Luke 17:11-19
Series – Giving Thanks in the Storms…
NEXT WEEK – Veterans Day – Storm of Uncertainty…
Going above the ability to give thanks when it’s good…
The ability to give thanks when it’s not all perfect YET…
Truth – Most of us have to dig down to find thanks – our lives are not perfect…
Especially when it’s not good at all…
Therefore we have to align our faith with the circumstances of our life…
TODAY – the Storm of Sickness
When Things are Not Well
Luke 17:11-19
PRAY
Is this Story about –
Leprosy? Healing? Insidious Disease of Ingratitude?
No matter –
Truth – Ingratitude is far too common in our society…
God does so much for us. Our indebtedness to him is enormous yet we rarely or at
least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done. In fact, most professing
Christians don’t even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all
that God does in their lives.
We take things for granted & then cry out to God if they aren’t like we want & then if not careful forget to thanks God for helping…
Ps. 92
It’s a good thing to give thanks to the Lord
Irony –
We’ll thank him IF he heals – but not if we are well already…
Scripture
Leprosy –
Means to strike…to be smitten, or to receive a blow.
Hebrews believed leprosy was God striking or punishing the afflicted person.
The disease is awful. It begins with specks on the eyelids and the palms, gradually spreading over the whole body, bleaching the hair white, crusting affected parts with white scales causing terrible sores and swelling. From the skin the disease eats inward to the bones, rotting the whole body piece by piece. In the later stages one’s limbs can actually fall off. Leprosy was a fatal disease.
Affected Far more than Physical
Luke says here they stood afar off. The disease of leprosy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder. Lepers were separated. They were shut out and cast off. It seems here that these lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else. They were shut out from their family. No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children. They were shut out from friends. Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them. They were shut out from fellowship of the church. Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers. The religious crowd had no room for these leprous men. The law shut them out. The law set forth the conduct of lepers. The law said when you pass one, pass on the other side and cry out Unclean! Unclean!
Story
10 Lepers…
Border of Galilee & Samaria (Outcasts from the Jews)
From a distance Crying out to Jesus – Have mercy on us…
Mercy – don’t give us what we deserve…
Remember – Leprosy affected them in more ways than just physical…
Relationally – Ostracized…Alone with others like you…
Mentally – “unclean”…Other side of the road…
Emotionally – Loneliness to the nth degree…
Spiritually – Unable to go to the temple or participate in its ceremonies…
Other…
Probably dealing with the feeling of Despair…Hopeless…
Go show yourself to the priests…
Custom to have a priest judge whether or not you were clean…
Jerusalem – 50-60 miles… (2/3 day journey)…
They left while still lepers…
Somewhere along the way – healed…skin & whatever else was renewed…
Physically healed…
SOMEHOW –
This becomes a test…Gut/Heart check…
We don’t know if they got to the priest or not…
A TEST
We do know –
10 were healed…
1 was grateful…
If the other 9 got to the priests –
They would have been declared ceremonially clean again & would have returned to the societal norm…
i.e. Still broken inside from the Leprosy & all that it had cost them…
LOOK @ the 1
He returned to Jesus
Glorified him with a Loud voice… (Same voice used to ask for mercy)
Humbled himself @ the feet of Jesus…
Gave thanks for what he had received…
Samaritan – Outcast…Least of the least…Least likely…
Jesus questions the ingratitude of the other 9
Expects thanks?
Jesus rewarded thanks…
v. 19 Go your way – your faith has made you WELL (WHOLE)…
Different word than Cleansed/healed…
LUKE – Doctor
Meticulous in the words that he used throughout the book…
Cross…Death…
Here – the healing…
Apparently –
The healing was 1st – physically…
The blessing of thanks/gratitude took him to another place in Jesus…
To be made WHOLE =
Means a holistic healing…
Emotions…Mental…Relational…Spiritual…
Any & everything that had been lost was restored & made whole in his life –
All because he chose to give thanks for the physical healing…
i.e. Though he was still broken…scarred…wounded…
He gave thanks…
Say – well it’s easy to see the guy giving thanks AFTER he was healed…
Often – like the 9 – we a re willing to accept the minimum – ability to function at the level of societal norm again & aren’t willing to press into the WHOLE Touch that is ours through Jesus…
Well –
What about the bitterness…
What about the Why me…
What about the Loss that he incurred because of the Disease…
Angry at God…Others…
Emptiness that won’t go away…
Scars…
Inability to align faith with the disease…
TRUTH –
We can be fine physically & be extremely sick w/ingratitude…
Apparently being grateful leads to a more holistic approach to life…
Leads to an inner healing that surpasses that of the body…
How do you do that?
Interview…
I had a couple on the stage that had went through a terrible sickness in their home
Questions for “Giving Thanks in the Storm of Sickness”
1. Describe your situation (Your “storm”)
a. What kept you “focused”
b. What has been your mainstay spiritually?
2. Did you ever think something negative toward God, or have you ever thought that this wasn’t fair?
3. Compare going through this to other “storms” you have gone through in life.
a. Would you say this is your worst storm?
4. Do you feel God is, or has been, glorified in this?
a. If so, how?
5. What would you say to other people facing this storm?
ALTAR
