Where Are You Among The Ten?

B. Obedience to the Word of Christ.

Luke 17:14 “And 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.”

If they had waited until they felt better before they went, they never would have gone. It is while we believe and obey that we enter into life. HOP

V. An Uncommon Response

A. Only one turned back and glorified God. Luke 17:15

This story paints a picture much like our world today. We want God’s gifts but we don’t want Him. We want healing but we don’t want the Healer. We want Redemption but we don’t want the Redeemer. This simply should not be. Lynn Floyd @sermoncentral

An experience H. A. Ironside had in a crowded restaurant: Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited his to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, “Do you have a headache?” Ironside replied, “No, I don’t.” The other man asked, “Well, is there something wrong with your food?” Ironside replied, “No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat.” The man said, “Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!” Ironside said, “Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s just what he does too!”

B. Have you ever wondered why only one healed leper returned to thank Jesus? I guess we’ll never really know… but here are nine suggested reasons why the other nine did not return:

1. Maybe one waited to see if the cure was real.

2. Maybe one waited to see if it would last.

3. Maybe one said he would go see Jesus later.

4. Maybe one decided that he had never had leprosy in the first place.

5. Maybe one said he would have gotten well anyway.

6. Maybe one gave the glory to the priests.

7. Maybe one said, “Jesus didn’t really do anything. All He did was tell me to go…”

8. Maybe one said, “Any rabbi could have done that.”

9. Maybe one said, “I was already getting better anyway.”

David Gauthier @sermoncentral

C. By dwelling on the fact that only one in ten came back, Jesus is telling us very plainly He wanted the thanks. He wanted them to see beyond the miracle to the miracle worker. He wanted them to come into a relationship with him. Tim Zingale

D. He was a Samaritan.

Luke 17:16 “And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was

a Samaritan.”

•SAMARITANS the name given to the new and mixed inhabitants whom Esarhaddon (B.C. 677), the king of Assyria, brought from Babylon and other places and settled in the cities of Samaria, instead of the original inhabitants whom Sargon (B.C. 721) had removed into captivity (2 Kings 17:24; comp. Ezra 4:2, 9, 10). These strangers (comp. Luke 17:18) amalgamated with the Jews still remaining in the land, and gradually abandoned their old idolatry and adopted partly the Jewish religion. After the return from the Captivity, the Jews in Jerusalem refused to allow them to take part with them in rebuilding the temple, and hence sprang up an open enmity between them. They erected a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, which was, however, destroyed by a Jewish king (B.C. 130). They then built another at Shechem. The bitter enmity between the Jews and Samaritans continued in the time of our Lord: the Jews had “no dealings with the Samaritans” (John 4:9; comp. Luke 9:52, 53). Our Lord was in contempt called “a Samaritan” (John 8:48). Many of the Samaritans early embraced the gospel (John 4:5-42; Acts 8:25; 9:31; 15:3). Of these Samaritans there still remains a small population of about one hundred and sixty, who all reside in Shechem, where they carefully observe the religious customs of their fathers. They are the “smallest and oldest sect in the world.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary