Always be joyful. Never
stop praying. Be thankful in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24(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.” Luke 17:11-19(NLT)
“Martin Luther was once asked to describe the nature of true
worship. His answer: the tenth leper turning back.”[2] I couldn’t agree more; this Samaritan
embodies the essence of everything I hope to be in this life.
Lepers were more than physical sufferers; lepers suffered
psychologically, socially and spiritually.
They were outcasts in every way.
They couldn’t reside with non-lepers; they couldn’t get close to
anyone. The law even required them to
walk in the ditch, not on a road or path where people walked. And if a non-leper approached, they had to
cover their faces and yell out, “Unclean, Unclean”. Being a leper hurt physically, but the
ripping-out of your emotional soul and crippling of human spirit was
unbearable.
If you want to see the key for how this man’s life changed, notice
that he approached Jesus with the nine other lepers, but according to Doctor
Luke, it was Jesus who saw him, and had mercy on all
of them. Then it was the Samaritan who saw
himself – that he was healed, cured in every way. Each of the ten had the same experience,
being healed; only the Samaritan saw the depth of what Jesus
saw, and what Jesus had done.
The key is the word saw. It indicates much more than visual
perception; both Jesus and the Samaritan understood intimately, deeply below
the surface. Unlike the nine who didn’t
return, the Samaritan and Jesus saw clear through to the soul and spirit.
This is what changed the man’s life. He saw the spots of leprosy disappear, but he
also perceived how his body immediately had stopped decaying, and how his flesh
was being restored.
And, as if that was not enough, it went even deeper to his
soul…the leper knew that his soul and spirit had been cleansed of everything
wrong. The word healed in the text
is katharizo;
we have a word in English, catharsis – a cleansing…everything emptied out. The man knew every evil thing inside him had
been sent packing – and he knew Jesus did it!
He HAD to turn back.
And THAT is where I want my story to begin
I don’t have a desire to have leprosy or see the cancer come back
in my throat, or any life-threatening disease; I don’t have a thing for pain or
death. But I want what that leper had at
that moment – an overwhelming, uncontrollable, unbridled heart of love and
worship for Jesus Christ!
And that’s what produces actions of unbridled devotion to the
Lord:
Actions like genuine Praise
Our healed Samaritan runs back to Jesus praising God; the word for
praise is doxa – like our doxology…praise
God from whom all blessings flow! And
he’s singing that song at the top of his lung capacity.
The text says he was shouting praise. Luke says his praise is megas-phone’ –
The Samaritan was a walking, praising Megaphone!
Actions like genuine Thanksgiving
The other action began with prostration at Jesus’ feet. Remember, this Samaritan never made it to the
priest to get his health certificate stamped.
Legally he is still a leper, and he could be in huge trouble for getting
that close to Jesus. But the praise is
running out of every opening in this man’s healed body. It’s bubbling up from deep down inside a
cleansed heart and running over his new, smooth perfect skin! The man must have grabbed Jesus by the ankles
and sobbed his thanks in-between kisses on the Lord Jesus’ feet!
The Bible says he “thanked” him – eucharista…the Great
Thanksgiving for the gift of life. And
it wasn’t just physical life – it was everything that made living worthwhile –
it’s what the Jews would call shalom. We would say “livin’ large”!
How could he NOT be thankful?
This man had been a social outcast; now he could go back home, live with
his family, return to a productive life.
· Never again would a passer-by be repulsed just by looking at him
· Never again would a merchant chase him from the market
· Never again would his own children cry when he was in sight.
The man was handed back life – Jesus had touched him
forever!
That Samaritan’s life would never be the same. The name of Jesus was going to be on that
man’s lips every waking moment of every day for as long as he lived!
Good Story, Preacher;
But is it My Story?
I’ve never been healed in that dramatic kind of way. So that’s a good story, but what does it have
to do with me? Why should I love Jesus
like that?
Here’s why: You’re a Leper
Take a moment to “see” like the leper, like Jesus. Look past the skin that will rot off your
corpse after they lay you in the ground.
Look deeper than your bones and flesh and arteries and that liver and
kidneys. Get past the physical and look
at your soul – look at that part of you that is going to live forever. SEE the black marks there – it’s the leprosy
all right – it’s the leprosy of sin.
It’s every time you were selfish, told a lie, and wanted what you
wanted, when God had gently pointed in the other direction. You’re him; you’re the leper – I’m the leper. Sinners are lepers, and we’ve got the
disease.
And you can’t go home…you can’t go to the home God’s prepared for
you with that disease. Like the leper
you only have one shot at mercy. Jesus
came our way; he brought his body and blood for your healing. He died on the cross for your sin and mine,
and he’s waiting for the words each of those 10 lepers cried out, “Master, have
mercy…”
This was what John Wesley described as prevenient grace. He pictured salvation as a house with a
porch. When Jesus came and died, then
rose again, he was saying, I’ve built this house for you – the steps up on this
porch of salvation’s house are mercy and forgiveness. Step up…step in…I want to show you my
wonderful way of life without that leprosy…leave it out in the yard, and come
home.
Can you SEE yourself doing that?
He can! And he’s waiting for you. That’s the good medicine a thankful heart
knows when it is opened to God
You wrestle with being thankful this week, beloved!
In the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!
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