Semu, the Leper Boy

From: Messages of God's Love: 1977

• 1 min. read • grade level: 8

Semu was a little African boy who had been stricken with leprosy. A missionary wrote saying, “Our special boy has now finished his teacher’s training course, and he has passed his final test very well. He will start teaching in the Leper School soon-teaching in the place where he first came as a little leper boy, almost without hope; teaching the gospel of Jesus where he first heard of Him as the Friend of little children. He will also be teaching little sufferers of the same disease from which he, through the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, has been delivered.

Semu’s father was a leper, and he had brought his son to the missionary nine years before. Semu is an outstanding example of what early treatment can mean to those infected with leprosy.

We read in the gospels of how the Lord Jesus healed a whole company of lepers at one time.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving Him thanks:... and He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Luke 17:11-19¹¹And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. ¹²And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? ¹⁸There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. ¹⁹And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:11‑19).

ML-11/13/1977

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