ten lepers…lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us…He said to him (the one leper), “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:11-19
In the ancient middle east, once someone had been diagnosed with leprosy, that person suffered the worst of all possible quarantines. Quarantine for a leper, for leprosy was a very contagious disease, was for the rest of the leper’s life unless some miraculous cure was given. The miracle of healing a leper is given in Holy Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, for a leper to have any human fellowship, the leper had to fellowship with other lepers. Ethnicity, country of origin, nor religious beliefs were of lesser concern to the leper than companionship with a fellow human. The lepers, in this encounter, were near a village on the border of Israel and Samaria. It is entirely possible the lepers were from both territories although neither of these people wanted to associate with the other. Israel considered Samaritans half-breeds and the Samaritans believed their worship of God was properly done on Mount Gerizim. These ten lepers, standing a proper distance from Jesus and His entourage, shouted Jesus’ name, calling Him, Master, and begging Him for mercy. This exchange tells us that these lepers had been “evangelized” at some time previous to Jesus’ coming by them. They knew who He was and what He could do for them. Jesus does not say, “You are healed…” Rather, Jesus tells the lepers to go “show yourselves to the priest.” The lepers start walking and are healed as they walk toward where they will find a priest. In the lepers’ obedience to Jesus’ command, they were healed. Joy and excitement must have engulfed these, now former lepers, healed people. The healed lepers were anxious to be declared “clean” by the priest so they could return to their families. But one healed leper, a Samaritan, realized from Whom his healing had come and turned toward Jesus. This healed leper was quite vocal in his praise and glory to God, falling at the feet of Jesus, praising Him for what He had done. This is the essence of worship, to come and to offer to God the sacrifices of praise. Christians, we all were spiritual “lepers” until God the Holy Spirit entered each of us, changed our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, by His all-encompassing grace and mercy, making us a child of the living God, a part of the Bride of Christ, now fit to enter into His Holy presence and worship, praise and, serve Him for eternity. In His great mercy, the Lord restores the broken and the unclean. How could we not give Him thanks?
Source: S C Ball March 28, 2023
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