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Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

What Jesus did for the ten men by healing their leprosy didn’t last forever. Over time, their bodies got old, they got weaker, then they died, and their bodies decomposed. So, while their physical healing was a great gift, it didn’t last forever.

But one leper saw in Jesus more than a physical healer. He saw him for who he really was—the saver of souls. He fell at his feet to thank and worship him as the true God. He believed that Jesus could do even more than cleanse him of his leprosy. So, Jesus said, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.” He wasn’t just talking about the man’s leprosy. Luke used the word “cleanse” to describe what happened to all ten. They were outwardly cleansed from leprosy. But when Jesus said to the one “your faith has made you well,” the word he used is literally “save.” That man had faith in Jesus as Savior, and he was saved.

What Jesus did for his body was great. What he did for his soul was even greater. He saved his body from pain and discomfort for a time; he saved his soul from death for eternity. He took away his leprosy so he could be accepted by society again, for a time; Jesus took away his sin, and he was accepted by God, for eternity.

You can be sure that God has done the very same for you, because he has done this for the world. By Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he took away the sins of the world, including yours. Through faith, he makes that forgiveness your forgiveness. He may bless you physically on this earth for a time. But he has, without a doubt, saved your soul for eternity. He may bless you with the good company of friends and family, for a time. Without a doubt, he has taken away your sin so that you have a right relationship with God, for eternity. We are eternally thankful for this eternal gift!

Lord, may I forever praise you in this life and the next. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.