Ten Lepers? How Many Miracles?

Scripture Passage

Luke 17:11–19 (NLT)

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Focus Statement

Jesus has the power to change lives through God’s grace.

Our own seemingly intractable flaws can be overcome,

and we can change the world in response to the change offered to us.

A fresh start begins with living in awe and gratitude of God’s gifts.

Point of Relation

There were 10 lepers that were healed but only one returns to give praise.

This might cause us to ask ourselves, when God has offered us a fresh start, how have we responded?

With awe and praise or letting the moment slip by unacknowledged?

I am sure that I could fall on either side of that, but it is always easier to remember what your remember…

as opposed to what you didn’t realize or acknowledge.

And that’s the point, if we don’t acknowledge what God has done for us we either don’t ever know…or we don’t care enough to.

For me, I know there are times when God has done great things for me and I just took it for granted or didn’t even notice because I was too caught up in myself, my circumstances, or whatnot.

I also know, for instance, when I have recognized God in my life.

For instance, my becoming a pastor, ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church of Greater NJ, was a HUGE God moment for me.

It still is…because I know where my life was heading without God and yet God totally guided a very stubborn me to open his heart back up and to answer the call I have always had.

Yes, that puts me in awe of God…of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Things to Consider

Let me ask you this, how have we as a congregation responded to God’s changing work in the life of the church?

When we receive a fresh start, we have an opportunity to show gratitude.

For instance, our Cookies with Santa event.

We had just come out of a pandemic and were given the idea of having Santa visit our church.

We only had a few weeks to pull it off, after all we know Santa’s a busy guy.

But we gave it a go and put that event together, including having Santa Clause show up to greet the kids and families.

Our church came together and we had twelve volunteers help make that event magical and memorable...

And Santa even read the little ones the story about Jesus.

Following the event,

I audibly heard people talking with gratitude about the ministry they were just a part of.

It turned out to be a great event and we came together as Church family once again.

It brought about a renewed hope that we can rise out of the pandemic and do this once again!

What Scripture Says

It’s important to mention that Jesus intentionally chooses to travel through this region which is in between Samaria and Galilee.

This would have been a region where lepers would have lived because it is outside the city.

It is a borderland.

Like other passages in Luke, Jesus is present with those who are outcasts.

While there, Jesus heals the lepers,

however, only a priest could pronounce a person ritually “clean”.

In Leviticus 13:2-3 it is written,

“If anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons. The priest will examine the affected area of the skin. If the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin-deep, it is a serious skin disease, and the priest who examines it must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean.”

In Leviticus 14:2-4 it is instructed that, “Those who have been healed must be brought to the priest, who will examine them at a place outside the camp. If the priest finds that someone has been healed of a serious skin disease, he will perform a purification ceremony, using two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch.” ,

This is why Jesus requires the lepers to go show themselves (healed) to the priests.

Being named clean would mean that they would once again be accepted into society and have a fresh start.

But why did only one leper returned?

Was this Samaritan the only one who realized he was healed?

Were the others afraid to return, or didn’t feel the need to?

Where was their gratitude for what God did for them through Jesus?

The question is,

when God is changing us and offering us a fresh start, do we even recognize it?

Are we willing to accept it and give praise?

Maybe the others were so focused on being named clean by the priests

that they didn’t take the time to pause and give thanks for what Jesus had done.

Yet one leper does return…and to top it off, he was a Samaritan and the others presumably Jews

The leper, who was a religious and ethnic outsider, was able to grasp the importance of who Jesus was

and what he was doing.

As people of faith, do we sometimes miss what God is doing at a deeper level in our lives (or take it for granted)

because of our expectations and preconceived ideas?

For all the lepers, their healing was not a change that happened instantly;

they had to follow Jesus’ instructions (to show themselves to the priests).

As they did so, they were made clean.

God invites us to be participants in our own process/experience of change.

Although God is always the one who gives grace and healing, the degree to which we respond and engage with God affects our awareness and experience of it.

Often, change takes place over time.

Sometimes, this can be an obstacle to our offering praise.

Perhaps we get frustrated that things take longer than we’d hoped or because they don’t happen right away,

we lose sight of the way change is happening slowly and over time, and we neglect to give God praise.

The Samaritan who turned back was not just healed.

Because of his gratitude, he made a connection with Jesus that offered him more than healing or ritual cleanliness –he was made whole.

His healing was not just physical, his “faith has made [him] well,” (v. 19).

How might we be missing out on greater wellness and wholeness because we are not taking the time to stop, connect with God, and show gratitude?

What This Means For You

In the biblical sense, to praise means to shout for joy.

In our scripture passage today, it says the man called out with a loud voice.

How might you voice your praises?

What might be holding back your praises?

The leper begins praising God from the moment the miracle happens,

then bows down, before Jesus in thanksgiving and gratitude.

For instance, you could read Psalms of Praise and Gratitude as a personal prayer.

You could sing to God hymns of praise, even while at home.

We can, in our gratitude, serve God in ways we never thought possible before, because of our TRUST in Christ.

Singing and praising need not be a once a week affair.

It’s a blessed part of my regular Spiritual Disciplines.

If you are more of a writer than singer, you could start a gratitude journal and/or write letters of Gratitude to God.

What This Means for Us?

This is an opportunity for our congregation’s sense of awe and gratitude to grow.

I want to give you all permission to praise God! Amen?

In our culture loud, boisterous praise happens often –

at sports events, concerts, other events.

If we can shout with excitement during such things, how much more should we partake in a time of praise and thanksgiving for all that we have received through God’s gifts?

I recognize vocal praise in the context of a worship service may not be comfortable.

But we can practice at it, right? Practice is key.

Heck you all aren’t afraid of shouting AMEN anymore, AMEN?

So let us have a little fun here.

If you love God…shout out

God is good all the time! All the time God is good!

If you believe Jesus is Lord of all creation…

shout Hallelujah!

If you believe that with the Holy Spirit in us, there is nothing we can’t do for God’s glory...

Do you believe. Say Amen!

Do you believe that?....Amen!

Then let us make gratitude and praise of God be at the core of everything we do. Amen? Amen!