A Thankful Leper

Gratitude is a choice

Gratitude: (Noun) the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

When you think about gratitude what do you think of?

Name one thing you are grateful for?

How do you show that gratitude for the one thing?

Jesus is continuing the journey to Jerusalem and He is walking a fine line between Galilee (Jews) and Samaria (Gentiles).

(Transition) In our passage this morning this highlights the importance of gratitude, and that not all are grateful. It is a choice. You will see ten lepers leaping, no wait, ten lepers healed, but only one returns in gratitude and gives thanks to God, the unlikely one, the Samaritan. So, may we journey together and look at the passage?

Our study passage

Luke 17:9–10 NASB95

9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

Luke 17:11–12 NASB95

11 While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;

Luke 17:13–14 NASB95

13 and they raised 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 were going, they were cleansed.

Luke 17:15–16 NASB95

15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.

Luke 17:17–18 NASB95

17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

Luke 17:19 NASB95

19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

Is there anything that sticks out to you in this passage?

Where were the ten leprous men (v.12)?

Standing at a distance as Jesus entered a village

How did they get Jesus attention (v.13)? and what did Jesus do (v.14)?

Raised their voices

Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests

What did the one who returned do, and when did he do it (v.15-16)?

When he saw that he was healed he returned and gave glory to God with a loud voice.

What significant facts do you see in (vv.17-18)?

Were there not ten cleansed?

Only one returned and he was a Samaritan.

He came and gave glory to God.

What does Jesus instruct the foreigner, the Samaritan to do (v.19)?

Stand up your faith has made you well

I know I have a question they were healed, but the one was made well because of his faith, so what was Jesus saying?

Journey of obedience

Jesus’ journey (v.11)

Luke 17:11 ESV

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem (Jesus mission)

He traveled along the road between Galilee (Jew’s) and Samaria (Gentiles)

Jesus walks into places of rejection and division to bring healing

The cry for mercy (vv.12-13)

Luke 17:12–13 ESV

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.”

Ten lepers cry out, asking for healing from a distance

The reason from a distance, they were considered unclean and according to Lev13:46, Num5:2, and 2Kngs15:5) they were to announce their uncleanness and stay away from them.

They cry out to Jesus, Master, have mercy

Something we can notice is that in their ailment there was no culture, no ethnicity, no division, they came together to beg for mercy. As Guzik put’s it

“They were bonded by their misery, their national and other prejudices vanished as they came together in prayer.” -Enduring word commentary

Even from a distance Jesus hears the desperate cry of the broken.

Jesus calls for obedient faith (v.14)

Luke 17:14 ESV

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

The healing comes in “the going.” He does not just heal them he tells them to go show themselves and on the way they are healed.

“A common misfortune bad broken down the racial and national barriers. In the common tragedy of their leprosy they had forgotten they were Jews and Samaritans and remembers only they were men in need, they were called to step out in faith and go show themselves.” (Morrison)

Sometimes, God’s blessings come with obedience before the blessing. They were called to put faith in action, then were healed.

Morrison also stated “The one condition of healing was obedience. Ordered, they must obey.” but even a better quote I found from him was.

“It is as we go on the commanded road that we experience the commanded blessing. Let the church obey the command of the Lord Jesus, and with enthusiasms evangelise the nations, and as she goes, she will be healed.” (Morrison)

The one who returned

Luke 17:15–16 ESV

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.

One out of ten (A Samaritan) returns and praises God loudly.

All ten were willing to do a religious ceremony; to go to the priest. Only one was filled with true praise and thanksgiving. as Spurgeon put’s it

“External religious exercises are easy enough, and common enough; but the internal matter the drawing out of the heart in thankful love, how scarce a thing it is! Nine obey ritual where only one praises the Lord.” (Spurgeon)

He falls at Jesus’ feet giving Him thanks.

Gratitude is not always the default response, even to miraculous blessings.

Matthew Henry the famous bible commentator, was robbed of his wallet. He wrote in his diary that night all the things he was thankful about:

First, that he had never been robbed before.

Second, that though they took his wallet, they did not take his life.

Third, because even though they took it all, it wasn’t very much.

Finally, because he was the one who was robbed and not the one who did the robbing.

Gratitude is an act of worship, and, as in this case, a Samaritan, comes from the least expected source

Gift of wholeness

Luke 17:17–19 ESV

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.

One returns and Jesus tells him his faith has “made him well.”

Many receive blessings from God, not many give him glory, honor or praise for the blessings.

The one who came back was a Samaritan and he would be the least likely to return for her was a foreigner .

The word “made” used here is the Greek word “Sozo” which is defined as saved, made whole.”

The nine were healed, but the one who returned and gave glory to God was made whole, body and soul!

Before moving on to application, one more quote, this one is from Spurgeon too but it is long, so I cannot put on the screen.

“Lastly, if we work for Jesus, and we see converts, and they do not turn out as we expected, do not let us be cast down about it. If others do not praise our Lord, let us be sorrowful, but let us not be disappointed. The Savior had to say, ‘Where are the nine?’ Ten lepers were healed, but only on praised him. We have many converts who do not join the church; we have numbers of persons who do not come forward to baptism, or receive the Lord’s Supper. Numbers get a blessing, but do not feel love enough to own it.”

How about some application and reflection?

Live a life of gratitude, it is more than words: it’s how we live after we’ve received.

Live a life of faith that walks, in other words obedience faith. Real faith acts on God’s word, not just wishes for his work.

Live a life where you miss out on the greater blessings. See God not just for what He can do, but for who He is and what He has done.

Live a life that includes, embraces outsiders. God can use unlikely people, in unlike places to do unlikely things. Be a model of true faith, do not let cultural or social boundaries constrain you, be willing to go and do what God wants you to do.

Reflection questions (below is a slide):

Am I living with gratitude daily?

Am I obeying God without seeing the outcome yet?

Do I know that salvation is greater than physical healing?

Do I stop and thank God for answered prayer?

(Prayer) (Exit)