Sermon Tone Analysis

Good News For Those Far Away

Samaria - A region of Israel inhabited by an ethnically and religiously group distinct from the Jews.

They were descendants of Jews who had married outside of ethnic and religious Jews.

Jews considered them dogs.

They was racial and religious superiority and bigotry.

The Samaritans claimed to worship the God of Abraham, but they had there own temple, and their own religious observances.

The Jews and Samaritans didn’t interact.

Jews would go out of their way to avoid Samaria.

But Jesus had plans in Jerusalem.

And Jesus passed between Samaria and Galilee to get there.

Jesus often went thru Samaria.

Jesus did not avoid Samaria like other Jews.

He was actually first revealed himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman at the well.

He came not just for the Jew, but for the Samaritan, the Greek, and for you and me.

So Samaria is part of Jesus redemptive story.

He also goes thru Gallilee.

Galilee is a Jewish village.

Very religious.

Many of Jesus disciples where Galilean.

And so on Jesus way to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, where He would ultimately be arrested, judged to die, be crucified, and on the third day be raised from the dead, On his way to his death, burial, and resurrection, he passed between Samaria and Galilee.

Between Samaria and Galilee.

Between the religiously unclean and the children of Abraham.

Between those considered on the outside and those considered on the inside.

Jesus passes between them.

And between the two regions is an area where a group Samaritans and Galileans live in community together.

This group of folks wasn’t welcome in either community.

These Samaritans and Galileans found community together.

Why?

Because they were lepers.

Let’s talk about leperosy for a minute.

Leprosy was a catch-all term for a variety of skin diseases.

Leprosy made one unclean.

What does unclean mean?

Well, clean or unclean was about ceremonial worship.

If something was designated unclean it could take part in the worship ceremony.

There were multiple things that made something unclean.

And it wasn’t always about sin or breaking God’s law.

Sometimes it was sickness, or bleeding, or contact with a dead animal.

And if you were unclean you had to be declared clean.

But until you could be declared clean you had to separate from the community

A leper is fully aware of 2 things

His own uncleanliness

His communty is a community of the unclean

And it’s to this type of community Jesus passed thru.

Lets’ look together.

The Stood At A Distance

Hear this this morning.

Your uncleaness seperates you from God.

God is holy.

Sin consumed by holiness.

Darkness is extinguished by light.

And the lepers stood at a distance because they recognized that their sickness was contagious and incurable.

They weren’t welcome to come around the others.

New we know Jesus wasn’t concerned about them making Him unclean.

He had already earlier touched a leper and healed him.

Remeber that leper?

And what is Jesus response to that leper?

This one who is unclean.

This one who by his touch can make others unclean?

Jesu response is to reach out and touch him!

The only song says, “I was lost and undone without God or His Son, ‘till He reached down His hand for me.

He had to reach way down for me!”

Hear this!

Jesus has power to make the unclean things clean.

His light drives out darkness.

His life overcomes death.

His holiness makes the unclean clean.

His holiness makes the unholy holy.

His righteousness makes the unrighteous righteous.

His blood covers our impurity.

Jesus does it.

Jesus touches us in our uncleanlness, our sin, our unrighteouness and changes our nature.

Jesus makes the unclean clean.

We can’t do it.

We can’t.

Be Jesus does it.

And everyone who recognizes their sickness and uncleaness seeks out Jesus to hear Jesus teach and be healed and made clean.

But these lepers stood at a distance.

Maybe they were embarrassed?

Maybe they were ashamed?

Maybe they were being respectful?

Maybe they were afraid?

But whatever the reason, their distance mattered little to Jesus.

Jesus is God spanning a great distance to make us clean.

And the cried out to Jesus...

Have Mercy

These lepers understood their need.

They understood their condition.

What is mercy?

Mercy is not getting what you deserve or what is coming to you.

You ever play mercy?

I hate that game.

But what do you say when what is coming to you is beyond your power or strength to stop it?

MERCY.

Mercy is crying out, saying I’m powerless to stop this that is coming to me, help me.

Mercy.

These lepers understood their powerlessness to change their condition.

They understood that they couldn’t change what was coming to them.

But that MERCY could.

Mercy triumphs over judgement.