Image from redeeminggod.com
Hear Here: http://bit.ly/2AN7HCv
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19 NRSV)
A most marvelous of Mondays be yours dear Friend, blessings upon blessings be yours and for your loved ones. I pray your weekend was a restful one. We enjoyed a great worship service and then the last day of the annual Come and Take It Festival in Gonzales. As we spend time in devotion, I pray God speak to our hearts and needs. Pray for one another, and pray for yourselves.
I love the passage for today and many of you will recognize it as one from Thanksgiving Day. I'm old enough to remember the day when churches held actual Thanksgiving Day worship services and they were well attended. It made sense to give thanks to God in God's house, but it was difficult for those of us who wanted to spend time with families in far away places. It did help us develop our own traditions. But, because this verse was so well known, I had members who knew that this one was the one recommended for that day. I will also never forget getting a note from a lady who said, "Momma doesn't want you to preach on this passage because leprosy makes her nauseous and she'll have difficulty eating afterwards." It made me chuckle because this note gets sent to me minutes after worship had already started. And yes, from the same church where I learned of "this verse isn't uplifting!"
Leprosy was more common during the days of Jesus and was considred a very highly contagious disease. It was such a serious disease that those who contracted it were sent to live away from the living and among the dead, near the tombs and graves of the dead. To have leprosy was a death sentence, for one would live there with hopes that the illness would leave or they would die with it. So, on this day, in the region between Samaria and Galilee, on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus travels near ten lepers. These lepers somehow came to know about Jesus and His ability to heal others. Their cry is "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" They knew Jesus would understand and might act on their request. Jesus does not approach them, and they keep their distance from Him according to the law. Jesus says to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." I have always been amazed that these men trusted Jesus enough to take the first steps away from death and towards life. They believed enough to take Jesus at His word and made their way to the only ones who could declare them clean and well enough to live among the living once again. I believe it was their faith in turning towards the place where the priests were that made possible their healing. They notice this as they walk towards the priests. And the thing that hurts to read is that only one of the ten, when he realized he was indeed healed, that at long last his prayers and hopes had been answered, turned back towards Jesus and begins to praise God with a loud voice. He then throws himself at Jesus' feet and thanks Him. And Luke mentions that he is a Samaritan. Again, from the people you would not expect gratitude or any kind thing. Jesus does have to ask, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?" And the tougher question, "Were none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Jesus knew the other nine were Jews just like him. And their attitude of gratitude was non-existent; a personal letdown, that His people had not cared enough to turn back to thank Him or even to praise God. Jesus then says to the man who did return to thank Him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
The other nine were healed physically. The marks and tell-tale signs of the dreaded disease were gone. The reality may be that inside they were still as sin-sick as ever. They would rejoin society, but would not be as joyful and free as that one grateful man. His attitude of gratitude connected him with the living God. He came to see that in God, through Jesus, there was power to heal and to make well. And beyond that, he realized that there was a relationship he needed to start with that living God so that whatever days he had left on this earth would be truly abundant days as Jesus had taught in John 10:10.
The "un-lifting" verses we have studied in the past couple of weeks come from the hearts of men like the nine. They were made physically well, but spiritually they were still in darkness, walking around with no meaning or purpose in their lives. We don't know for certain what became of these nine, I would hope they would later come to see Jesus for Who He truly was, and may have come to faith. We do know that the one foreigner, from a people known for being alienated from God, was now a person in relationship with the Son of Man, and never to turn back.
It begs us to ask the question where we are? Are we truly people with an attitude of gratitude towards God, or do we have a sense of entitlement? There are times when we do tend to take things for granted, or worse, we're blind to the things that God has shared with us. Last Sunday when I preached at the Presbyterian Church I did what I always do, ask by side of the church the joys and concerns. And as happens with a shy side, I say, "Okay, Lord, You know which side You have to bless this week," when I really want to say, "Lord, you know we take things for granted and don't see the multitude of blessings that have come our way. Forgive us!"
I pray we know to walk towards life with joy and gratitude in our hearts trusting that every step draws us nearer to the One who brings us abundant life and away from the things that take away life.
PRAYER: Loving God, we know that all things come from You and we should never forget that. Grant to us an attitude of gratitude as we receive and as we give. Bless us with the fullness of life and love, so that we can share it with others. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak a kind word of hope to someone today.
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
