Only One by Robin Densmore Fuson

 

Our passage today is Luke 17 10-19. This occurrence in the Bible may be familiar.

I’ll read from the NLT- New Living Translation

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.”

I remember hearing this passage when I was a young girl. The teacher put lovely, colorful drawings or pictures onto a flannel board. The backs of the pictures were made of felt. They were interactive, in that they easily clung to the board and with little effort came off. I discovered they are still available and I got a little excited. Flannelgraph is a cool device for children to learn from and play with. My grandchildren are too old for them now, but someday, great grands might enjoy them when the time comes.

Anyway, enough nostalgia. Back to the story.

But first, let’s look at leprosy. That was a deadly skin disease. In modern times it is called Hansen’s disease. It is a Mycobacterium that affects the skin, nerves, eyes and nasal lining. With modern medicine, it is treatable and even curable. But in the days of the Bible, it was a death sentence. Not only because of the bacteria but the stigma associated with it.

With any skin disorder, a person went to the priest for evaluation. There were different skin problems and means of purification to determine how severe it was. When leprosy was detected, the person was banned from society. And considered unclean. While traveling anywhere, they would need to yell, “unclean, unclean.” It is highly contagious through close contact with coughing or sneezing. Most of those with the disease lived in leprosy colonies outside of town.

Some were off by themselves. Loneliness. No physical touch. No hugs. Especially not from family. If they saw them, it would be far off. Also, strong pain and healing meds were not invented yet.

Their only hope—a miracle.

Ten such individuals left the colony together. The Bible doesn’t say where they were going. Perhaps they were seeking Jesus, the great healer? Or for food and clothing. Maybe they wanted coins tossed at them. We know they recognized Jesus and requested mercy.

On this well-traveled road, Jesus and his disciples were on foot. The ten lepers saw Jesus and kept their distance as per Jewish Mosaic law. With a loud voice in unison, they shouted, “Jesus Master have mercy on us.”

They called Him Master. The one in charge, or over servants and slaves. The main person. A ruler and used in the Bible as a revered leader.

They asked for mercy. Not healing. Mercy. Compassion or divine favor. It was a way of proposing healing without directly stating the obvious. Without emphasizing their disease, they asked for mercy that would result in healing.

The next part is interesting. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests.

Jesus didn’t have them dunk themselves seven times in the Jordon River like Elisha told Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-19.

He told them what the law said, show yourself to the priest. He was the one to determine if a person was now clean to enter society.

That’s when they came to their first choice. Go or stay? Trust or resign.

They headed off, presumably to see a priest. Standing there they were not healed yet. How many steps did it take before they were? The Bible doesn’t say. It took obedient faith. They had to do their part. Sometimes our healings of our trials or sickness hinges on us doing our part. Faith takes movement. The word is an action word. We step into obedience or step into trust. We move forward.

Heading off in obedience ten were healed. One stopped when he saw the difference. He felt a change in his body. He knew he was healed. Instead of continuing on, he came back.

“Praise God!” He said and fell down at Jesus’ feet. Thanking Him. Showing gratitude. With thanksgiving and verbal Praise.

There is one strange and seemingly out-of-place phrase that says, “He was a Samaritan.” The Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They were only part Jewish. The northern kingdom was taken captive in 722BC when the Assyrians conquered the capital city of Samaria. From there the bloodline didn’t stay pure and they rejected the One true God, Elohim, Jehovah, the I Am.

Jesus loved them. Jesus went out of his way to help and show salvation to them. See John chapter 4.

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 17:17-19.

Those Jews didn’t come back and thank and praise Jesus for the gift of healing. Were they too busy? What were their priorities?

What is our first response? A phone call to tell someone important our great news? An email or text? Do we thank the doctor for the good report? Shake the lawyer’s hand? High five team members?

What about thanksgiving and praise? Showing gratitude to the One who heals? Who lifts our burden? Shouldn’t we do that first, before we turn to our family and shout it off the rooftops? Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit should receive praise first and foremost.

Be that one. Be the one who comes back. Obey Him and then praise Him.

Lord, I thank You for the times of intervention, of Your healing touch. Peace. You give us words to live by and help us in our trials. For ways of escape from those trials. For carrying our burdens. For helping us find that one person to help us. For giving us comfort in the midst of our troubles. For the amazing comfort in loss and loneliness. For all the things. For all the times. For never leaving us nor forsaking us. In Jesus’ precious Name. Amen and Amen.

 

Thank you for joining me today.