Introduction

Good morning, dear friends. It's a blessed day, isn't it? A day that the Lord has made, and we are here to rejoice and be glad in it. We're gathered together in this sacred space, not by coincidence, but by divine appointment. A time set aside to seek, to listen, to reflect, and to respond to the voice of our loving God.

I want to take a moment to remind us of the words of the great 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon who once said, "A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t." It's a gentle nudge, a reminder for us to hold fast to the Word of God, to let it be our guide, our comfort, and our hope.

Christ's Concern

A. In the passage we read from Luke, we see Jesus on His way to Jerusalem on a mission. He's got a destination in mind. But even as He's focused on where He's going, He's also deeply aware of the people He encounters along the way. He sees these ten men with leprosy, men who are outcasts, men who are suffering. And He doesn't just see them, He stops for them. He pays attention to them. He cares for them. This is the first glimpse we get of Christ's concern.

B. Jesus doesn't just see the lepers, He hears them too. They call out to Him, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" And He does. He doesn't ignore them or brush them off. He listens to their cries for help. He acknowledges their suffering. He validates their pain. This is a God who hears the cries of the hurting, who pays attention to the pleas of the desperate. This is a God who cares.

C. But Jesus doesn't just stop at seeing and hearing. He also responds. He tells the lepers to go and show themselves to the priests. Now, this might seem like a strange command. But in those days, it was the priests who had the authority to declare a person clean, to restore them to society. So when Jesus tells the lepers to go to the priests, He's not just acknowledging their disease, He's providing a way for their healing. He's giving them hope. This is a God who doesn't just see our pain and hear our cries, He also provides a way out. He gives us hope.

D. And finally, we see that Jesus' concern is not just for the physical well-being of the lepers. When one of them returns to give thanks, Jesus asks, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" Jesus is concerned not just with their physical healing, but with their spiritual well-being. He wants them to recognize the source of their healing, to give thanks to God, to have a relationship with Him. This is a God who is concerned not just with our bodies, but with our souls.

Christ's Compassion

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