Jesus healed 11 men from leprosy
Matthew 8, Mark 1, Luke 5 & 17
re-told by Debbie Dunn
Story highlights:
* Jesus healed 1 man from leprosy near the Sea of Galilee.
* Healing lepers was 1 of many signs to show John the Baptist that Jesus was the Messiah
* Jesus healed 10 men from leprosy later in His ministry
Bible tale begins:
During the 33-plus years Jesus, who is the Son of God, walked this earth as a man, He healed hundreds of people from all kinds of things.
Among the nicknames for Jesus and Father God is Jehovah Rapha.
RINGLEADER: What does Jehovah Rapha mean?
Group repeats
It means the Lord who heals.
RINGLEADER: Who will Jesus heal in this story?
Group repeats
Similar to the Prophet Elisha healing a man of leprosy, today's story details Jesus also healing 11 men suffering from that disease.
RINGLEADER: Tell us more about that.
Group repeats
Back in those days, people with leprosy wore bandages and coverings like mummies to hide their rotting sores. They were required to yell:
LEPERS: Unclean! Unclean!
People were afraid to be near people with leprosy and would sometimes throw stones to chase them away. Therefore, lepers often lived in camps or caves outside the city.
RINGLEADER: Was Jesus scared of lepers?
Group repeats
Not one little bit. Early in Jesus’ ministry, as He traveled near the Sea of Galilee, a leper came near, got down on his knees, and called:
LEPER: Lord, if you are willing, you can heal and make me clean.
Jesus reached out, touched the man, and lovingly said:
JESUS: I AM willing. Be healed.
Instantly, that man's leprosy disappeared. Can you picture how grateful he was to see his skin restored from open sores to smooth?
Jesus truly is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals!
RINGLEADER: Lord Jesus really is a great healer!
Group repeats
Four to 8 months later, John the Baptist, who was stuck in prison, sent 2 of his followers to ask Jesus a question.
RINGLEADER: Who was John the Baptist?
Group repeats
John was the one who baptized Jesus at the beginning of His ministry.
When John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he declared:
JOHN THE BAPTIST: Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
[John 1:29 (NLT)]
Sadly, a few months later, Herod, who ruled the land of northern Israel plus lands east of the Jordan River, threw John the Baptist into prison.
Behind his prison walls, John kept hearing amazing stories about the large number of people Jesus healed. That kind of confused him.
RINGLEADER: Why was John the Baptist so confused?
Group repeats
John, like many others, expected the Messiah to come in like a conquering hero. Instead, Jesus arrived as a sacrificial lamb who was willing to die, on a Cross, to save us all from our sins.
So, John the Baptist sent 2 of his followers to Jesus to ask:
FOLLOWER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST: Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?
[Matthew 11:3-5 & Luke 7:19-22 (NLT)]
Jesus responded to them in this manner.
JESUS: Go back to John the Baptist and tell him what you have seen and heard—
the blind see,
the lame walk,
those with leprosy are cured,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised to life,
and the Good News is being preached to the poor.
RINGLEADER: What did Jesus mean by that?
Group repeats
Jesus was pointing out that he was fulfilling the prophecies that Prophet Isaiah used to describe all the things the Chosen One, the true Messiah, would do.
Tragically, Herod Antipas [AN-tee-pass] beheaded John the Baptist sometime during the first half of Jesus’ ministry.
RINGLEADER: That’s not fair! That Herod was mean!
Group repeats
I agree. Perhaps 8 months after his death, Jesus met 10 lepers.
RINGLEADER: What happened with the 10 lepers?
Group repeats
As Jesus and His Disciples traveled between Galilee and Samaria, they saw 10 lepers keeping a safe distance as they pleaded:
LEPERS: Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!
Jesus looked at all ten of them and said:
JESUS: To be healed, go and show yourself to a priest.
As they headed to the Jewish temple, they each discovered those rotting sores had healed so their skin looked smooth and healthy.
RINGLEADER: Did any of them come back to thank Jesus?
Group repeats
It was only the one Samaritan man and not the 9 Jews who showed manners. He ran back, fell at Jesus’ feet, and shouted:
FORMER LEPER: Thank you, Jesus, for healing me!
Jesus looked down at the man and said with a smile:
JESUS: Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you!
RINGLEADER: Glory, Hallelujah! God is so very good!
Group repeats
Any questions or comments?
Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:
Free PDF download of Jesus healed 11 men from leprosy.
Do you want more stories about Jesus? If so, visit the JESUS chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.
Click here to get more stories about Jesus.
My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about
- Creation, Adam, & his Descendants
- Noah, the Ark, & the Flood
- Abraham & Sarah
- Isaac & Rebekah, Esau & Jacob
- Jacob & his 4 wives
- 12 sons of Jacob who became known as the 12 Tribes of Israel
- Moses who was from the line of Levi
- Joshua who became leader of Israelites after death of Moses
- 12 Judges of Israel including Deborah, Gideon, & Samson
- Kings of Israel including Saul, David, & Solomon
- 4 Major Prophets of Israel: Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
- 12 Minor Prophets of Israel
- More Prophets of Israel: Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, & Elisha
- Women from Old & New Testament
- Jesus Christ, our Messiah, Lord, Savior, & King of king
- 12 Disciples of Jesus
- Apostle Paul & other Significant Followers of Christ
- Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
- The Free Gift of Salvation & The Sinner's Prayer
- About Website: Explore Bible Story.org
- About the author: Debbie Dunn
