced the demon to leave the man. Then the man who couldn’t talk was able to speak. The crowd was amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “The leader of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons out.”