Thankful for Healing

Scripture:

Luke 17:11–19 NLT

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

Mousetrap game

One thing leads to another

Once the ball starts rolling, it is only a matter of time before the mouse gets trapped.

Sin has long-term consequences in our lives

The goal in life is not just to excape sin, but to dismantle the trap it leaves in our lives.

That sin is not just a single trap, it is more like a bog or swamp that has hidden sinkholes and quicksand, often in places we cannot see as we wade through the muck.

What we need is a bridge to get over it.

To heal the effects of sin, requires a bridge of Mercy, Repentance, Gratitude, and Glory.

Thesis: Sin leaves wounds in us that require Jesus to heal. Our gratitude makes us whole in ways beyond physical healing.

A Cry for Mercy and Life on the Edge

How different would our world look today if you could immediately tell who was carrying the COVID-19 virus and who was not?

Leprosy has devastated many communities and sometimes entire civilizations fro nearly as long as we have written records in history. It spreads by physical contact, and for thousands of years, the only way to contain it was to isolate those who had it from the rest of civilization and pray that they lived long enough and were strong enough to eventually beat it.

Put another way, those with signs of leprosy were not sent to the doctor or hospital, they were sent out of town and told they could return when they were better.

There was no cure. There was only treatment for the wounds, and those who offered treatment and relief for the sick were usually treated as unclean themselves.

Jesus was remarkable and unique because He could not only cure leprosy and many other incurable diseases, He occasionally touched these people without getting sick Himself.

Luke 17:11–13 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!”

Where were they? On the Border

Do you think people who live near more opportunities to learn about, worship, and serve God are more grateful for God than those who have fewer opportunities where they live?

Galilee was a region on the north side of Israel that was Jewish with a lot of Gentile neighbors nearby.

Samaria was in between Galilee and Judea (where Jerusalem, the most powerful Jewish city was). Instead of being more Jewish than Galilee, the people of Samaria had intermarried with other nations and were largely cut off from the Jewish people. In fact, most Jews chose to travel the long way around Samaria to get from Galilee to Judea instead of taking the more direct route through.

Jesus was not most Jews.

Neither were these ten lepers, who had been cast out of all towns everywhere, whether they were Jewish, Samaritan, or Gentile.

Who were they?

These were ten men in need.

Jesus was going into the village, presumably to preach and teach, perhaps get some supplies, or simply to rest.

These men were “at a distance” because they were not allowed into the village. They relied on the mercy of all people and probably had learned that Jesus had healing powers that could restore them to full full health and full social privileges as well.

Jesus was about to offer them a kind of mercy that would not only make them feel better, but would begin a process that would move them from outcasts to disciples.

Mercy meets the call to Repent

Luke 17:14 NLT

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

Sin and sickness have always been entangled together, and we constantly struggle to understand them well.

Jesus told these men to “go and show themselves to the priests”.

Where would the priests be?

In the village.

That means they would be very visibly breaking the health codes by getting up and going in to see the priests. There could be violent consequences, and as those who dealt with constant infections, they would not fare well in such an encounter.

Healed on the Way

But Luke tells us that their wounds were cleansed “as they went”, so that when they arrived to see the priest, they were already healed.

You see, you did not go to the priest for healing, you went to him for examination and proof that you were not contagious.

And while they investigated you physically, it is likely that they would make sure that you did not go back to doing whatever you did that made you get leprosy to begin with, such as hanging out with “unclean people” doing “unclean things”.

They went to the priest to be judged.

Jesus prepared them to meet that judge in his mercy and as they believed Him and did what He asked of them, they were healed and fit to stand before the priest, the judge of that village.

Jesus began to build them a bridge out of sin and sickness, and they were wiling to begin to walk on it.

Gratitude as the Bridge: Mercy, Repentance, and Gratitude

Luke 17:15–16 NLT

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.

When you go to the doctor and they pull out a needle, do you shut your eyes and wait for it to be over, or do you watch?

One of the ten men did not make it to the priests.

He had his eyes open and noticed the healing, and he recognized that it was Jesus who healed him.

He came back and showed Jesus gratitude for that healing.

Apparently the there was at least one set of Samaritan parents that taught their child to say please AND Thank you.

Missing links

Sometimes we mistake the steps that lead to the healing of our souls.

Confession - admitting we have done wrong

Repentance - choosing right instead of wrong

Gratitude - Thanking God for what He has done for us.

Without admitting our guilt we will never cross over from sin sickness into holy health.

Repentance is the firsst half of the bridge.

Gratitude is the other half.

Without gratitude we stand too much of a chance of getting stuck on the bridge and not making it to the healing we need.

Were there disciples who were not grateful?

Yes. Most of them were too caught up in themselves to realize what Jesus was doing for them.

Judas Iscariat was never portrayed as being grateful.

He may have grudgingly prayed for forgiveness and repented every day, all the way up until the day he stopped and took bribe money in return for betraying Jesus.

Failure to be grateful leaves us in danger of falling back into the same sins, leaving us vulnerable to the same consequences of sickness and hurt again.

Crossing Over: Gratitude and Glory

Luke 17:17–19 NLT

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.”

Memory and Gratitude

There is a connection between the attitude of gratitude and memory.

The more grateful we are for something, the more we remember it.

It is hard to remember how many allergy pills we have taken to fight seasonal allergies, but if you ever took chemo treatments to battle cancer, you probably remember exactly how many there were and you may remember how each one went for you.

Gratitide reinforces memory and memory reinforces gratitude.

This draws us closer in relationship with God instead of further away.

When we face trouble again, we remember where to go for help before things get worse, instead of trying to fix things ourself and sinking deeper into sin.

God’s Word

This is why you can read God’s Word, know God’s Word, but not put it into action and receive none of the benefits of it.

Jesus Himself taught that at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 7:24–27 NLT

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

We remember God’s Word better when we have lived it out and found ways to be grateful for it.

Those who build their lives on the rock once, and make it through the storms will be more grateful for God’s strength holding them up, and they will keep building on the rock for the rest of their lives because of that memory of healing and the gratitude that keeps that memory clear.

Reciting or Memorizing Scripture will not heal you.

If that was the case, those lepers would not have needed Jesus.

Going to Jesus Himself is the way to true healing.

The way to stay healed is to let Him be the Lord of your life, and following all that He teaches you.

While you will likely face suffering and go through more storms of life, Jesus will lift up your spirit, keep you close to Him, and make you whole and complete, even as He prepares you for the day we gratefully take off this mortal body and follow Him into our own Resurrection.

CTA

Jesus not only wants to save you, He wants to bring healing and wholeness to your life.

Not on your terms, but on His terms.

Sometimes healing means physical healing.

Sometimes it means teachin you to love others in a way that leads to healthier relationships.

It always means helping you to put God first in your life so that you have a closer connection with the source of all life.

So that when we sing “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow”, we sing it like we mean it.

Praying, begging, and crying out for mercy is like dipping your toe into the vast waters of healing God has prepared for you. Repenting and Showing God gratitude, following where He leads you, is the way to dive in.

Are you willing to take the plunge with a grateful heart today?