We experience a lot of emotions this time of year as we prepare to take the Passover. We process many thoughts as we prayerfully look inside to see what it is that God sees. Then we come to whatever conclusions the Holy Spirit leads us to. We will see areas where we have grown, but we will also see areas where our spiritual blood cell count is unhealthy. We are in serious need of spiritual healing.
Christ came to provide the healing we need. “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25). The concepts of having been deviant sheep and now living to righteousness both point to spiritual healing.
We also know that by those stripes, we can be physically healed. There are many examples of this in scripture. In one case, there were ten lepers who stood afar and seeing Jesus, called out to Him for mercy. They were told to go show themselves to the priests, and on their way, they were healed. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’” (Luke 17:15-18) Incredibly, only one came back to thank Christ and to give God glory.
Are we “fall on our face” thankful for the spiritual healing we receive every Passover as we recommit to God’s way of life? The example of the thankful Samaritan is a valuable one for us because we can well imagine that his profound thankfulness kept him mindful of God to whom he gave glory. That same thankfulness can bring fresh to our minds daily, the God and way of life we solemnly recommit to.
Marshall Stiver
