Luke 17:11-19 Give Thanks

Luke 17:11-19 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

11On another occasion, as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12When he entered a certain village, ten lepers met him. Standing at a distance, 13they called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they went away they were cleansed.

15One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. 16He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus responded, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Give Thanks

I.

I wonder how they felt when they were first diagnosed. Perhaps the feeling was like a defendant in a courtroom watching as the gavel in the judge’s hand moves, seemingly in slow motion. The echo of the hammer falling is ominous. The verdict is in.

Perhaps a sentence to a specified term in prison would have been preferable. With a prison sentence—unless one has done something tremendously egregious—there is an end in sight. The convict can count down the years and days until they will finally be released. The time will come when they will be able to see their loved ones in settings better than the prison visitors’ room.

When the diagnosis of leprosy came down from the priests, lepers weren’t given an end date, they were simply ostracized from society. There were no prison walls with concertina wire stretched above them to prevent escape. No visiting rooms with watchful guards to make sure no contraband was coming in or going out of the prison walls. Lepers were simply shunned.

I wonder whether many families ever visited their loved ones diagnosed with leprosy. The rule was that lepers were to shout and cry out whenever someone was coming too close to them to warn them that they had an infectious skin disease.

They were cut off from their families and friends. They could no longer work at any of their previous occupations. They huddled in groups and created colonies for themselves—all apart from the rest of society.

Religious life played an important part in the life of the Jewish people. They were the chosen nation of God. They were the nation from which God promised to send the Savior. There were proscribed temple rituals and festivals. Perhaps some of the rituals were a bit intimidating for the average Jew, but they were part of the package. The festivals, of course, were wonderful and momentous, joyous occasions. Passover had some sad moments as the people contemplated the plagues when the people came out of Egypt, but there was the joy of deliverance by God and remembrance of his promises of the greater salvation that was to come.

Lepers could not participate in any of this. Their ostracism was complete.

Imagine the loneliness. Imagine the despair. There was no one to turn to for help or advice. With their inability to participate in worship came the feeling that even the God who promised the people so much had abandoned them.

It was such a group of people, maintaining their required social distancing, who cried out from a distance to Jesus: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13, EHV). After years of social despair they would take any contact they could get. They had heard of Jesus. Time after time they had been disappointed, but they were willing to try yet again.

II.

The status of a leper in the society of Jesus’ day is exactly what our status before God is like. By nature we are outcasts. The gavel falls from the Judge’s stand. We already know what the verdict will be. Guilty.

Do you ever review the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20? Do you understand them as a summary of God’s Moral Law? Luther scoured the Bible to create his explanation to each of those commandments. You learned the “What does this mean?” from his Small Catechism. There he brought together so much of Scripture that also pertains to God’s Moral Law.

A review of the Commandments and their meanings shows that each one of us have sinned. Many times. Repeatedly. Careful study of God’s Word shows us that we were even born this way: “Certainly, I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5, EHV). By all rights, God should disown us. We are outcasts. Nothing about us or inside us deserves God’s mercy or kindness.

Just as the loneliness of lepers caused them to seek whatever comfort they could from whatever source they could, sinners look for comfort, too. Some convince themselves there is no God and therefore none of us is accountable to any deity. Some delude themselves into believing that their sin isn’t so serious that it ostracizes them from God, or that they can do enough good things to outweigh the bad. Some take comfort in the false gods of this age, like money or fame. But all these things come to a tragic end.

III.

Marvel upon marvel! Jesus acknowledged the group of lepers rather than continuing on his way. “When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ As they went away they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14, EHV). “Go see the priests,” Jesus told them. In addition to their religious duties, the priests acted as the health department. Some versions of leprosy were relatively mild and minor and might go away in time. Others were severe and incurable by any medical means they knew at that time. A priest would have to make an examination to see if a person could be declared “clean” or whether he or she was still to be regarded us unclean.

All ten lepers showed signs of faith. All believed that this Jesus was the One to turn to for a solution to their problem. All ten must have believed that he would follow through and heal them; after all, once he had given them instructions, they didn’t ask any questions. Off they went to see the priests, without any doubt in their minds.

“As they went away they were cleansed.” At some point along the way each of them must have looked at his companions, and then at his own skin. Their pace must have quickened when they saw what they had wanted to see; they were completely healed!

“One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. 16He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16, EHV). Only 10% of those healed thought enough about his situation to turn around. 10% decided to take the time to go back and personally thank Jesus for the miraculous gift of healing he had experienced.

IV.

We are gathering today to give thanks to God for his blessings. What percentage of the population will take the time to thank God at Thanksgiving? 10%? Less?

Much of what we enjoy in our world today would be luxury goods at any other period in history. It really hasn’t been all ago that a phone was something with a cord hanging on a wall or sitting on a counter. Today a phone is something you charge up and carry with you all the time; it is something you can use to find the answers to obscure questions at any moment. It is the device you use to show others your important photos and videos; and the device you use to create those images.

Your phone is just the tip of the iceberg. If you give some thought to how fortunate we are to be living in an era where transportation is relatively reliable, and homes have central heating systems, and cooking is accomplished on an easy-to-use appliance, and laundry doesn’t take every waking moment of one whole day every week, there is much to be thankful for.

“Jesus responded, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?’” (Luke 17:17-18, EHV). How many give thanks? 10%? Less?

It is important to have some gratitude for the times we live in and the things we have as individuals, to be sure. Even more important is to think about the best blessing of all. As much power as Jesus displayed over the skin diseases each of them suffered with, his power extends to something no human being can control or conquer—sin—sin which ostracized each of us from God’s family.

Jesus made us clean from the curse of sin. We don’t have to be afraid to die and stand before the throne of the Heavenly Father. Jesus has given us his own righteous robes to wear as we approach God.

All ten lepers knew they had been healed by Jesus. All ten continued their journey to see the priests. I wonder what percentage of people even know that Jesus has paid the price for 100% of the world and offers his salvation as a free gift to all.

Give thanks to God for your salvation. Give thanks also by sharing what you know of Jesus with others. Amen.