Are We Truely Grateful

DO WE SHOW OUR GRADITUDE TO GOD BEFORE OTHERS? LUKE 17:11-19 2-9-08

This particular passage gives us an account of love and great compassion as Jesus reaches out to those who have been completely rejected by others. It exemplifies that which was intended to be an insult spoken by the Pharisees in LK.7:31-34 about Jesus being “the Friend of sinners”. “Jesus was and still is, truly a friend of sinners.”

2ndly it is also a story of healing; not just the physical body, but also the healing of the sin-sick soul unto salvation and eternal life.

And 3rdly, it is a story of gratitude opposed to ingratitude for all that God, in Christ, has done for sinful men.

Verse 11 tells us that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for the last time to be crucified, and on His journey passes through Samaria and Galilee. Samaria was a providence filled with people that the Jews looked down on and viewed as a lower glass people, because they were half-breeds, part Jew and part Gentile, outcast of the earth to their way of thinking. Often the proud Jews would go completely around these people to avoid being near them.

Many Jews were arrogant and self-righteous because they understood themselves to be God’s chosen people. They boasted in the fact that they were not half-breeds, Jew and Syrian.

Jesus, passing through both regions, “Galilee and Samaria” comes near to Judea, to a certain village where some Jews and Samaritans lived in co-existence; not because they had come to love one another, but because they had the decease of leprosy, and were exiled from the rest of the people.

Listen as I read today’s text found in Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19 And 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 shew 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.

These poor people were isolated from the rest of their people in order the decease not spread according to Lev. 13: 45-46.

Let’s remember that, leprosy in the Bible is a type and picture of sin, and the lost sinner is not in the same camp of God’s people that are cured of this disease of sin, because we have called out to Jesus Who is our High Priest for mercy and through His Blood we have been declared whole, but all sin sick people are invited to call on Him for mercy and salvation. We certainly should fall to our knees and thank Him and praise Him, as did this thankful Samaritan.

Jesus knew these lepers were there, like He knew the Samaritan woman would be at the well there in John 4: if you’ll recall we’re told in John 4: 3-4 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

4And he must needs go through Samaria.

Let’s notice that when these lepers cried out for mercy Jesus commanded them to go show themselves to the priests (the plural; “priests” may have been referring to their respective nationalities or districts), as commanded in Leviticus 14:2–7, commands them to go to the priest.

We see here that Jesus sent them to the priest, to be inspected by the priest, who was the judge of the leprosy. Jesus didn’t tell them positively that they should be cured, but told them go show themselves to the priests. This was a trial of their obedience to His command to go show themselves to the priests. This within it’s self was a n act of faith. They all went to the priest. As the ceremonial law was yet in force, Christ took care that it should be observed, and the reputation of it kept up, and due honor paid to the priests in things pertaining to their duties; and also to have the priest’s judgment of, and testimony to, the perfect ness of the cure; and that the priest themselves be awakened, and others by the witness of the priest that might cause them to enquire about Jesus that had such a commanding power over bodily diseases.