Daily Scripture:
Luke 17:11 On his way to Yerushalayim, Yeshua passed along the border country between Shomron and the Galil. 12 As he entered one of the villages, ten men afflicted with tzara‘at met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out, “Yeshua! Rabbi! Have pity on us!” 14 On seeing them, he said, “Go and let the cohanim examine you!” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, as soon as he noticed that he had been healed, returned shouting praises to God, 16 and fell on his face at Yeshua’s feet to thank him. Now he was from Shomron. 17 Yeshua said, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found coming back to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And to the man from Shomron he said, “Get up, you may go; your trust has saved you.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
These sufferers were desperately isolated. “Keeping their distance,” they raised their voices and called to Jesus. Their isolation may have broken down ethnic barriers—at least one was a Samaritan, but the story’s setting (verse 11) hints that some of the lepers were Jewish. Jesus certainly broke down those barriers—he healed them all. Yet, sadly, only one—the Samaritan—came back to express gratitude, and Jesus gladly accepted his thanks.
- All ten were “cleansed.” But when the Samaritan came back to say “thank you,” Jesus used a stronger word that can even mean “saved,” saying, “Your faith has healed you” (verse 19). Pastor Bruce Larsen wrote, “The other nine were merely cleansed. If ingratitude is more deadly than leprosy, they were in worse shape than before. Only one came back and was made whole.”* What blocks gratitude in your life? What helps you remember to thank God every day?
- Jesus' command—“Go, show yourself to the priests” (verse 14)—was the way to verify people’s healing. But his command preceded the actual cleansing. It seems that when they acted on Jesus' word, they opened the way for his power to flow. In what ways does this speak to you? In what part of life might you need to act on God’s wishes, rather than waiting for him to make everything right before you act?
* Bruce Larson, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 26: Luke. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993, p. 250.
Today’s passage reads more like a parable than a miracle. The reactions to the healing are more important to the reader than the miracle itself, ala the Healing of the Blind Man in John 9. Jesus adds even more umph to the reactions, by telling us that a despised Samaritan becomes the hero of the story. (You may recall that the Jews & the Samaritans disagreed about where to worship God, which books were included in the Bible, & whether LeBron James or Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time. Um… – Editor.) Let’s look at 3 highlights:
(In recognition of our Vacation Bible Camp week, we’ll also add some insights on today’s theme from the younger generation. I apologize in advance if you find their thoughts somewhat childish. On the other hand, if you can’t tell the difference from my usual Insight, perhaps you owe me an apology. I’ll go ahead & get my apology out of the way now – Editor.)
Girl: Jesus is so nice. Not only does He love us, but He also helps the leopards. (Teacher Tip: Always enunciate.)
There are 10 unclean men in our scene - 9 Jews & 1 Samaritan. The usual prejudices & discriminatory attitudes between Jews & Samaritans become silly & trivial in the face of significant life & death issues. Perhaps we need to review & set aside some of our own biases to focus on what is truly important.
That poor Samaritan guy sure had it rough. First, he gets beaten up while traveling on that road & now he gets leprosy. (That was a different Samaritan, but nice application of Biblical knowledge.)
Luke describes them as men with leprosy, not lepers. Rather than being defined by their condition, their humanity is emphasized,. Then Luke notes that Jesus “sees them.” This is significant. How many people would walk by the colony of lepers & no longer even notice their despair? God sees us for who we are - not our condition or societal labels. No one is beyond God’s care & compassion.
Finally, the main point of the miracle – the “Negligent Nine” get on with their new lives, but only the Samaritan returns to praise God & to thank Jesus for his healing. Jesus proclaims his faith has saved him.
This story makes sense to me. Sometimes, I don’t like to write my “Thank You Letters” either.
Perhaps we could draw inspiration from the life of Martin Rinkhart author of the lyrics for the hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” Mr. Rinkhart was a pastor in Eilenburg, Germany in 1637 in the midst of the 30-Years-War. Wartime refugees poured into the tiny walled-town amid a siege by the Swedish army. Starvation & plague-like conditions quickly set in. At one point, Mr. Rinkhart would conduct 50 funerals per day, including one for his own wife. Throughout these horrendous circumstances, Martin’s faith persevered. He composed a simple table grace for his family to sing as they shared whatever meager provisions they could muster. Perhaps we could share this grace at our mealtime today & rejoice in God’s blessings:
Now thank we all our God, with heart & hands & voices, Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices.
Child’s Grace: Lord, bless this wonderful meal…and for the pizza guy who delivered it.Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
- Prophetic perspective for a puzzled prisoner
- Touching the untouchable
- Jesus came to set free the oppressed
- A God who gathers outcasts
- Prayer Tip: Where Are The Other Nine?
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
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