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Luke 17:11-19 If your Bible isn’t nearby, you can read the story here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2017%3A%2011-19&version=NLT
Ten men healed of a terminal disease. Presumably most were Jewish, but at least one was a Samaritan. Have I explained before that Samaritans were considered to be foreigners and outsiders because, although they considered themselves to be worshippers of the same God as the Jews, they couldn’t prove their Jewish descent. As a result they were ostracised. For a time the kingdom of Israel had divided into two and the king of the northern kingdom didn’t want his people travelling to Jerusalem to worship because he was worried they would become disloyal to his kingdom. So he set up high places. They were places to bring sacrifices to God. The problem is that God told the Jews to make their sacrifices in the temple. Quickly these alternate places of worship became sites of sacrifice to other gods. This violated the most important of God’s commandments and became a further source of division. The Jews hated the Samaritans for being unfaithful to God (at least that was supposed to be the reason) and the Samaritans hated the Jews for hating them.
But I guess when you had leprosy you didn’t have a lot of options for friends. You hung out with other lepers or you were alone. So it seems like these ten guys were probably living somewhere together outside of civilization, ostracized and forgotten. When they called from a distance, begging him to help them, Jesus responded. I wish I could remember the person who first explained that, although leprosy was considered to be p0 incurable, there were instructions in the Old Testament law for what to do if you were cured of leprosy. There were also prophecies that promised that the Messiah would heal lepers. So when Jesus said, Go show yourself to the priest, that was step one for what to do when you were healed of leprosy. Once the priest affirmed that you were healed there was a ceremony that symbolized the purification. Then several days later, and following additional acts of purification, another sacrifice would be offered.
Luke, remember he was a physician, says that as they went to do what Jesus instructed, they were cleansed. When they realised they had been healed, nine of the men continued to the temple to see the priest and follow the rules of purification. But one of them took a detour. Earlier that day he had yelled for help. Now he was shouting praise. Earlier he had stood at a distance. Now he threw himself at Jesus’ feet. I think what we can glean from this, is that ten men were healed that day, but only one of them also received the kingdom. Jesus saw and commended his faith. That faith was evident in the response of his heart to what Jesus had done for him.
A lot of people experienced healing from Jesus. A lot of people ate the miraculous picnics. But most of them just enjoyed what he offered without recognizing who Jesus was and is. A lot of people walked away from Jesus with full bellies and healed bodies but empty hearts. A life that welcomes membership in God’s kingdom changes us. It makes us grateful. It helps us respond with praise. It even strengthens us to stick with it when the road is tough. It’s not about who we are when we meet him. He invites Samaritans. He welcomes lepers. There’s even room for you and I. It’s about who we become when we surrender our lives to him.
