As we open our Bibles once again to the Gospel of Luke, we are reminded that it was penned by Luke the physician. Luke, a Greek, was a well educated man who was used of the Lord to pen two books of our New Testament, The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
As Mark had written for the Romans, so Luke wrote for the Greeks. The Greeks were a very intellectual people and Luke’s Gospel was written in a polished literary style and in a more classical style than the others.
Luke was much more detail oriented than the other Gospels, as is evidenced by the fact that Luke contains more parables in His account than any other author. Luke also seems to enjoy showing us a picture of the Saviour at work, as evidenced by the fact that gives us a great number of the miracles that Christ did. Luke’s Gospel contains miracles of healing, miracles of raising people from the dead, miracles of casting out demons, and miracles of great power, such as feeding the 5,000 and calming the storms. This morning, we are going to focus on one of the healing miracles of our Lord. In doing so this morning, I believe we will see what is far too often a common trend. We see the Lord’s power being used to make a difference in someone’s life, yet they do not take the time to stop and say thank you. Let’s read about it this morning.
Read Luke 17:11-19
All about town, there are sure signs that it is getting close to Thanksgiving, the day set aside that we are supposed to be thankful. As you ride through neighborhoods, you see giant inflatable turkeys in yards. When you go through the supermarket you see turkeys on sale, along with the needed ingredients for dressing and pies and all the other trimmings needed to make a glorious Thanksgiving Day feast. You go through the department stores and you see all the Christmas decorations on bright display. Yes, people are making all the needed preparations for a wonderful and full Thanksgiving Day. Families are making their gathering plans, who is bringing what, who is coming when, who will be there, who won’t be. Who’s bringing the turkey, who’s bringing the desert, who’s bringing this and that. Travel plans and arrangements are being made by people who will be traveling to see family and friends. Yet I am afraid that in all our planning and all our details, there is often times one detail, one thing that is seemingly left out. The need to be thankful. We often get so caught up in all that is going on that we forget the true purpose, the real meaning of the day. We forget the origins of Thanksgiving and that the heart of it all is to set aside a day to be thankful.
Did you realize that the first Thanksgiving took place in 1611 in Virginia. The winter of 1610 had been devastating to Jamestown, so much so that the population had been reduced from 409 settlers to a mere 60 survivors. It certainly would not seem that they had a lot to be thankful over. They were left with little to no supplies and 85% of their population did not survive the harsh winter. Rather than give up, they began to pray for much needed supplies to help them make it. Obviously they had no way of communicating, so they had no way of reaching out to ask for help. They did not know how or when supplies would come, but they knew their only hope was to pray. Imagine their excitement when a ship arrived from England full of food and supplies. They set up a prayer meeting and thanked God for His provision and His goodness. You would think that after seeing so many of their loved ones die due to the hardships of the New World, they would not feel that thankful. However, the opposite was true. They realized they had much to be thankful for.
We ourselves often don’t realize how blessed we are, or how thankful we ought to be, until what we have is threatened to be taken away. It is good and fitting that as Christians, we ought to celebrate Thanksgiving, not just once a year but on a daily basis, for God has certainly been good to every singular one of us. Someone once said that gratitude is the source for all other Christian virtues. If that be the case, then perhaps we need to reason that ingratitude may well be the source of all, or at least many of our faults as well. What seems to happen so often though is that we begin to take for granted what God has done for us, and we then become calloused and filled with pride. We think God owes it to us, that we deserve His blessings, that we have earned them somehow. When we reach that point, that attitude, then God can no longer use us.
We see a great example of people taking the Lord’s blessings for granted right here in our text this morning. 10 lepers were healed, yet only one returned to thank the Lord. What a sad commentary. Yet, how often is that the case in our churches and our own personal lives. How many people are truly thankful people? How many people truly do as we are instructed to in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. No, it’s not easy to be thankful in the bad times, but we must never forget that there is a sovereign God in control. He is watching over us and He knows what is best. Even though the world around us may not be thankful, I want to be. If no one else stops to thank the Lord for His blessings, even if the other nine turn around and walk away, taking for granted His goodness, I want to be the one who returns to thank Him. As we consider our text this morning, I believe we can see four things that stand out in this story. Let’s look at them together and it is my prayer that each of us will determine to be like the one, not the nine.
I. Sad Cry vs11-13
The first thing we can notice this morning is the sad cry. This was the sad cry of the ten lepers that we are introduced to here in Luke 17:11. According to the Bible, there were ten lepers that stood afar off, and they cried out for Jesus to have mercy on them. Evidently these men had heard about Jesus from someone else. They had heard about His healing power and they desired that He heal them. Their sad cry was a loud cry, as the Bible says in verse 13 that they lifted their voices. Can you imagine the sadness of ten men crying out in unison for the Lord’s mercy. Notice that they were waiting at the gate of the village, for the Bible says that as Jesus entered into the village He met them. What a sad cry they must have sounded forth. Why was their cry so sad? I can think of several reasons.
A. Leprosy No doubt the first thing that led to their sad cry was their leprosy. Most of us have heard stories of the horrors of having leprosy in Biblical times. It was a horrible disease to have. Not only was there the pain of the disease itself, but there was also the stigma that went with having the disease.
The Mosaic Law pronounced a leper as being “unclean”. They were not fit to enter into the tabernacle, or later, the Temple to worship. They could no longer live with their families, but the law required them to live outside the city (Num. 5:2-3). The Law required that they rend their clothes as a sign of extreme sorrow, that their faces be covered and that they cry out “unclean” whenever anyone came close to them. Their faces were hidden, representing that no form of intimacy could be known to them. In Hebrew tradition, the face was seen as being the most intimate part. You could not truly know someone until you could see their face. When the Jews were commanded to seek the face of God, they were commanded to seek His presence for the same Hebrew word for face, is the same word for presence. Their leprosy, the dreaded disease they were afflicted with, led to their sad cry.
B. Longing Their leprosy caused a longing within them that led to their sad cry. We can only imagine how they must have longed to be healed. They longed to have family time, they longed to be able to fellowship with friends again. Unfortunately for them, there was no cure for leprosy. There was no doctor who could help, no medicine, no antibiotic that could be taken. There was nothing but a big hole left in their lives. To be a leper meant to have a life of longing, wanting so much more than you disease allowed for you to have. There was an emptiness in the life of a leper that could not be filled. There was a constant longing, a desire for something more, something greater.
C. Loneliness No doubt this was a sad cry also because of their loneliness. You see, to be a leper meant no intimacy with anyone, no friendship with anyone, you were isolated and a total outcast. Leprosy was regarded as a disease which the Jews supposed to be inflicted for the punishment of some particular sin, and to be, more than other diseases, a mark of God’s displeasure. If you were a leper, you essentially lost everything, your family, your job, and your money.
Note that verse 12 of Luke 17 describes these lepers as standing “afar off”. Rabbinic tradition said that they had to stand at least 100 paces from anyone else. They could not even come close to Jesus.
Of course, we know that leprosy is a picture of sin in the Bible. Now, I am not saying that every person that ever contracts leprosy is guilty of gross sin and is experiencing the judgment of God. However, I will say that leprosy is a picture of sin in the Bible. It is what Satan wishes to do to every singular one of you here today. Eaton’s Bible Dictionary says of this disease. “Leprosy was "the outward and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God”.
Just as leprosy caused these ten men to cry out in sadness, so sin causes a man to cry out in sadness. He is diseased with a dreaded disease, a disease called sin. Just as leprosy defiled a man it led to his distance from others. Leprosy eventually doomed a man, because there was no cure. Sin is the same way. Sin defiles man, it causes man to distance himself often times from those who love him the most, and it dooms a man for all of eternity. The man who has never trusted Christ has a longing his heart for something greater, a life far exceeding what he has now.
The man who has never trusted Christ knows that there is nothing he can do to fulfill that longing. He often feels rejected, lonely, and hopeless. It forces him to the point that these men were at, the point when he has no other option but to cry out to Jesus. These lepers knew that nothing else had worked for them. They had no other option but to cry out to Jesus for help. That is exactly what the sinner must do, he must cry out to Jesus for help. He must realize that he is too weak to meet his own needs. He is not able to escape the condemnation that has been placed upon him. All he can do is offer a sad cry for help.
II. Saviour’s Compassion vs14
We see the sad cry of these men, and it was truly sad. The good news though , is that their cry didn’t fall on deaf ears. There was a Saviour passing by that cared for them. There was a Saviour who was concerned about them, who was willing to show them compassion. I’ve said it numerous times I know, but please let me say it again, it always makes a difference when Jesus passes by.
These men, these sick, defiled men, had only one hope, and it was Jesus. Under the Law, they deserved nothing. They were all under a death warrant. Jesus owed them nothing, but when they met Him, they met grace. We see a few things about our Saviour here that show us His great compassion.
A. His Perception We see the Lord’s perception here. These men were wanting physical healing. They wanted their leprosy gone. They were looking at their outward needs, their outward condition. Yet the Lord looked beyond that. Yes, they needed healing from their leprosy, but there was a greater need involved. They needed spiritual healing far worse than they needed physical healing. He wanted to do more than heal their bodies, He wanted to heal their hearts.
There are many people in our world today that think they need a new job, new car, new house, or new spouse to make them happy and whole. They think a new toy or new gadget will help to fulfill the longing they have inside. However, Jesus looks beyond those things. He sees you for what you really need, a personal relationship with Him. He knows your greatest need, and it is salvation. He perceives us in a different way than we ever could perceive ourselves. He knows our truest needs.
B. His Plan We also see His plan. God always has a plan. We are much better off when we do things God’s way, when we follow His plan. The plan was simple, Go show yourself to the priests. Now, I am sure that these ten lepers probably thought that wasn’t going to be enough to get the job done. Surely it takes more than that, what’s going to the priest going to accomplish, they may have thought. God always has a plan.
Jesus told them to go and present themselves to the priest because that was what the law commanded. They had to go to the priest so that they could be declared clean. Then and only then would they be allowed to rejoin their families and the rest of society, once they had been given a clean bill of health by the priest. His plan was a simple plan, but it was also a faith based plan. They had to believe that what Jesus said was true. They had nothing to go on that going to the priest would be sufficient. They hand no certificate or set of instructions that said it would cleanse them. All they had to go on was faith.
The same is true for the man or woman that is dealing with sin. God has a plan for your sinful condition, and His name is Jesus. If, by faith, you will trust Him as forgiveness for your sins, you will find that it is enough. The only way to God is to come to Jesus Christ by faith and receive His gift of grace. In His compassion, we see that the Saviour had a plan for these men.
C. His Power We also see the Lord’s power. As soon as they obeyed His command, as soon as they turned to go, they were cleansed. Every sign of leprosy immediately left their bodies. Their bodies were cleansed and healed from the dreaded disease that had plagued them for so long.
Such is the case for all that come to Christ by faith. It doesn’t take days or weeks for Christ to save us. His power is immediate, He saves the very moment we trust Him. The very instant that faith is exercised, salvation is accomplished. In His compassion, He saves us instantly by His great power.
III. Single Commendation vs15-16
Now, what a wonderful time this had to be for these men. Imagine the joy they experienced after being healed from the dreaded disease that had plagued their bodies for so long. Surely we would expect to see them at the feet of Jesus, thanking Him for cleansing them and giving them their lives back. Sadly though, we see next a single commendation. Only one man took the time to go back to thank Jesus. Only one man showed gratitude to the Savoir. This man, a Samaritan, realized that the law had no power over him. He was saved not by keeping the law, but by grace. The others, Jewish men, were determined to do their part and keep the law. They were trusting in their own ability. Not this Samaritan. How many people do we all know that are trusting in themselves to get them to heaven. They think that heaven will be something they have earned, some merit that is given to them. Why do they need to praise the Lord, they have earned salvation.
But for this man, he realized that he did nothing to earn salvation. They only reason he was saved was because of Jesus. He owed everything to Jesus, that is why he came back to thank him. You know why many Christians aren’t thankful Christians. They don’t fully realize that their salvation rests totally upon Jesus and not upon themselves. There was something different about this man from the others. It was gratitude. Three distinctions between him and the other nine.
A. Perception of Gratitude First of all, his perception of gratitude was different. This man was sensitive to the power of Christ working in him. He realized that Jesus had made a change in his life.
There is an old story that illustrates this point. There is a man who goes to the rabbi and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?" The rabbi answers, "Take your goat into the room with you." The man in incredulous, but the rabbi insists. "Do as I say and come back in a week." A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he tells the rabbi. "The goat is filthy." The rabbi then tells him, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week." A radiant man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat -- only the nine of us." The situation was the same as at first, but now his perception had changed. He realized that he was blessed to begin with.
Do we really perceive the ways that God has blessed us? Not a one of us is hungry, not a one of us is naked, but most importantly, if you are a Christian, you have been given everything through Christ Jesus our Lord. The devil will do his best to keep your mind off the blessings of God. He will constantly tell you how bad you have it, of how everything is wrong in your life. You see, it’s when you begin to realize how much you have in the Lord, that you will truly begin to be thankful, and when you are thankful, your heart will abound with love for the Lord that has so graciously given all to you.
B. Priority of Gratitude When he saw that he was healed, he turned around. Now the Lord had given the command to go to the priest but he delayed, he turned around and went back to the Lord because this man realized the priority of gratitude and worship. God has called His church to give glory to Him above everything else. I believe that this man fully intended to obey what the Lord had told him to do, but he realized that he had a higher calling that must first come first. If you don’t give God thanks, it won’t be long until your obedience just becomes a job to do, you lose the meaning of what God is wanting you to do. You become unthankful. It is fitting and proper to give thanks and praise to the Lord for what He has done in your life.
C. Perfection of Gratitude As he drew near to where the Lord was, he glorified God. The Greek means that he made the Lord glorious, he manifested the worth of the Lord. He came to Jesus and fell down before Him in perfect submission and gave Him thanks. And notice the extra blessing he receives as a result of this. Vs19 “Arise, go thy way, thy faith has made thee whole.”
This was something that the others did not receive. One scholar said that a new power was given to him that day. He had faith, not just to be healed, but many commentaries state that he had the faith to follow Christ. All people are blessed of God, but not all follow Christ. This man didn’t just receive healing and cleansing for his outer body, he received healing and cleansing for his heart. He was made whole.
IV. Saviour’s Confusion
Finally this morning, I want to close with the Saviour’s confusion. Now don’t misunderstand, I am not saying the Saviour was confused because he didn’t understand something. He is omnipotent God, He has all knowledge. But notice the question in verse 17, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? How often the Saviour must ask that question about those who have been saved by His marvelous grace. How often does our ungrateful attitude and heart show when we do not take the time to thank the Saviour for what He has done for us. I don’t know about you, but I am challenged not to be like the nine, but to be the one who returns, the one who is willing to take the time to bow and say thank you. And let me assure you, if it ever dawns on you exactly what Jesus did for you, you’ll have no trouble being thankful.
Something happened in this man’s heart as well as in his body on this day. Ten men got new bodies; one got a new heart. He was thankful for grace. How thankful are we for the greatest gift of all: the amazing grace of God that set us free from our sins? He is here if you need salvation, forgiveness, to say “Thank You.” Don’t break His heart by being unthankful for the great things He has done in your heart. Let’s don’t forget to be thankful this Thanksgiving. Let’s don’t leave that small detail out.
