Thankful for Jesus' Love of Lepers
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While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were healed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God.
He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Point: Ingratitude is far more deadly than leprosy. Unless gratitude is part of our nature, one will never be truly whole.
I remember as a pre-teen, getting much relief when I met a new friend, David. Mom had moved us out to Guelph, Ontario, following her new husband. The marriage lasted three months and mom and I were now alone in a strange place where we knew nobody. We were far from family, whom all lived in Alberta and BC. We had no way of getting back home, since mom could not work and had no savings. We would have to bid our time until mom could manage to save some extra money. But then, how do you save money when you have next to nothing in the first place. How does a single mom, on disability, raising a child on her own, finance a cross country move and then set up in a new place, starting from scratch? You gamble with what you do have to make more and play Bingo. Mom was pretty lucky, but I now think of it as God’s providence…He was attempting to look out for us.
Mom struck up a friendship with a lady at the bingo parlor and to my surpise was a single mom, doing the same thing, raising her son on her own. Single mom’s was a new thing in Western culture and society. Traditional family units of a dad working and mom at home raising the children was still the norm. Feminism was not yet established, but was beginning to make inroads. To have no dad at home was abnormal. Parent-teacher nights were embarrasing and shameful because all my classmates showed up with both their mom and dad. I was not truly aware as to how stressful and taxing it was for my mom to support us. I was even less aware of the stress, anxiety and ostrasization she endured in being a single mom. We never did hangout with married people with kids.
So, as two abnormal family units, we found support and strength in one another, and spent alot of time together. I was very thankful to have a friend. David and I would typically hang out at his place, because he had cooler things to do at his apartment, than I did. Mom and Darlene, would typically go together to bingo, smoke cigarettes and hangout. A family of lepers was formed.
I say lepers because leprosy was/is a disease of social death. To be a single mom, with a child, was assumed to be the result of a loose woman fooling around outside of marriage, or a woman who had something wrong with her. If she was a widow, who would want to raise a child not theirs? Simply, to have relationship with a single mom, or her child, was not acceptable. Just as Leprosy was not/is not acceptable today or yesterday.
Leprosy is not something that we typically see much of anymore today, at least not in the Western world, or depending on the social class you keep. But if you contracted leprosy, you were unclean and abnormal. Known today as Hansen’s Disease, leprosy is a bacterial infection that can lead to the damage of nerves, respiratory tract, skin and eyes. It can result in the lack of the ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of a person’s body parts from repeated injuries or infections due to unnoticed wounds. It can also result in muscle weakness and poor eyesight. Nerv endings numb, skin thickens and blisters with depigmintatiion that results in blotches of whitened flesh. Leprosy is spread between people, through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of a person infected. Leprosy occurs most commonly among people living in poverty and one being in extensive contact with one infected.
If you contracted leprosy, in Israel, you were not allowed to take part in the regular activities of society. You were removed from society and isolated, having to warn any who would come near you, “Unclean! Unclean!”. In scripture, leprosy, is refered to by it’s description as “white as snow” or as a “skin disease” (2 Kgs 5:11; 7:3; Num 5:1-4; 12:10-16; Mk 1:40-45; Mt 8:1-4; Lk 5:12-16). Not all skin disease was Hansen’s disease (or leprosy). Lepra (Greek) refers to scaly or rough patches of skin and conditions including psoriasis, ringworm or eczema. In the Ancient Israel, Leprosy was the result of being “unclean” or polluted rather than a contagion. It was also believed to result because of one’s lack of spiritual belief and/or purity toward God. Naaman, the commander of the army for the King of Israel (Aram), doubted the soverignty of God, until he dipped himself in the Jordan river seven times and his skin was restored to the condition of a young boy (2 Kgs 5:1-15; 15). He then proclaimed,
Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.”
According to Leviticus the person, their clothing and their habitation were declared unclean and were destroyed with fire. And the person was not allowed to participate in society until they were deemed “clean” by the priest, because they could infect the whole community and cause them to be “unclean”, therefore, “unholy” before God, therfore not acceptable or accepted (Lev. 13-14). Isreal was a “collectivist” society and culture, meaning they derived their identity and status, as a group, and as God’s choosen people they were “set aside to be holy to Him”, as we are today (Ex. 19:5-6; 10; Lev. 20:26; 1 Peter 2:9).
You are to be holy to Me because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Collectivist persons derive their identity from the group rather than from individual status and achievements. A collectivist primary responsibility is to the members of the group, the development of the group and it’s goals. Personal preferences are subordinate to the will of the group. This is why to be ostracized from society was so debilitating for lepers, or anyone for that matter, you no longer had any identity, you were nothing, good as dead. You were only seen as a threat to society, health and holiness. You must have done something pretty sinful before God and the skin disease was the evidence. Therefore, people would have a burning desire to be cleansed and obtain purification (2 Kgs 5:10, 14; Mt. 8:2-4; Mk. 1:40-45; Lk 17:17).
Do you know any lepers today? Anyone that does not fit into society today? Anyone that does not fit into mine or your rationel or thinking? What do you think their number one desire is? I believe to be accepted. Just as David and Darlene accepted my mom and I. Lepers gather together for acceptance, support, and strength, when nobody else will accept them. Our society is full of lepers looking for acceptance and support. Am I willing to love a leper? They may not necessarily of the skin affliction, but they carry emotional and spiritual damage. They may have a different mindset and a different worldview, but they are still God’s creation, made in His image, loved by God. When you and I met Jesus, where we whole or a leper?
Jesus met us where we were and were we are, just as Jesus met the lepers were they were, even a Samaritan, a half-Jew half-gentile, who was ostracized from Israel, even though a half-brother or sister. They cried out for grace and mercy, just as we did and do today,…and Jesus met their need, their desire to be clean and not be ostracized. Are we meeting that need with the lepers today? Are we being Jesus’ hands and feet? Have we put on Jesus’ attitude and heart or the world’s?
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!
The most disturbing thing about Covid today is the lepers that are being created due to a free choice to be jabbed or not. Lines are being drawn and people ostracized from society, families, communities because of their consciences, on both sides of the problem. And not just in the world, in the church as well. Jesus did not call His Bride to be divided but to be unified in the primary things, and to allow liberty in the secondary things; but above all things be united in and under Jesus, so that the world may come to know and believe in Jesus and His love. Is our attitude to unite or divide? Are we uniting or dividing? Are we living by fear or by faith. By love or by hate? Do I respect my brother or sister conscience of conviction, of the Holy Spirit, or led them to sin…both sides.
Just as Jesus told the lepers to go and show themselves to the priest, and as they went, they were healed. As they exercised faith, they had the desire of their hearts answered. What is the desire of our hearts today? What do we want Jesus to do for me? To me, it is to be faithful to God…in all things, no matter how discouraging or fearful things might get. To live by faith, and not by sight as God encourages in Hebrews 11:6 and 2 Cor 5:7
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
For we walk by faith, not by sight,
As Jesus answers the desires of our hearts, what will our response be? The Samaritan leper is the only one who returned to give glory to God. He fell facedown in gratitude, not ingratitude as the 9 Israelites remained.
Helen Keller wrote,
“I thank God for my handicaps. Through them I have found myself, my work and my God.”
How does one develop a heart of gratitude instead of ingratitude? Give God glory for the things you have received, where God has led. Luke 7:47
Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”
He who is forgiven much, thanks God much. He who thanks God much, loves much.
The Balloonist
The story is told of a balloonist who wanted to take a trip over the Alps.
He had carefully planned his iterneray for each day as to where he would land and take off from. But each day, he would land in a different location.
Each time he landed, invariably he said, “I didn’t know about this place. Had I known, I would have planned to land here.”
Instead of being disappointed, each day was a delightful surprise.
Are my days a disappointment or a delightful surprise?
When my balloon lands somewhere unexpected, is my attitude gratitude or ingratitude? On of rejoicing or sorrow?
Instead, I should choose to rejoice and see what the Lord has for me.
Ten lepers sought the Lord Jesus for healing. All ten were healed, but only one was made well…by his faith. Salvation comes to the one who has faith in Jesus to meet all our needs. I am thankful and grateful for Jesus’ love of the lepers because without His love I would be lost…one of but many lepers.
Sermon in a Sentence: Beware of your attitude because ingratitude is more deadly than leprosy. Only gratitude can lead one to be whole.