One returned to give thanks...

 Read Luke 17:11-19

I have offered up this verse to you in a few ways over the past two weeks.  Today we will stick with the expository mode.  We will go verse by verse.

You got some main concepts before, but today we drill down a little. We begin with verse 11.

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.

OK, so Jesus is out walking again, but we see more.  He is not only in Judea and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he is also preaching, teaching, and saving humankind in Samaria, that country so despised by the Jewish people.

We remember in John 4, that Jesus purposely went through Samarian surely for an encounter with a woman who had lived in sin for so long that she had adapted comfortably to her worldly circumstances.  Jesus, however, wouldn’t let her off the hook.

He wasn’t there to condemn her but to liberate her.  He met her where she was in her life.  She was knowledgeable of God’s word and that a Messiah was coming, but her life was one of sin and being ostracized by her community.

Jesus met her where she was but was not content to leave her there.

Jesus came asking for a drink but giving her living water.  Jesus ministered in Samaria, and it seemed that he loved using the Samaritans as the best of examples. I think Jesus enjoyed ruffling the feathers of the self-righteous and disturbing some comfort zones. 

On to verses 12 and 13.

As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

What do we see?  There were 10 men with leprosy.  Where were they? Outside the village.  Lepers were outcasts.  They were different. They looked terrible.  They were far from mainstreaming in society.

And they knew it…

They remained at a distance and called out to Jesus.  They didn’t approach him.  That would be socially unacceptable.  Jesus was at least a rabbi and had some standing.

We should note that they called him Master.  Did they know that he was the Messiah?

They asked for pity.  They asked for mercy.  They wanted to be healed but they would take what they could get.  Sir, grant us some compassion.  We are at the bottom of life.  We can only associate with each other or those who associate with us might be considered unclean themselves.

Have mercy on us.

Now verse 14.

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

What do we see?  Obedience. Jesus said go and they went.

Unlike the man at the pool in Bethsaida who had his list of excuses at the ready as to why nothing helped, these men obeyed. Jesus directed and they obeyed.

They were headed to show themselves to the priests and they were cleansed as they walked.

Verse 15.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.

All were obedient. They were on their way to see the priests, but one was overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  He was compelled by the spirit within him that sought out God to give thanks and praise to God.

All were obedient, but one was thankful.  He did not become disobedient in his thanksgiving.  Yes, Jesus told him to go to the priests but here he was in front of Jesus praising God in a loud voice.

In a loud voice. He was not timid.  He was not concerned about what others thought of his praise.  He was compelled to praise God.

Verse 16.

He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

He threw himself at the feet of Jesus. It would have been socially unacceptable to approach Jesus so closely before, but he knew that he had been cleansed and nothing would stop him from thanking the King of kings and Lord of lords.

He would fall at the feet of the one who saved him from such a horrible illness and who would go on the bring salvation to the world and he would give thanks.

He was thankful. OBTW—he was a Samaritan. Think about it.  He was despised because he was a leper and he was despised because he was a Samaritan, and he was the only one that returned to thank Jesus.

Mr. Double Despised returned to thank Jesus.  That had to get under the skin of the self-righteous.

Now verse 17.  Jesus has healed.  Now he will teach, but in a provocative manner.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

Jesus was not asking the leper who was now clean.  His question was for all gathered and it is for us.

All ten were obedient but one was compelled by thanksgiving to return to Jesus.  One realized what Paul would later describe the surpassing glory of Christ over the law. 

The law was good and continues to be good, but this one Samaritan man saw the One who was so much greater.  We don’t know, but he might have later gone to the priests as instructed, but he didn’t need to go. 

Peter would write that Paul is sometimes hard to understand.  He didn’t say that Paul missed the mark, but he was a theologian among fishermen and sometimes stretched the thought process a bit farther than they could cast their nets.

I love Paul’s writings.  Many misconstrue them innocently or with devious or self-serving purposes, but this one Samaritan understood the surpassing glory of the Christ and could not help but return to praise God and give thanks.

He fell at his feet and gave him thanks. Today, we grumble when Tom has us stand for four songs, albeit short ones.

When we think of our salvation and our victory over sin and death, should we not be both thankful and prostrate before the Lord?

Should we not raise our hands or shout aloud?  Maybe a hallelujah here and there would be appropriate.

The leper who had been cleansed knew what to do.  He fell down before the Lord, praised God, and thanked Jesus.

We are saved from a disease just as vile—sin and death—yet we are cured in the blood of Jesus.  Should we not be just as excited about our healing?

Verse 18.

Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

One out of ten who were healed from a horrible disease and a life of exclusion returned to give thanks.  Yes, the others had an excuse—they were on the way to see the priests.  They were obedient.

There is nothing wrong with obedience.  In fact, there are incredible blessings in obedience but nothing in obedience precludes us from thanksgiving.

Only our human nature and a concern about what others might think preclude us from giving very vocal praise to God and falling at the feet of Jesus.

When the world—even the Christian world—goes about business as usual saying they are playing by the rules—at least the rules they think are important—you be the one who returns to Jesus to give thanks and praise God.

Be the one who doesn’t care what the world thinks but is compelled to give thanks to God.

And finally, verse 19.

Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The process was to show yourself to the priest but the power was in the faith of this most pitiful man in our almighty God. God’s healing was manifested in the faith of this Samaritan.

When I stand before Jesus, I want to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant!”  Between now and then, I would love to hear the words, “Your faith has made you well.”

Your faith has made you complete.

Your faith has made you whole.

How about, I can see your faith!

What a powerful thing for Jesus to see your faith. What powerful words. Your faith has made your well.

Let us be the faithful ones.

Let us be the thankful one.

Let us be the ones not afraid to praise God and let us not be shy about it.

Let us be the ones who seeing what the Lord has done in our lives, come to him with praise and thanksgiving.

Amen.