đPLAYđto listen as you read along
For todayâs Shabbat Shalom post the focus will be the wholeness in worship. And Iâll explain it using an ancient story told in the Bible in the book of St. Luke, the 17th chapter.
One day Jesus was passing through a town and came across ten men who were suffering from a debilitating flesh eating diseaseâleprosyâthey were standing afar off. [Yes, social distancing is not a new disease control measure.]
âHey Jesusâ, they shouted across the divide, âplease, heal usâ!!

Their combined voices coupled with their common desperation to be heard amplified their call-out. Moved with compassion and being mindful of the public health restrictions, Jesus didnât bid them draw near for a touch. Instead, in a voice equally amplified by His desperate desire to restore, Jesus shouted back:
âGo show yourselves to the Priestâ!!
Odd response, wouldnât you say?!
Yet, in faith, the 10 men proceeded on the path to the Temple.
[in my imagination this is how the rest of the story unfoldedâŠ] A minute or so into their walk, one man glanced over at another and could literally see the melanin returning to his skin. Right before his eyes white blotches were returning to caramel-like skin tone, and sores and lesions were disappearing replaced by new flawless skin. He reached up and touched his own nose that was starting to be deformed and it was restored. Soon there was a buzz of excitement and exuberant chatter of jubilation amongst the 10 men as each served as the mirror for the other. Soon all 10 were fully cleansed.
Seeing that their skin and bodies were cleansed, what started out as a walk turned into a slow trot and then a full-on sprint as they dashed off in varying directions, likely to their homes.
All except one.

Yes, his walk also turned to a trot and then a full-on sprint but not toward his home, he raced instead toward Jesus. Breathless, he catches up to Jesus in the town and throws himself at Jesusâ feet in gratitude for the healing of his physical body.
And here is where this ancient story takes a profound turn that is very relevant to us in this modern day. Ten men had leprosy. Ten men were cleansed or healed. But only one was made whole.
Thereâs a difference between being healed and being made whole.
The man expressed gratitude for his physical healing in spiritual termsâthe Bible says, he glorified or worshipped God. While the other nine men ran to their physical homes, this one man ran to his spiritual home.

As spiritual matters can only be spiritually discerned 1Corinthians 2:14, Jesus saw beyond the manâs physical expression of gratitude to his spiritual expression of worship. In response, this is what Jesus declared:
âYour faith has made you wholeâ
Luke 17:19
The man was already healedâhis physical body was transformed, he saw it with his eyes. So when Jesus responded to his act of worship by declaring him whole, He couldnât have been referring to the physical healing.
There is a deep need in all of us that if left unmet leaves us feeling incomplete on the inside. Itâs a longing, a yearning for something we canât explain but it drives us to seek its fulfillment. We all have that nagging feeling that there must be something more to life than thisâthis day-to-day existence. Some people seek to fulfill it in service to others, some in the accumulation of âstuffâ, and others unable to find fulfillment seek to dull the desire with drugs, alcohol or other self-harming behaviors.
This lingering restlessness has also been the muse of poets and singers. After all the money and fame and the thrills that came with a superstar lifestyle, the Irish rock group U2 sang: âI Still Havenât Found What Iâm Looking For.â David, the poet, the ultimate logophile, expressed it this way: I have a âsoul thirstâ so intense my soul pants like a deer panting for water. Psalm 42:1-3

But what David came to recognize and was able to record, that U2 did not, was that the deep desire in his soul could be met by only the One who created that desireâGod! God created a desire for Himself in us.
This is what this healed leper was feeling [For the sake of a better reference than âleperâ, Iâm gonna name him Repel i.e. leper in reverse, âcause sometimes you gotta reverse and repel what was sent to derail you.] Repel got what he thought was his greatest desireâto be healedâbut deep within him he still felt incomplete. He hadnât found what he was looking for. However, what distinguished his response from the other nine? Gratitude. And not just gratitude, but how he chose to express it.
No doubt the other nine men were grateful, but the expression of their gratitude was directed to the source of their desireâlikely a wife or a child or maybe a couple of them made it to the Priest.
For Repel, he recalled that he had tried all those before and they left him empty. He stopped mid-run, U-turned and made a beeline back to Jesus.
Again David explains this masterfully. He puts it this wayâdeep calls unto deep. Psalm 42:7 Our deep need, this restless longing, inherently calls unto the deep of the Creatorâs fullness. And, vice-a-versa, the deep of the Creatorâs fullness calls unto the deep of our need. Between our need and Godâs all-sufficiency there is a great divideâexperienced in us as this restless yearning.
This is what Repel came to understand, and it reversed his steps and changed his life course.
Letâs go back to Jesusâ declaration as Repel knelt pouring out his gratitude in worship: âyour faith has made you wholeâ.
In the English language, the life-changing significance in that one wordâwholeâis lost. However, in the Greek language the profundity is awe-inspiring.
The word Jesus used to make this pronouncement of wholeness is defined in Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible as âsavedâ as itâs derived from the Greek word sĆzĆ, translated “saved, healed, delivered“.
Ten lepers healed, physically. One leper made wholeâbecause he, Repel, repelled the usual forces that he previously thought could fulfill his need, to receive the only One who could and had made him whole. And so, he was saved from sin, healed from within, and delivered from restlessness.
In the act of expressing gratitude Repel worshipped and in that process was made wholeâsaved/healed/delivered.
The message rings true from ancient times to now: until we come to terms and accept that the restlessness in us can only be fulfilled in the all-sufficiency of God, we will continue to give our desires to people and things that will leave us unfulfilled.

We were created to worship. But we were also created with the ability to choose. We choose who or what we worship.
What is worship? Iâd say, in its stripped down definition, worship is a heart attitude that is expressed as love, gratitude and praise toward God, and a devotion of time in service toward what will advance Godâs kingdom.
Shabbat Shalom. May you find gratitude in worship to and of God and enjoy the wholeness-livingâsaved from sin, healed from within, and delivered from restlessness. Be like Repel.
2021 All rights reserved ©createdbyDEEsign.com
For more on âdeep calls to deepâ, you may also read: Hiraeth
Thank you for journeying along! First time to the site? Welcome!
You may start heređ and for more subscribe to the blog heređ
In creative solidarity, Dee
This is such a well rendered piece. It is so refreshing and it so profoundly beautiful! âïž âïž âïž âïž âïž
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Viv. Iâm so happy that you were blessed by this. Itâs encouraging to know these readings are connecting with you. Blessings đđœ
LikeLike
Dawn, you brought new meaning to this miracle for me. Thanks for throwing light on the idea of being made whole. Most of us take it as physical healing. I also like how you turn leper into repel. We definitely need to repel some things in our lives. You have been blessed with special talent and ability. Hope you continue to use your talents to bring honour and glory to God, who alone is worthy of worship. He deserves our gratitude for what He has done for us. God bless you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Harri!!! Thank you. Iâm so glad you were blessed by this. Iâm grateful to God for insights I get when reading His word and to be able to communicate it thru this platform. Your comment is an assurance that itâs connecting. Thank you for keeping me encouraged. Blessings on you too. Cheers, Dee
LikeLike
So precious..SOZO.. WHOLE..SAVED and HEALED and DELIVERED
LikeLike
Yes indeed, it is a very PRECIOUS gift !!!!!!
LikeLike
So precious..SOZO.. WHOLE..SAVED HEALED DELIVERED
LikeLike
This is profound! I pray for wholeness as it is preceded by healing… and to worship wholly.
Thanks Dee đ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen and AMEN! Great to have you here Mando. Thanks for dropping by. Cheers, Dee
LikeLike