Luke 17:11-19
Look at verses 11 and 12. “And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:”
The 10 lepers had to stand a far off. Somewhat like us sinners we stand afar off from the Lord because of our guilt and sin. These lepers were in a bad way. Leprosy was a painful disease no doubt, however the physical pain was not as bad as the fact that Lepers were separated from the real world. They were shut out to an area away from everyone else.
They were shut out from their families, friends, neighbors’ etc.
Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there He met the lepers. The religious dignitaries had no time for these lepers. The worst thing was that they were shut out from God the Father. These lepers came to and stood afar off from Jesus, the way, the truth and the life and the only way to the Father.
Similarly sinners are faraway from God, and they cannot and will not draw near on their own. Do you know what kept these lepers at a distance? The Law. The law shut them out. The law set forth rules and regulations for lepers. The law said that when they saw someone coming towards them they had to pass on the other side and cry out Unclean!
Sin also puts us in a similar situation. They were in an approachable position- Here are these men living lives with utter despair, without a hope because of the law that restrained them. However Jesus gives us hope. Jesus goes where the law says you can’t go. What the law declares off limits, Jesus lifts the limits off. Jesus is able to reach us and to save us. My family can’t help me, my friends can’t help me, the church can’t help me, but Jesus can. And while we stand afar off from Him, he does not stand afar off from us. When we could not get to Jesus, Jesus got to us just like this lepers situation. When they could not come to him, he came to them.
Verse 13 and 14. “And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And 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.”
All ten shout at the same time. Perhaps they sand in their own choir. They realized Jesus could help them so they cried out together. Sometime we have loved ones who just want to hear a message or come to church because they haven’t come to that point of need. But here the isolation and the pain of this disease were evident to these ten lepers. They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except Jesus whose reputation went before Him.
Jesus tells them to go to the priest. Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean, and issue a clean bill of health. Interestingly they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went. As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed.
Verses 15-19, “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 was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
Here is the key to this situation. All were in the same horrible boat. And all prayed and all were healed. Yet only one of the ten returned to offer a thank you. He saw the difference Jesus had made so he saw a reason to thank Him.
How many of us see the need to pray but don’t see the need to thank and praise the Lord.
What happened to the other nine? I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends. Their minds probably got occupied with all that the healing brought to their lives and being able to go home and live a normal life that they forgot the most important thing thanking the one who made it possible for them to live normal lives again.
But one of the ex lepers had his priorities correct. He did not get so wrapped up in the healing that he forgot the blesser. He put family, friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible.
Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God. With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy, he glorified God. How many times we cry out for God’s help loudly and then when He answers either never thank Him or don’t do it with the same velocity as we cried for help. But this ex leper fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and do you know what he was a Samaritan. He was not a Jew, he was not entitled off this healing nor was he worthy to receive God’s help. Yet his grateful heart was clearly seen.
And because he was grateful and showed it he got more than the others did. They received physical healing from a distance. This Samaritan received spiritual healing and I believe he was made whole again. His body experienced completeness. The pieces that had fallen off God recreated them. He was whole again. Everything that was missing in his physical body was intact. Every time we take time to thank God for what He has done in our lives we get more than we bargained for. Take time to say thank you to God for everything you have received and see what healing and wholeness you will receive.
