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.
These lepers must be obedient to Jesus command and go to the priest in order to be made whole.
Much as Naaman in a like case in 2 Kings 5, who was instructed to “Go dip himself in Jordan 7 times. “And if you’ll read that account you’ll see that Naaman at 1st didn’t understand why he must do all this. And let me say that people that expect Christ’s favors must receive them in his way and method. I’m sure that if Namaan had decided that he didn’t see what was so important, are why it be necessary to go to the little river of Jordan, that he’d just go over here to a more cleaner and closer river, he would not have been cured. And to dip him self-7 times, not 5 or 6.
Jesus said in John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Not as what some religion has said.
Let me say that I’m glad that today we don’t have to observe the Old Testament laws and regulations, today we come to God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and then we’re saved by His marvelous grace plus nothing.
Only as they started off by faith did their healings occur.
We’re told that Jesus healed ten lepers, and only one of the ten, who was a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus for what He had done. Jesus then did a second thing for him—He forgave his sins and made him whole.
15-19 And 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.
You would have expected all ten men to run to Jesus and thank Him for a new start in life, but only one did so—and he was not even a Jew. We would think these men would have been grateful for the providence of God that brought Jesus into their area, and for the love that caused Him to pay attention to them and their need, and for the grace and power of God that brought about their healing.
Ps. 107:8-9 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
The other nine lepers were healed of their leprosy but were not made whole, not saved.
Thankfulness should always be in the Christian’s heart
Verse 12 again--And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: the reason that they stood afar off was because of the law to do with people with this horrible decease found in Leviticus 13:45–46
In response to their cry for mercy, Jesus commanded them to go show themselves to the priests (the plural perhaps referring to their respective nationalities or districts), as commanded in Leviticus 14:2–7. Only as they ventured off by faith did their healings occur.
And another thing that I want us to notice here is their PITIFUL CONDITION. “All ten of these men were lepers.” ~~let me point out once again that “leprosy in the bible is a type and picture of sin”~~ And how well it applies here as we see that all ten of these men were lepers, just as all mankind are sinners.---
Leprosy was the most dreaded disease known to man at that time. It was a disease that caused the body to outwardly decay; also it was a disease that caused the person to suffer emotionally because of the social stigma it carried. A leper was considered to be unclean. ~~Romans 3:10 There is none righteous no not one--
He was sent away and isolated from society. And, not only was he cut off from his family and friends, but he was also in one way cut off from God in that he was not allowed to enter the temple in Jerusalem, because of his uncleanness.
The leper also was restricted as to how he was allowed to travel from one town or village to another, he had to keep his distance from others: and, every other man’s rights came before his own.
If a leper walked down the road, and saw another man approaching, he had to leave the roadway and yell out to the stranger that he was a leper and crying out, “Unclean, unclean!”
If a leper, in an attitude of rebelliousness, dared to approach and possibly infect others, he could be stoned to death.
Throughout the Old Testament, leprosy was a picture of the sin and disobedience of man against God. Just as leprosy eats away at the outward man, sin eats away at the inside: at the heart of man making him unclean and unacceptable to God.
In Isaiah 1:4-6 we find that God describes the sinful condition of the nation Israel in terms that they could understand. He said: “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoke to anger the Holy One of Israel. They have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again and again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; that have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.”
And then Jesus says in John 5: 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
This is certainly a sad picture. …and yet, it describes the sinfulness and disobedience against God.
And not only is it a picture of the spiritual condition of Israel, but of every man and woman born of Adam’s race…Rom.3: 23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
And like the lepers who were outcasts and cut off from the temple of God, so is every one who has not entered into a relationship of love with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Every unregenerate soul is plagued by the pitiful plight of spiritual death and separation from God.
Verses 12-13 lead us to understand that these men were well aware of their pitiful situation. They knew that there was no medical cure for their disease; they knew that they would die a horrible death. 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.
They knew they were without hope unless Jesus would heal them.
They understood that where there was no hope in medicine, but they knew that there was great hope in the Messiah.
And, so we see their PASSIONATE PLEA.
Again in verse 12 we’re told that they “stood afar off.” There was a distance between them and the Christ. But, in verse 13, “they lifted up their voices,” and their plea was: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
In Ephesians 2, Paul reminded the believers, [you and I] that at one time, we, as the children of wrath and disobedience, were alienated from God, we were strangers to all of the covenants and promises of God, and we were at enmity against Him.
In other words there was a separation of great distance between God and man because of mans sin.
But Jesus, having died on the cross and shed his blood washed away our sin, He abolished the enmity between God and man: and, as Paul declared in Ephesians 2:13…. “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
To some men, salvation seems distant and beyond reach. Basing their hope of salvation on the basis of their own moral goodness, they question whether or not they might ever be acceptable to God.
But dear heart, our salvation and God’s gift of eternal life will never to be ours on the basis of what we have done, but on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for us.
And all that stands between the sinner and the gift of God is a plea for mercy as we humble ourselves before God and call upon the name of Jesus.
Paul tells us in Romans 10:8-10 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ---vs.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Brothers and sisters let’s you and I that have been cured of the terminal disease of sin go and tell and show other people what Jesus has done for us.
