Our King Heals Body and Soul – Family Devotion – November 25, 2020

Read: Luke 17:11-19

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.
Luke 17:17-19

Our King Heals Body and Soul

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Melpomeni Dina is a 92-year-old woman. Over 75 years ago, during World War II, Melpomeni and her family hid a family of Jewish people in their home in Greece to protect them from the German Nazi soldiers. Because Melpomeni and her family bravely hid this Jewish family in their home, the family survived World War II and were kept safe from those who wanted to harm them.

Seventy-five years later, one of the surviving children of that Jewish family asked to be reunited with Melpomeni. The first thing this person, now 86-years-old herself, did was throw her arms around Melpomeni in a hug and tell her, “Thank you,” over and over again. How good it felt for that Jewish woman to find the person who had rescued her so many years earlier and thank her face to face!

In our Bible verses for today, we also see someone returning to say thank you for saving their life. Ten men with leprosy had begged for Jesus to heal them. Leprosy was an awful disease that often led to a slow and painful death . When the lepers begged Jesus to have pity on them, Jesus did something interesting. Jesus told them to go to the priest and show themselves to him. While on the way there, they were suddenly healed of their disease! Jesus had healed them! Their lives were spared!

Sadly, only one of the ten men healed returned to thank Jesus for being healed. How good it must have felt that day for that cured man to thank Jesus face-to-face.

In this story we see the awesome power of Jesus to heal both our body and soul. Jesus loves us and cares for all our needs—both physical and spiritual. Whenever we are sick, we can pray to Jesus for healing with full confidence that he has the power to heal us!

Even more importantly, when we recognize the sickness of our sinfulness and repent of the sins we commit each day, we can trust how Jesus healed us by removing the horrible disease of our sins. Cleansed and forgiven, let us return often to Jesus and thank him for what he has done to make us well! Someday, in the glory of heaven, we will be able thank him face to face!

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us and having care and compassion on us. You have proven that you have the power to heal both our physical and spiritual sicknesses. Thank you for taking care of our worst sickness—sin—and earning us an eternal home in heaven where there will be no more sickness or sin to bother us! Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• After hearing today’s devotion, what is the sickness Jesus came to cleanse us from? Why is it the worst? (Hint: It’s not a physical sickness!)
• Name a sick person you would like to pray for Jesus to help today.

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Discuss why you would take the time to cry out to Jesus when you or someone in your family is sick.
• Sometimes sickness ends in death. Why can we still be thankful?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Today’s reading tells us the one leper who returned to thank Jesus was a Samaritan. Why was that surprising?
• What are three ways you can thank Jesus today for the spiritual and physical healing he has given you in your life?

Hymn: CW 385:1,4 – Chief of Sinners, Though I Be

Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed his blood for me,
Died that I might live on high,
Lives that I might never die.
As the branch is to the vine,
I am his and he is mine!

Chief of sinners though I be,
Christ is all in all to me.
All my wants to him are known;
All my sorrows are his own.
Safe with him in earthly strife,
I await the heav’nly life.