Luke 17:11-19 - Ten Lepers Cleansed

Introduction

I bet the Samaritan dreamed of Naaman… or, rather, being healed like Naaman was healed.

Naaman was a Syrian general whose story is recorded for us in 2 Kings 5. Second Kings 5:1 says that he was a valiant warrior, but he was a leper.

This is a dramatic statement; and it was a dramatic, life-altering reality for Naaman. No matter what else he was, Naaman was a leper.

‘Leprosy’ is an umbrella term used in the Bible to cover a number of various skin diseases some of which were debilitating and some of which were not.

Obviously, Naaman’s case wasn’t debilitating. He was still able to serve his king as a general, but Naaman still longed to be healed.

Therefore, Naaman was excited when a Jewish slave girl told of a prophet who could cure him of his leprosy.

Naaman went to the prophet Elisha and was instructed to wash in the Jordan river seven times.

Naaman was reluctant but was eventually convinced to do according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean (2 Kings 5:14).

Then Naaman came back to Elisha believing in God and thanking God for his healing.

As I said, I bet the Samaritan dreamed of Naaman… or more to the point… I bet he dreamed of an Elisha, a man of God who in or at least near Samaria who could heal him of his leprosy.

Oh, if that happened to him, the Samaritan would go back to give thanks just as Naaman did!

In Luke 17, we find another leper story. Luke 17:11-19 shows us 10 lepers who were healed of leprosy, but only one returned to give thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Like Naaman, he wasn’t a Jew.

Like Naaman, he was healed in the land of Samaria or close to it.

Like Naaman, he was healed by a man of God. In fact, he was healed by the Man of God.

Like Naaman, he returned to give thanks for his healing.

Giving thanks is not something that comes naturally to us. We tend to get what we ask for and then move on to whatever we have to do next.

We might feel thankful or appreciative for a moment, but that moment quickly passes.

For many of us, the most appreciation we express is when we mumble a quick, “‘Preciatiate it,” to someone.

But this thankful Samaritan can teach us how to be thankful.

As I said, we are not naturally good at it. Will we learn from him? Will we learn from this passage the why and the how of being thankful?

Major Ideas

THE WHY: We should be thankful because we have received mercy (vv. 11-14).

Luke 17:11–14 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; 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.

Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem where He will lay His life down on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins. He was born to die, so in that sense Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem His entire life.

Many people ask why Jesus would take this route between Samaria and Galilee to get to Jerusalem. It seems to be out of the way, but there’s no doubt that what He would do in Jerusalem was for these lepers and all others who recognized their uncleanness before God and turned to Jesus for cleansing.

No place was out of the way when Jesus was on the way to save His own.

The lepers were waiting for Jesus to pass through. They ‘socially distanced’ themselves from Jesus. They were not required to wear masks, but they were required to refrain from physical contact and to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” in case anyone got close to them.

These men were not only physically ill, but also isolated from their loved ones, cut off from the worship of God’s people, hopeless, and desperate.

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” They raised their voices shouting this in v. 13.

It’s a sin not to do the good you know to do (James 4:17), and Jesus would not be guilty of that sin or any other. He could have passed them by like the uncaring priest and Levite passing by the beaten and robbed man in the parable of the Good Samaritan, but Jesus wouldn’t do that to these guys. He wouldn’t do that to anyone. He has never done that to anyone who sincerely called out to Him for mercy.

Jesus gave them mercy.

That mercy, however, was not immediately apparent. Jesus simply gave a command, “Go and show yourselves to the priests,” (v. 14). God’s Law regarding leprosy and other skin diseases are recorded in Leviticus 13-14. One of those Laws said that it was the Temple priests who had to examine the leper in order to declare him clean. By commanding these ten lepers to journey to Jerusalem to show themselves to the priests, Jesus was saying that they would be healed by the time they got there.

As they were going, they were cleansed.

Stop. Consider how compassionate Jesus is in this passage.

He travels out of His way for these men.

Consider how merciful Jesus is in this passage.

He has mercy on these leprous men who were desperate for mercy.

Consider how obedient Jesus is in this passage.

Although He will heal these men, they are still commanded to go shows themselves to the priests in obedience to the Law.

Consider how powerful Jesus is in this passage.

Jesus heals these men not immediately but delays the healing until the lepers were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus can heal anyway He wants—with a word, a touch, a thought. He can even delay it for a bit if He desires. He is not only the Master of mercy but the Master of healing as well.

But be careful to notice that the mercy the lepers sought did not come to them until they began to obey the command Jesus gave.

They requested mercy. Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem. It was only when their feet began to carry them that way that the mercy arrived.

Mercy from Christ follows obedience to Christ.

Surely after a year like 2020 we are in need of mercy. What word would you use to describe 2020? Would we have to wash your mouth out with soap if you said it? Maybe the word is ‘plagued’. After the battle we’ve been through with COVID-19 that’d make sense. Or maybe the word would be ‘contentious’. After the political season we’ve been through that word would also make sense. But maybe we should describe it with the word ‘leprous’.

Remember that leprosy left these men isolated from loved ones, cut off from worship, and desperate for healing. Doesn’t that describe many folks in 2020?

Surely we need mercy from Jesus too. Therefore, we must begin to obey Jesus now.

The only place to find mercy is in the person of Jesus Christ. When no one could stop the fever in Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus provided mercy. When no one could do anything about a widowed woman’s dead son, Jesus provided mercy. When no one could do anything for a woman’s issue of blood, Jesus provided mercy. When no one could do anything for a little girl who died, Jesus provided mercy. And so many other times in the gospels, when all hope seemed lost, Jesus provided mercy.

He healed them all.

Jesus is the Master of mercy. He is the Master of healing.

But the mercy we need most from Jesus is not physical mercy but spiritual mercy.

Separated from God because of our sin, Jesus is our only way back to God. Jesus is the only way that we can be cleansed of wickedness. He is the only way we receive mercy from God instead of wrath.

But to receive that mercy, we must obey Jesus. What is Jesus commanding us to do? To start, He says that we must trust Him, believe in Him, and follow Him. If we do that, we will receive the mercy that only He can give. However, if we won’t obey Him, then His mercy will pass us by.

We must make our choice.

THE HOW: We should thank Jesus immediately, loudly, and with humility (vv. 15-19).

Luke 17:15–19 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. 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?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

Trusting Jesus they walked. Perhaps they talked as well, asking each other, “Do you think we will really be made well by the time we reach Jerusalem?” Maybe some were confident, “I know we will be!” Maybe others were just hopeful, “I sure hope so!” But one of them looked down and noticed he was cleansed. There was no trace of leprosy left on his skin! And the others found the same thing to be true! Surely at that moment, what had been an obedient walk became a joyous jog! Their pace quickened toward Jerusalem, toward the Temple, and toward the priests who would declare them clean and reunite them with the lives they once lived before leprosy! They would be able to live with their families! They would be able to participate in worship! They were healed! And they couldn’t wait for the priests to make it official!

But one, when he saw that he had been healed, he turned back.

This one was the Samaritan. The others then were likely Jewish men. Usually Jews and Samaritans hated one another but apparently these Jewish lepers and this Samaritan leper found camaraderie in suffering. The fact that they were all lepers had erased any other distinctions among them. They were unclean together. They were lepers together. They all needed healing, and they all found it in Jesus Christ.

But this lone Samaritan turned back.

The Jewish men ran along to Jerusalem, but this Samaritan turned back, glorified God with a loud voice, and fell on his face at the feet of Jesus, giving thanks to Him (vv. 15-16).

We should learn how to give thanks from this Samaritan.

First, turn back. Turn back to Jesus immediately and give Him thanks.

Usually when we talk about turning back we are talking about repentance, and that’s still the idea here. If we fail to give thanks to Jesus, we sin, and we must repent of that sin. So, if you’ve not given thanks to Jesus for His mercy toward you this past year, for His mercy toward you in salvation, for His mercy toward you in sanctification, or His mercy toward you in general, turn back to Jesus and give Him thanks now!

Second, get loud. Glorify God with a loud voice.

All the lepers were loud in requesting mercy but only this Samaritan was loud in giving thanks.

Do I mean that you should go shouting in your front yard or the Walmart parking lot? Hey, if the Lord leads, why not!? But perhaps you could start by getting loud with a song of thanksgiving or with a prayer spoken aloud. Don’t fear becoming excited in your thanksgiving. It doesn’t mean that you’ll soon be at a Benny Hinn crusade. (Note: Don’t got to Benny Hinn crusades.)

Third, fall down. Fall on your face at the feet of Jesus in humility.

Remember, Jesus has shown us mercy, abundant mercy in innumerable ways. It is right for us to kneel or lie facedown before Him as we express our thanksgiving. He is the Master of mercy, the Master of our healing, and we are the recipients. Let us bow down before our merciful Master in genuine humility.

Fourth, give thanks. Don’t just plan on it. Do it now!

Stop now, and give thanks now! Be specific. What mercy has Jesus shown you recently? What mercy has He shown you this past year? What mercy are you looking forward to in the coming year? Thank Him in advance.

No really, do it now.

And then come back for the conclusion.

Conclusion

Ten were healed. Ten were shown mercy. But only one returned to give thanks. Were you that one? Did you return to Jesus to give Him thanks? Jesus asked the Samaritan who returned, “But the nine—where are they?” Is Jesus asking the same thing about you?

I pray there isn’t a day that goes by this year when Jesus has to ask, “But Rocky—where is he?” I pray that He doesn’t have to ask about you either.

Jesus said to the Samaritan in v. 19, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.” Literally, Jesus said to Him, “…your faith has saved you.”

Faith in Jesus is required for salvation.

Faith in Jesus returns to Jesus to give Him thanks.

Thanks is a fruit of faith.

Do you have faith in Jesus?

Will you give Him thanks?

If you didn’t do it before, do it now.

Turn back.

Get loud.

Fall down.

Give thanks.