The Ten Lepers

Luke 17:11-19
Lepers were pretty common in Jesus day and He came across many of them and healed many. The disease still exists but not the extent it once did

Back then there was no cure and those who got it suffered severely in more ways then just physical. According to the Law anyone who had leprosy was to be put out of the camp to avoid spreading the disease. They were considered "unclean" and ostracized from everyone...family, friends, neighbors everyone. If they did have to come in close to the others they had to announce themselves by calling out "Unclean!" They couldn't work to provide for family let alone themselves and they were forced to exist on the fringes alone

They weren't looked on as having an awful skin disease and pitied. More often then not they were treated harshly and despised. They were treated as sinful, evil creatures that must have committed some terrible secret sin because lepers were excluded from worship and prayer under the Law. So they were avoided by great extents because the worst thing that could happen to anyone was to be excluded from worship so leprosy was considered by the people a vengeful act of God

Leviticus 13 shows how lepers were to be dealt with. Only Moses or the priests could examine a person to decide if they had leprosy or not

In Luke 13:2-5 Jesus was confronted with the rampant idea that people who suffered and died were in effect worse sinners then other people

"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.'" Luke 13:2-6

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave after Lazarus laid in a hot tomb for 4 days rotting Jesus made it clear that it had happened not because Lazarus was a rotten sinner but so it could bring glory to God when he was raised from the dead

"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." John 11:4

Sickness as well as healing could very well be to the glory of God and not a punishment

When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem walking along the border between Samaria and Galilee and heading into a village ten lepers stood at a distance as required of them and cried out  "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Luke 17:13

These 10 had obviously heard about Jesus and the healings he had done not only on the blind, deaf, sick, dead, paralyzed, lame but also on lepers. He was their only hope. Jesus may not have been liked by the chief priests, Pharisees and ruling religious class but he was considered a Rabbi so for these men to call out to him...a Rabbi to be healed, to have Jesus come into close contact with them was not only unlawful but dangerous to themselves

They didn't care. At this point they were desperate. They knew he could heal them. Jesus stopped and looked toward the pathetic group on the fringes screaming to Him and He simply said  "'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, they were cleansed" Luke 17:14 in keeping with the letter of the Law

Notice they didn't stand there and continue to call him over. They didn't wait to see some sign of healing taking place before they went to the priests to be examined and declared clean as required by Law. They instantly turned and went. It was instant obedience...instant obedience that demonstrated faith. Jesus said it, they did it. And as they acted in obedience they were healed


"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan." Luke 17:15-16

It gets even more interesting. As they went, acting in obedience to show themselves to the priests one of them noticed he'd been healed and he turned right back around praising God and this time instead of standing at a distance he went right up to Jesus, threw himself down and thanked Him. Show yourself to the priest? This man was and he knew it. He knew who he had just encountered...the Great High Priest. This man was also a Samaritan. He was not a Jew as the others were. This man was considered a pagan, the lowest of the low, a dog to Jews and were avoided by Jews by great extents as they should have been. Samaritans were idolaters, heretics, rejected the scriptures as the Word of God except the first 5 books of Moses yet he was the only one who acted appropriately and was so grateful for the healing that he went back to give thanks and worship at Jesus' feet

The others continued on probably so ecstatic they couldn't contain themselves. Their lives were now going to be good! They could work, return to their families, friends and homes. They could once again return to the Temple and get back to a normal life. Gone were the days of being shunned, treated harshly, begging just to eat. They became so wrapped up with how awesome their lives would be they didn't bother to thank the One who made it possible for them. They were the very ones who should have known better

But back comes the Samaritan...the one who never had access to God, was treated disdainfully whether healed or not by Jews and he shows the proper gratitude for such a gift by
1. Praising God...rightfully attributing the miracle to Him
2. Throwing himself at Jesus' feet...rightfully humbling himself and worshipping for the miracle
3. He thanked Jesus for making him well

"Jesus asked, 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?' Then he said to him, 'Rise and go; your faith has made you well.'" Luke 17:17-19

This is a shocking picture of the Jewish nation who were given the Promise of a Messiah through them, given the Law, given the Prophets, given the abundant blessings, given such high status and they rejected Him. Just like the other 9 who ultimately rejected God by not giving thanks. But the pagan heard with his ears, saw with his eyes, understood with him heart and acted immediately not with an understanding of Law and proper worship. He just did what was in his heart and what was in his heart to do was exactly what God wanted. In that simple act the man not only received healing physically but he also received it inwardly and that was by far the most important