SERMON AM 9/19/21 LUKE 17:11-19

PRE-TEXT

LEV. 13:45-46

45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 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.

PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

Today we will be examining a short encounter of Jesus with 10 lepers. An event that is only captured in the Gospel of Luke and is only given 8 short verses. The interaction appears alongside seemingly unrelated teachings and discourses which all follow from a long series of parables from the previous three chapters.

So how is this short interaction connected to the rest of Luke’s Gospel? And what do these eight verses hold for us today? Answering those two questions is my hope this morning. So without further to-do, let us read, beginning in Luke 17, verse 11.

BODY

LUKE 17: 11-19

[Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers]

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, 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 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, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In verse 11, Jesus is passing between Samaria and Galilee. We are familiar with Galilee, but not so much with Samaria. Samaria was located in northern Israel. Its inhabitants are naturally called Samaritans. Now the Samaritans are an interesting group. Their origin goes back to the Assyrian occupation of Israel in 721 BC. In that time some Jews intermarried with their Gentile Conquers. Ethnic Jews deeply resented samaritans and considered them half breeds. The Samaritans themselves considered themselves true descendants of Israel with their own Pentateuch. For them, what we consider Israel had gone astray. Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim and considered the Jerusalem Temple and the Levitical Priesthood illegitimate.

In verse 12 we are introduced to ten lepers. Leprosy in Scripture is not what we think of as leprosy. Modern day leprosy is a specific disease, also known as Hansen's disease. Though terrible in and of itself, biblical leprosy had a much broader meaning and covered a multitude of skin conditions and diseases. Leviticus 13 lays out what someone with leprosy is to do which involves presenting oneself to the priest to be declared clean or unclean. Those who were unclean could not re-enter Jewish society until they became clean or died. Often communities were formed by these leapers as a means of survival and consisted of all types of people.

If you noticed, in verse 12 and 13, these lepers greeted Jesus from a distance. This is in accordance with the Lev. 13. Lepers were to keep themselves in a particular manner so people could tell from a distance if someone was a leper. Also, if someone approached a leper, the leper was to cover his upper lip and cry out “unclean, unclean!” lest someone come in contact with them and become unclean as well.

But these ten lepers here do something additional. They beg for mercy. They must have known that this Jesus had performed amazing signs and wonders. They must be hoping that what everyone had been saying about Jesus is true and maybe, just maybe, they may be healed.

Now the story picks up in verse 14. How does Jesus respond? He simply tells them to go present themselves before the priests. These men have already been before the priests and been condemned as unclean. They have been sitting in their little community, cut off from the rest of society for Lord knows how long, knowing their conditions have not gotten any better, and possibly worse! But Jesus tells them to go. So they do. And as they traveled, they were made well.

But there is a turn in the story at verse 15. One of the lepers, realizing he is clean, turns around and returns to Jesus to give thanks. And what is unique about this leper is that he is a Samaritan. A man who detests and is detested by the Judeo culture.

Let me put this into perspective. This man journeyed to Jerusalem, and illegitimate religious city, to show himself to an illegitimate priesthood, who is part of an illegitimate lineage. Every Jew he passed by on the way would have known this man was a Samaritan. It was a great act of humility, but not only for him. The priests who would have to perform the rites of cleansing in accordance to Leviticus 14 would also have to drop their hatred and serve this man.

Then we finally arrive at the last verse, which to me was the most perplexing. Jesus simply says, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” How has this man’s faith made him well? What about the other nine, who had no faith, yet were healed? Jesus isn't saying this man's faith led to his physical healing. The phrase here “made you well” literally translates as “saved” you. Jesus was not talking about a physical well being, but a spiritual one. This man was made well in his spirit.

CONCLUSION

So back to my first question in this sermon, how does this story fit into the rest of the Gospel of Luke? That answer is two-fold. This story is a real life example of the teachings of Jesus since chapter 13. Since the beginning of chapter 13 Jesus has been explaining two things, “faith”, and “the kingdom of God”.

So what is faith according to these eight verses?

Faith is coming to God in humility and thanksgiving. To give thanks to God in humility is the sanctified heart. No unregenerate gives thanks to God, at least not genuinely. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 1.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Now what does our text tell us about the Kingdom of God?

It tells us the Kingdom of God is not a nation or an ethnic group. The Kingdom of God is not political or institutional. Rather, it is made of people who believe. People who give thanks. People who have faith. The Kingdom of God is here and now yet it is yet to come.

I love the way G. E. Ladd defines it.

(NT) The Kingdom is a present reality (Matt. 12:28), and yet it is a future blessing (1 Cor. 15:50). It is an inner spiritual redemptive blessing (Rom. 14:17) which can be experienced only by way of the new birth (John 3:3), and yet it will have to do with the government of the nations of the world (Rev. 11:15). The Kingdom is a realm into which men enter now (Matt. 21:31), and yet it is a realm into which they will enter tomorrow (Matt. 8:11). It is at the same time a gift of God which will be bestowed by God in the future (Luke 12:32) and yet which must be received in the present (Mark 10:15). Obviously no simple explanation can do justice to such a rich but diverse variety of teaching. - Ladd, G. E. (1959). The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God (p. 18). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

The Kingdom of God is His kingship, His rule, His authority. When this is once realized, we can go through the New Testament and find passage after passage where this meaning is evident, where the Kingdom is not a realm or a people but God’s reign. Jesus said that we must “receive the kingdom of God” as little children (Mark 10:15). What is received? The Church? Heaven? What is received is God’s rule. In order to enter the future realm of the Kingdom, one must submit himself in perfect trust to God’s rule here and now. - Ladd, G. E. (1959). The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God (p. 21). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

APPLICATION

Now for the second question from the beginning of this sermon. What does this text have for us today?

Heaven will have a lot of people who don't look like us.

There will be those who believe in pre-mill, post-mill and even no-mill.

There will be Democrats and Republicans.

There will be Baptists and Pencostals and maybe even a Pr esberterian or two.

There will be murderers and rapists.

And so on.

My point here is this. There will be a lot of people in heaven that don't look and act like us. I'm not preaching universalism for all these men, women, and children will only be there through the gift of faith in the one and true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has no political, national, ethnic or any other boundary. I fear sometimes we create Samaritans in our little churches. We detest those who don't have the same eschatology, or attire, or theological framework, etc. and we make them half-Christians in our minds. Do not misunderstand me. This is room for standing up for biblical truths which is dearly needed in our day and time but there is also room for brotherly love and humility.

We need humble and thankful hearts.

We need to thank our Creator and Savior more often. It is easy to get caught up in the troubles and evils of the world and become bitter and forgetful. It ought not be so beloved. We are to cherish Christ! He has made us well! We were lepers, unclean before God. Outcast because of filthy sin. Never to be made clean, only to sit in our sin. But He has saved us!