The One made Whole

Introduction

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. This was going to be his last journey to the holy city as his time would come to be slaughtered for the sins of man upon the cross meant for another. As he made his way there he came to the border of the Samaritan territory and Galilee. It was there that a group of men cried out to Jesus from afar. They didn’t dare approach him as they were lepers. Lepers were required by law to remain separated from society lest their disease should harm another.

Jesus responds to their cry with a statement of hope; “God shew yourselves unto the priests.” They then turned from Jesus and went to walk toward the temple. As they walked (it could not have been far as they still knew where to find Jesus) they were healed of their leprosy. Jesus had told them to go and they were not immediately healed. When they showed their faith in Jesus by making their way to the priests they were healed. Once they realized that they had indeed recieved healing from Jesus nine of them continued on their way, but one turned around.

Luke doesn’t record any of the conversation between the Samaritan leper and the other nine; maybe because he was not there or maybe because it wasn’t the point of the story. The Samaritan leper returned to the place where they had met Jesus. When he arrived there glorified God, worshipped him, and gave thanks to him.

Jesus, almost seeming to ignore the thankful Samaritan leper said, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

BUT he was not ignoring the presence of the Samaritan Leper. He went on to say, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

I want to take a look this morning at these lepers and hopefully give you a truth from their interaction with Jesus Christ.

Their Condition

Luke 17:12 KJV 1900

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

The Bible clearly says that the men were lepers. While modern leprosy is still a dreaded disease with no cure the biblical form of leprosy could be a variety of skin diseases. Whatever specific condition the men had they had been determined to be lepers.

Lepers Were Outcasts to Society

Lepers were not allowed to live within a community group of non-infected people. They were cast out of their homes, driven from their cities, and forced to live among one another. This was often a very lonely lifestyle. Family might bring you food, but it isn’t like they come for a visit. They had to develop community among themselves often banished from society for the rest of their lives.

Lepers Were Ostracized from Worship

In the Old Testament an unclean person could not participate in religious ceremonies or sacrifices. Since lepers were considered unclean they were not allowed to worship alongside the Israelite community. There were other reasons someone would be considered unclean; some were temporary and some were longer or permanent like the person with leprosy. If they were healed or their skin condition went away they could go to the priests and if the person was deemed to be clean they were clean.

There was nothing a leper could do in order to get rid of their condition. On some occasions God gave a person leprosy to discipline them for things they had done. While the priest could declare a person clean from their leprosy it was God that had to heal them. So the condition of the leper is that they had a deadly disease only God could heal. Even today, while we know much more about leprosy and how to treat it and how it spreads there is still no cure for the disease. These men were in an humanly irreversible condition that only God could cleanse.

Their Cry

Luke 17:13 KJV 1900

And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

These men were desperate. They were outcasts from their society and they were ostracized from worship. Many of them likely had no family to visit them, provide for them, or care for them. They couldn’t live in their home or within the community that they were born and raised. Their condition was something only God could cleanse.

Then, they heard about Jesus. Someone from somewhere had given news to these lepers about this man named Jesus. It is interesting to note that only 10 lepers that cried out to Jesus. Is this because they were the only ten that had been told? Not likely. Lepers lived in a close knit community. They were forced into a situation where they had to fellowship with people that they likely would have never met otherwise. It is highly unlikely one part of the leper colony knew about Jesus and others did not. Many heard about Jesus, but only 10 waited for him to pass by. Only ten cried out for healing.

Also, we must notice that they called him Master. Master is the same term used by Peter which indicated that they knew that Jesus was their only hope for healing. Their condition was one that only God could heal, they heard Jesus could do it, and out of desperation they called out to him for mercy. By mercy they meant healing. They viewed Jesus as a way out of their physical condition and so they cried.

Their Cleansing

Luke 17:14 KJV 1900

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

There were many different ways in which Jesus performed miracles. He spit in one man’s eyes to heal his blindness. Another woman touched his robe and she was healed. He broke bread and fish and multiplied it as it was passed to over 5,000 people. Some he touched and to others he spoke of their healing. Nothing overly amazing happened here. Jesus simply told them to go show themselves to the priest. When the men looked at themselves they were still leprous. They were not healed at all. Luke did not record any emotions on the part of the men. It is like they looked at themselves and thought, “Well, okay. I’ll go do that.” But they were not excited. Maybe because they didn’t think they would be healed.

When they obeyed Jesus and turned toward the priest and started walking something amazing did happen. Their leprosy was gone. They were healed. While 10 lepers met Jesus in an impossible condition and while 10 men cried out to Jesus, and most importantly even though there were 10 that were healed; only one man turned around to go see Jesus again.

This Samaritan leper realized that he was healed and he turned back toward Jesus. The other nine continued on their way to the priest hoping to be declared clean and as quickly as possible return to their lives as they once knew it before their disease. The Samaritan leper glorified God, LOUDLY. Then he fell down and worshipped him. Then he said, “Thank you!”

In response to this Samaritan lepers thankfulness & more importantly his worship Jesus said, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” While it might first seem that Jesus was once again referring to his leprosy it is actually very apparent he is not. In fact, Jesus is referring to his spiritual cleansing. You see the Samaritan realized something that the other nine did not. ONLY GOD COULD HEAL A LEPER. The Samaritan man returned to Jesus to thank him, but more than that he worshipped him. The Samaritan returned to thank God for what he had done. When Jesus saw the faith of the Samaritan he saved him. He had already healed his physical condition and now he was resolving his spiritual problem and reconciling him to God.

Ten men were cleansed that day from leprosy. Only one returned to worship and thank him. That one was saved spiritually.

APPLICATION - All people are in an unclean condition that can only be cleansed by crying out to the One and Only God and Savior who is Jesus.

It is true that in our story all ten men were healed of their physical condition. Only one man returned to thank God for his cleansing. Only one man chose to recognize Jesus as more than the person that took away their leprosy. Only one of the lepers chose to recognize him as God. Only one man was healed in spiritual way that day.

Much of the same happens these days. Did you know that God performs miracles for more than just his followers. Everyday people are the recipients of God’s miracles. He heals people that are not saved. He provides for people that do not believe. He helps people that do not acknowledge him as their help. He rescues people from situations that have yet to call upon him as Lord. In his mercy he heals people, he provides for people, and he protects people before they ever realize who he is.

On occasion as God reaches down to help a group of people in miraculous ways there is one that will turn to him, acknowledge him for who he is, and give their lives to him. That one will is not only the recipient of the physical healing or help that God provided to him, but that person becomes the recipient of God’s greatest gift of all; salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ.

You see we are all unclean because of our sin. Like the lepers we are all under a death sentence. Even though we are walking around alive there will come a day when we die. Our lives mimic that of the lepers so much. Yet, there is a cure. For those lepers that day their physical cure was Jesus. He could have been their spiritual cure as well. If only they had turned to him like the Samaritan leper they too, could have been saved.

This morning you can realize your condition as a sinner. You can cry out to God to be saved. You can be cleansed of your sin today. This kind of cleansing is better than any cleansing of any physical condition you may have. The cleansing of the nine lepers that went on with their lives lasted until the day they died. The cleansing of the Samaritan leper lasted for all eternity.

Conclusion

Will you today recognize your condition, cry out to the Lord for salvation, and be cleansed from your sin?

Will you choose this morning to be saved for all of eternity by putting your faith and trust in Jesus as the Savior of the world who died on the cross for your sin? Will you be eternally cleansed?

Will you be the one made whole today?