Text: Luk.17:11-19
A lot of us seated here today know little or nothing about the ailment call Leprosy thanks to modern medicine. In Bible times, it was a dreaded disease because it was deadly, incurable and hopeless. It was feared by the ancient because it produces such terrible results and it was contagious. It could not be cured by man.
The worst kind of Leprosy followed this pattern.
A parch of skin is discoloured. It might occur on the brow, nose, ear cheek or chin
The parch turns white or pink and begins to spread rapidly in all directions.
The disease spreads to various internal organs, the eyebrow may disappear and spongy tumor appears on the body.
Tissues begin to disintegrate causing the hands and feet to become deformed.
The nerve ending of the body is destroyed. This is the most critical part of the disease because it means that the afflicted person loses the ability to feel pain.
Lev.13:45-46 makes us understand what is done to the leprous person. “The Leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang lose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘unclean’ ‘unclean’. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp”.
With this as a background, we come to the story in – Luk.17:11-19
Galilee – Jesus’ home town, he was raise there, he had boyhood friends and family there.
Samaria – was another matter entirely Good Jews avoided Samaria the story dates back to the Assyrian captivity – some Jews inter-married with the Assyrian and had become in the eyes of their country men, … half breeds and traitors. Over the centuries the Samaritan had become a race with a mixed religion. The Jews hated the Samaritans and the Samaritans gladly returned the compliment. In a village between Galilee and Samaria that is where Jesus encountered the 10 lepers.
They had heard that Jesus can heal lepers – No doubt they discussed it and then discounted it Even if he could do such a thing would he ever come to their village? Now the news has spread he was in town.
This was an opportunity of a life time. So stood the ragged choir of lepers a far, crying from lips that had seen little mercy and too much of condemnation. Vs.13 … Jesus master have mercy on us.
What will Jesus do? Will he heal them right there and then? No doubt that was what the leper expected. Instead Jesus said something that sounds surprising to us and to the lepers.
Go show yourselves to the priest
They didn’t have anything to show that the priest would want to see Someone would have said ‘why bother’ after all once a leper always a leper.
There were sores everywhere, deformed hands and legs eaten off by rodents. Off they went doubting all the way this shuffling band of lepers
They take one step … they were still lepers.
They take two steps… And nothing happened.
They take three steps … leprosy still clings to their body
They take that fourth step … something wonderful and unbelievable happened.
Instantly, miraculously, all ten at once
They were healed as they went, not before, not after, why? Because it was the act of going that was the act of faith. It didn’t matter how they felt about it. God honoured their going in spite of their doubt.
In life our faith moves mountain when our faith moves us. “Go show yourselves unto the priest”. He was really telling them to “act as if you are already healed.
” What a great advice. A lot of time we pray and pray and nothing seems to happen.
But when our faith shaky as it is finally moves us to action. God honours it and the answer begins to come why? Because faith is belief plus unbelief and acting on the belief part.
A lot of people are trapped in the net of Passive Religion –
Which says trusting God means letting God do everything. So we pray, God I need money but we refuse to go and look for a job. ‘Lord I want to lose weight but refuse to be disciplined enough to avoid calorie adding food. Passive religion uses God as an excuse to do nothing.
If your name is Noah and God says it will rain it will pay for you to get some gopher wood and build an ark while praying.
If it is David and you find yourself in the valley facing Goliath, its alright to pray for victory but while praying pick up some stones and aim for Goliath’s forehead.
Trusting God does not equal to doing nothing. The ten lepers were healed as they went.
Vs 16 “… Now he was a Samaritan” this can imply that the other where Jews. It therefore means that those who should have been most grateful weren’t. And the one man who shouldn’t have come back did.
This story picture 3 important thing about life
The abundant grace of God – wholesale cure with only a word.
Prevalent ingratitude – Nine out of ten people will easily forget every blessing they ever received.
A picture of unexpected grace – Grateful hearts pop up where you least expect them.
Vs 17 –Jesus asked
Were there not ten cleansed? Yes
Where are the other nine? Gone
Is there no one here but this foreigner? No one
So why didn’t they come back?
maybe they were in a hurry to see the priest
maybe they thought Jesus was gone
maybe they assume Jesus knew how grateful they were
Maybe they were too busy.
So where are they now?
Gone of with their blessings
Gone to see the priest
Gone to see their families
Gone with no word of thanks to Jesus on the outside they appeared identical yet what a difference.
One returned. Nine went on.
One was grateful. Nine were not.
One man found forgiveness. Nine did not.
One man got two miracles. Nine got one.
All ten were healed. That’s one miracle. But the Samaritan was healed and forgiven. That’s two miracles’ – your faith has made you whole.
The question remains where are the nine? They got what they wanted and left – they behaved like children who eat their fill and then run away from dinner table without a word of thanks. “We’re full now let’s go out and play.” I think this is the particular sin of church people. We have so little sense of what God has done for us. Often we don’t love God very much or feel grateful for his blessings. We might say it in two different ways.
Gratitude is the highest duty of the believer and the supreme virtue the fountain from which all other blessings flow.
Ingratitude is the leprosy of the soul. It eats away on the inside, destroys our happiness, cripples our joy, withers our compassion, paralyses our praise and renders us numb to all the blessing of God.
Ten men were healed that day, but only one came back to give thanks. Are you residing with the nine or with the one? Far too many of us take our blessings for granted and groan about duties. Does that sound like you? It doesn’t have to be that way.
Praise is a choice. A thankful heart is a choice you make. No one is forced into bitterness, you choice the way you live. The one who returned to give thanks chose not to forget what Jesus had done for him the secret of a thankful heart is a conscious choice not to forget what God has done for you.
- What To Do While Waiting For Breakthrough - September 26, 2010
- Breakthrough By The Holy Spirit - September 19, 2010
- Work – Made Productivity - September 12, 2010