The Tenth Man Luke 17:11-19

Transcription

1 The Tenth Man Luke 17:11-19 Samaritans and Jews were the Hatfields and McCoys. Their feud had festered since Nehemiah started stacking scorched stones to rebuild Jerusalem s wall. Samaria separated Judea in the south from Galilee to the north. Country Jews from the green hills of Galilee carefully avoided Samaria. And for good reason. The Samaritans were particularly hostile to Jews going to Jerusalem for feasts. Seeing those pilgrims picked the scab off an old wound. A woman Jesus met at a well near Sychar spoke of it. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. John 4:20 Jesus had been visiting villages in the southern reaches of Galilee. Now, about a day s walk south of the lake, the Savior was starting for Jerusalem for real. While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. Verse 11 Rather than travel south through Samaria, the Lord led His disciples east along the border between Galilee and Samaria toward the Jordan. Then, crossing over to the sunrise side of the river, they planned to the join the pilgrims walking the beaten footpath on south to Jericho and Jerusalem. But one afternoon as they hiked through the hill country toward the Jordan, they happened upon an all too usual sight. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; Verse 12 Those men limped along in the shadow lands of disease and despair. Their illness had so isolated them, they knew neither family nor friend. Their only solace was the society of suffering. In that fraternity of pain, the ancient feud was forgotten. Old grudges and prejudices slipped away. And Jew and Samaritan walked and ate and slept side by side. It was a hard, harsh life. But like some of us, they were on the very edge of a miracle. The Plea of Faith In their quarantine, the men were prohibited from approaching anyone. But they saw Jesus and His disciples some distance away. And somehow they knew who He was. Sure, stories buzzed in every marketplace about the miracle working Rabbi from Nazareth. But lepers were not allowed inside city walls, let alone in crowded markets. Still, somehow they overheard excited voices talking about Jesus. They heard He straightened twisted legs and strengthened emaciated paralytics, healed the sick and even raised the dead. Then on a clear, cloudless morning, one of the ten heard someone say the Lord also healed lepers. Not one or two now and then, either. But more than could be counted. Wrapped up in rags against a chilly night wind, the ten talked about the Man. And a glimmer of hope lit up their dark world. We cannot know how those ten lepers recognized the Redeemer from such a distance. Maybe the large crowd that followed the Lord gave Him away.

2 However it happened, those ten men with bleeding boils and oozing sores knew this was their great opportunity. Indeed, it was most likely the only chance for a new life they would ever get. Jesus was near! And those men whose every waking hour was filled with agony knew what that meant. Scholars and cynics might debate about it today. But the lepers knew who Jesus was and what He was like. In fact, they knew Him even better than another leper who came to Christ much earlier....there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Luke 5:12 That man knew Jesus had the power to make his skin clean and clear again. But he was not sure the Savior was willing to help him. The ten lepers had no doubts. They did not merely believe Jesus had the power to help them. They knew He did. But that was not all they knew. They were also completely convinced Christ s great heart ached over their agony. Long weeks before they ever saw the Savior, those ten lepers knew He was both able and eager to help and to heal them. That is always the foundation of faith upon which a changed life or a healed heart is built. We must first believe the great God of eternity knows we wet our pillow with tears at night, that Christ cares we are clouded with confusion or deep in despair. We must go beyond merely believing. We must know Jesus has both the ability and desire to help us. The Process of Faith The ten lepers saw Jesus as He was approaching a village. And their throats knotted with worry. They knew they dare not wait. When Rabbi passed through the city gates, they could not follow. This was the moment to act. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! Verses There was submission and commitment in that cry. The word they used for Master meant just that: not Teacher but Captain, Commander and King. Also, they neither prescribed nor described what they wanted. If Christ be King, He not only knows what we need. He will also provide precisely what we need. So the men merely asked the Master to have mercy upon them. Oh, how glorious it is to know we can cast ourselves upon the mercy of our Master, the Lord Jesus! He is just as Nehemiah said. You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; Nehemiah 9:17 The ten did not have to wait while Christ considered their request. His answer came in an instant. When He saw them, He said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. Verse 14 The Master did not proclaim they were healed. Instead, He insisted that they attempt the impossible.

3 Some time earlier, each of the ten lepers had already visited the village priest. He was the one who diagnosed their disease and banished them to a life of loneliness away from human contact. They could not return to him unless and until their leprosy was gone. He would then confirm the healing and offer the sacrifice of two sparrows Moses required. And in that instant, the ten lepers were not yet healed at all. But somehow they knew what the Lord expected of them. Then as now, it was not enough to merely believe their Master was both willing and able to help them. They had trust Him so completely they willingly obeyed Him. So without the slightest sign or a shred of evidence, the lepers obeyed Christ s command. They did not know how they could contact the priest. But if the Savior said to do it, they would obey. That is always the pattern of faith. We must first hear God s Word and believe His promises. Then we must act upon God s Word. We must do as our Redeemer requires, stepping out in full faith that what God promises He will both provide and perform. It is no different today. We cannot wait for signs or signals, either. Our God will provide no proof that His Word is true. We must simply believe and obey Him as the God who cannot lie. So then, we are to come to Christ, believing He lived a perfect life, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and raised up from among the dead. And in that faith, we are commanded to confess our sins, believing He will honor His promise to forgive us of every sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 Our Lord will provide no proof. However, having believed and confessed, we are to go forth as free, forgiven children of God. We are to leave every ugly attitude and addiction behind. We are no longer slaves to Satan. We are children of the living God. And so it was that day in southern Galilee. The ten lepers started out, sores still oozing and boils still bleeding. And as they were going, they were cleansed. Verse 14 One step they were sick. The next their skin was clean and clear. They were healed, not for a season, but for all time. And so it is with forgiveness. Christ does not cleanse away our sins for a season. There is no trial period to assure our submission is sincere and our faith is genuine. When Jesus blood cleanses our sins away, they are gone forever. That is His promise. We are to believe it. And if we believe, we are to live it. The Proof of Faith It seems strange. But Christ was not entirely pleased with nine of the lepers He cleansed. Yes, they believed Jesus was the Lord of love. They were completely convinced He had the power to heal them, too. Indeed, their faith was so strong, they willingly acted upon it without a shred of proof or evidence.

4 Yet, although they called Christ Master, were sincere in their submission, and willingly obeyed Him, Jesus was not pleased with them. And surprisingly, the one man who did please our Lord was the only one who did not instantly obey His command. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice... Verse 15 Sure, nine of the ten did obey. But there was a streak of selfishness in their obedience. They did as Christ commanded for one reason and one reason only: to obtain His help and healing. But one man s obedience was deeper. And he simply could not walk into town and leave his Healer behind. He knew the Man he called Master was the Creator God. And his heart was so full of praise, he could not contain it. So he turned back and let the others go on to the priest. Then he ran to where the Savior still stood. And all the time he shouted out praise and worship for the Lord who loved him. Christ did not command those He healed to return to Him with praise and worship. Still, He expected it. And He still does today. Maybe that is the first and finest proof that we have not only received our Redeemer s blessing. We have also been forever forgiven and transformed. No one told the man he should praise God. But he so overflowed with gratitude, he simply had to worship the Lord who helped Him. Preachers and pastors plead with people, urging them to come to church and worship the Lord who loves them. But those whose hearts have truly been touched and transformed by our Savior s shed blood do not have to be coaxed and convinced to join in joyful praise. They cannot help themselves. Conversely, a person who has come to Christ yet has no desire to praise His holy name would do well to reconfirm his Christian commitment. After all, if we really repented and confessed our sins, we are not only forgiven. God s own Holy Spirit comes to live within us. And He fills us with a desire to join angels and elders in Heaven. And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, Revelation 4:9-10 But praise was not the only proof the tenth man had been healed in heart as well as body. His gratitude also proclaimed he had been transformed....and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner? Verses The tenth man was not even a Jew. He grew up somewhere south in Samaria, a stranger to the temple and the Law of Moses. Perhaps, he had heard stories of what the Savior did at Sychar years earlier. So he knew the Master was much more than a Healer. After all, John s account does not include so much as a hint that the Savior healed the sick in that Samaritan village. No, He transformed the spirits and souls of Samaritans at Sychar. So the tenth man honored Christ as God. He fell down on his face before Jesus. And Christ confirmed that by doing so, he was giving glory to God.

5 That abject humility in the presence of God is also proof that our commitment to Christ is genuine and our hearts really have been transformed by the power of His blood. As the other nine continued on their way to find a priest to confirm their healing and put an end to their lonely quarantine, Christ turned His attention to the tenth man. And He said to him, Stand up and go; your faith has made you well. Verse 19 No less than fifteen times, the Apostle Paul used the same word that is translated made you well in this story. And every time, he used it to refer to the salvation of a soul not the healing of a body. Gently, our Lord urged the man to get up and continue on his way to the priest. His faith had not only healed his diseased body. It had also healed his sin-sick soul. Because he exercised faith in Jesus Christ, he was not only healthy. He was also whole. And that fills this story with grace and glory. Nevertheless, we are left with a little ill at ease. Our Lord s lingering sorrow is disturbing. And His questions cloud the joy of this miracle. Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner? Verses We are left with a questions of our own. Are we among the nine, touched but not transformed? Does gratitude for God s grace and praise for His glory so overflow that we simply cannot contain it all? Are we eager to fall down before our loving Lord? Are we like the tenth man?