Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 109
Miracle #39. Healing Ten men of leprosy.
- The Thirty-ninth Miracle of Messiah
- Corporate Miracle Number Ten
- Group of Ten—A Minyan
- Today’s Small Group of Ten
- The Miracle Narrative
- Gratitude from the Samaritan
- Physical Cleansing vs. Spiritual Wholeness
The Thirty-ninth Miracle of Messiah:
Lukas 17:11-19
וַיְהִי בְּלֶכְתּוֹ יְרוּשָׁלָיִם וְהוּא עֹבֵר בֵּין שֹׁמְרוֹן וְהַגָּלִיל׃ וַיָּבֹא אֶל־כְּפָר אֶחָד וְהִנֵּה לִקְרָאתוֹ עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מְצֹרָעִים וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחוֹק׃ וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־קוֹלָם וַיִּקְרָאוּ יֵשׁוּעַ מוֹרֶה חָנֵּנוּ׃ וַיַּרְא אוֹתָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם לְכוּ וְהֵרָאוּ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים וַיְהִי בְלֶכְתָּם וַיִּטְהָרוּ׃ וְאֶחָד מֵהֶם בִּרְאֹתוֹ כִּי נִרְפָּא וַיָּשָׁב וַיְשַׁבַּח אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים קוֹל גָּדוֹל׃ וַיִּפֹּל עַל־פָּנָיו לְרַגְלָיו וַיּוֹדֶה לוֹ וְהוּא שֹׁמְרוֹנִי׃ וַיַּעַן יֵשׁוּעַ וַיֹּאמַר הֲלֹא הָעֲשָׂרָה טֹהָרוּ וְאַיֵּה הַתִּשְׁעָה׃ הֲכִי לֹא־נִמְצָא מִי שֶׁיָּשׁוּב לָתֵת כָּבוֹד לֵאלֹהִים זוּלָתִי הַנָּכְרִי הַזֶּה׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו קוּם וָלֵךְ אֱמוּנָתְךָ הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּךְ׃
בְּלֶכְתּוֹ לִירוּשָׁלַיִם עָבַר בְּשׁוֹמְרוֹן וּבַגָּלִיל. כְּשֶׁנִּכְנַס לִכְפָר אֶחָד בָּאוּ לִקְרָאתוֹ עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מְצֹרָעִים. הֵם נֶעֶמְדוּ מֵרָחוֹק וְקָרְאוּ בְּקוֹל רָם: “יֵשׁוּעַ אֲדוֹנֵנוּ, רַחֵם נָא עָלֵינוּ!” כִּרְאוֹתוֹ אוֹתָם אָמַר לָהֶם: “לְכוּ וְהֵרָאוּ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים.” הֵם הָלְכוּ וּבִהְיוֹתָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ נִטְהֲרוּ. אֶחָד מֵהֶם, כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה כִּי נִרְפָּא, חָזַר כְּשֶׁהוּא מְהַלֵּל אֶת אֱלֹהִים בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל, נָפַל עַל פָּנָיו לְרַגְלֵי יֵשׁוּעַ וְהוֹדָה לוֹ. אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ הָיָה שׁוֹמְרוֹנִי. הֵשִׁיב יֵשׁוּעַ וְאָמַר: “הֲלֹא טֹהֲרוּ הָעֲשָׂרָה, וְהֵיכָן הַתִּשְׁעָה? כְּלוּם לֹא נִמְצָא מִי שֶׁיָּשׁוּב לָתֵת כָּבוֹד לֵאלֹהִים זוּלָתִי בֶּן־נֵכָר זֶה?” וְאֵלָיו אָמַר: “קוּם וְלֵךְ. אֱמוּנָתְךָ הוֹשִׁיעָה אוֹתְךָ.” פ
On his way to Yerushalayim he (the Messiah) was passing between Shomron (Samaria) and the Galil (Galilee). As he came to a certain village, ten metzora’im came to greet him. They stood at a distance. They lifted their voice and called, “Adoneinu Yeshua! Have mercy on us!” He saw them and said to them, “Go and be shown to the priests.” When they went, they were purified. When one of them saw that he was healed, he returned and praised God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at His feet and thanked him. The man was a Shomroni (Samaritan). Yeshua responded and said, “Were not *Ten purified? Where are the other nine? Was not anyone found that would return to give glory to God except for this one foreigner?” He said to him, “Arise and go. Your faith has saved you.”
*Of the group of Ten men cured of leprosy: nine men were Jews; and one man was a Samaritan.
Corporate Miracle Number Ten:
There are Twelve recorded corporate miracles of the Messiah (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). The number Twelve is a symbol of the “governance” of the nation of Israel and its people. Among these Twelve corporate miracles of Yeshua there are two very unique small group miracles: where one, he delivered Twelve of his disciples from a fierce storm by walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee to their boat, getting in, calming the storm, and then instantly transporting the Twelve and their boat to the shore of Kefar Nachum (Capernaum); and two, today’s miracle when Yeshua healed a group of Ten lepers.
Group of Ten—A Minyan:
A minyan is the quorum of ten Jewish *adults required to fulfill certain communal religious obligations, most notably public prayer and the reading of the Torah. The word itself comes from the Hebrew root maneh (מנה), which literally means “to count” or “to number,” Without this minimum count of ten individuals, a gathering cannot formally be considered a “congregation” (or eidah), and those present must recite their prayers privately rather than communally.
*Who have reached the age of Bar Mitzvah (13 years or older).
Today’s Small Group of Ten:
While Yeshua was traveling to Jerusalem he encountered ten outcasts with leprosy. He told them to show themselves to the priests, and as they obeyed, they were miraculously healed.
Only one man, a Samaritan, returned to praise God and thank Yeshua. Yeshua noted that all ten were cleansed, but expressed disappointment that only the foreigner returned, stating, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Faith and Obedience: The lepers were healed while they were walking to the priests, demonstrating their faith in Rabbi Yeshua’s word before they saw physical evidence of healing.
Importance of Gratitude: The story highlights God’s desire for us to recognize and express thankfulness for His blessings, not just receive them.
Spiritual vs. Physical Healing: While all ten received physical cleansing, Yeshua implied that the grateful Samaritan received a deeper, spiritual wholeness through his faith and thanksgiving.
The Miracle Narrative:
The Encounter: While traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee on his way to Jerusalem, Yeshua entered a village where he was met by ten men with leprosy. Due to ancient quarantine laws for infectious skin diseases, they stood at a distance and cried out loudly, “Yeshua, Master, have pity on us!”
The Command: Instead of touching them as he did in other miracles, Yeshua commanded them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Under Levitical law, priests were the only ones authorized to declare a leper medically clean and fit to reintegrate into society.
The Miracle: The men demonstrated faith by obeying his instruction before seeing any physical evidence. As they walked away to find the priests, they were instantly cleansed of their disease.
Gratitude from the Samaritan:
Upon realizing he was cured, only one of the ten men turned back. Praising God in a loud voice, he threw himself at Yeshua’s feet to thank him. Luke intentionally highlights a cultural shock for his original readers: This deeply grateful man was a Samaritan, a foreigner traditionally despised by mainstream Jewish society.
Yeshua openly observed the disparity, asking, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” He then told the Samaritan, “Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.”
Physical Cleansing vs. Spiritual Wholeness:
All ten men were “cleansed” physically, but Yeshua told the grateful Samaritan his faith had “made him well” or “saved him.” This implies he received a deeper, spiritual salvation because he sought the Giver rather than just the gift.
The Importance of Gratitude: The passage serves as a sharp reminder about the rarity of genuine thanksgiving. It contrasts the nine who took their blessings for granted with the one who paused his life to express gratitude.
Inclusivity of the Kingdom: By highlighting the Samaritan, the story demonstrates that God’s grace and salvation are extended to Jewish societal outcasts and foreigners, shattering social and ethnic religious boundaries.