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NT

Luke 17:11-19

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Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers 11 j On the way to Jerusalem k he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, 1 l who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and m show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, n praising God with a loud voice; 16 and o he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was p a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not q ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and r give praise to God except this s foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; t your faith has t made you well.” 1

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notes

Main point summary

Jesus sent ten lepers to the priests who were cleansed on their way, yet only a Samaritan returned with thanks. Jesus wondered that only the foreigner returned to praise God and blessed the Samaritan.

Bracket

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Luke 17:11-19

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situationresponse

progression

j On the way to Jerusalem

Now on 32 the way to Jerusalem, 33

k he was passing along

Jesus 34 was passing along 35

between Samaria and Galilee.

between Samaria and Galilee.

locative

And as he entered a village,

As 36 he was entering 37 a village,

he was met by ten lepers, 1

ten men with leprosy 38 met him.

temporal

l who stood at a distance

They 39 stood at a distance,

and lifted up their voices, saying,

raised their voices and said,

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

“Jesus, Master, have mercy 40 on us.”

ideaexplanation

series

When he saw them

When 41 he saw them

he said to them,

he said,

“Go and m show yourselves to the priests.”

“Go 42 and show yourselves to the priests.” 43

And as they went

And 44 as they went along,

they were cleansed.

they were cleansed.

actionresult

Then one of them,

Then one of them,

when he saw that he was healed,

when he saw he was healed,

turned back,

turned back,

n praising God with a loud voice;

praising 45 God with a loud voice.

actionmanner

and o he fell on his face

He 46 fell with his face to the ground 47

at Jesus’ feet,

at Jesus’ feet

giving him thanks.

and thanked him. 48

Now he was p a Samaritan.

(Now 49 he was a Samaritan.) 50

Then Jesus answered,

Then 51 Jesus said, 52

“Were not q ten cleansed?

“Were 53 not ten cleansed?

Where are the nine?

Where are the other 54 nine?

Was no one found

Was no one found

to return

to turn back

and r give praise to God

and give praise to God

actionpurpose

except this s foreigner?”

except this foreigner?” 55

concessive

conditional

And he said to him,

Then 56 he said to the man, 57

“Rise and go your way;

“Get up and go your way.

t your faith has t made you well.” 1

Your faith has made you well.” 58

ground

These lepers knew somehow that there was healing in Jesus. How did they know?

Why was the Samaritan the only one who returned? Could it be possible that the other Israelites were consumed with keeping the law and couldn't be bothered?

Did the faith of the Samaritan bring him an additional blessing? Added healing or extra length of days? Was he made more "well" than the others?

discourse

Notes

Blessed in Thanking God Only one turned back with thanksgiving. The scene around the table was familiar to most Americans. With full bellies and fond thoughts, family members passed one more slice of pie and filled one more cup of coffee. The remains of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams and fruit salad quietly cooled while Grandpa stoked the fire and pulled the Bible from its hallowed place on the shelf. Suddenly, the noise of a screeching chair leg broke the serenity. One after another of the ten siblings excused themselves as the grandchildren hurried to put on coats and mittens. Awkward explanations did little to sooth Grandma as she saw her children out the door into the dark night. The Black Friday sales were beginning in town within the hour. Moments later, Grandpa and Grandma looked across the table at one another with sad hearts and began to clear the dishes. A mere twenty years ago, I may have had a hard time passing this scene off as anything more than alarmist fiction. Yet sadly, it has become reality for too many of today's families trying to thank God in sanctity against the pressures of our materialist society, which had somehow convinced us that we have no time for thankfulness and praise. Christmas is less than a month away! We excuse ourselves from the table of Thanksgiving to wait in lines at the mall. We digest our pumpkin pie as we covet and satisfy our lust for more toys. Can God be pleased? The account of the ten lepers is related in Luke 17:11-19. Please allow me the liberty to refer to it as the story of the one leper in this article. Jesus healed ten lepers, but he noticed the faith of the foreigner and blessed just this one. The account: Seeing Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, all ten lepers somehow knew that he possessed healing power. They all cried out from their safe distance, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." And Jesus did have mercy on them. In his unique way, the Master stopped short of explicitly blessing them with healing. Rather, he tested their faith and obedience by asking them to head for Jerusalem and the priests. As a result, they were cleansed as they made their way. Surprisingly, only the Samaritan, the hated foreigner, found the time to stop and return to thank Jesus. Was he the only foreigner in the group of ten? Were the others Israelites and therefore too consumed with keeping the law by showing themselves to the priests? Why couldn't they be bothered to stop and praise God? Jesus observed all of this taking place, and he had some comments which have been preserved for our benefit. Might Jesus ask the same questions of us middle-aged, middle class Americans pushing away from the Thanksgiving table in order to capture big savings at the mall? "If I healed so many, where are the masses? Are there none found to return and acknowledge the prosperity and rich blessings of faith so many enjoy in our land?" Back in the kitchen, Grandma began rinsing dishes and Grandpa took up his drying towel. They paused to hear the front door creak open and closed. Moments later, their daughter and son-in-law un-coated their three children and took up their places in the kitchen. Nothing was said. Words were not necessary as streaming tears and tight hugs said simply, "Thank you, I love you, and we are too blessed to exchange what we have in this warm house for any discount, no matter how large." The children who returned received the blessing. Jesus also blessed the one leper who returned. We don't know if he got more "wellness" than the others - possibly he did. But in simply pausing to praise God and give thanks to the Healer, the Samaritan ex-leper received a special kind of blessing which was its own reward. The wise will know that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Has Black Friday encroached on your Thanksgiving season? May you be challenged by the almighty Word of God to repent of this dreadful sin which has befallen America. Might you be able to set aside Thursday and Friday as a testimony of thankfulness in the face of a world gone crazy before the gods of materialism? If you can find the inspiration and grace to allow this kind of radical thanksgiving to flow from your heart upward, you will be blessed.