Presented, November 21, 2004 am
LESSONS FROM TEN LEPERS
Luke 17:11-19
Today we look at an event in the life of Jesus. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for the final time before His death. As He passes through Samaria He enters a village where there are ten lepers who stood afar off. Seeing Jesus they cry, “Have mercy on us”. He sends them on their way to show themselves to the priests (a part of the Old Law – Leviticus 13 & 14). On their way, they are cleansed. Of the ten only one returns and falls down at the feet of Jesus praising Him and giving thanks. Jesus notes he is alone and inquires about the others. Jesus notes (making a point to His disciples) that he was a foreigner. Jesus then says, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.”
This morning we want to notice some lessons we can glean from this parable.
I. Gratitude
a. We see in this account what gratitude is as well as ingratitude.
b. What is gratitude? Vs. 16 says the one leper was “giving thanks”. A word that means, “to be grateful, feel thankful.” (Thayer). Louw & Nida add “to express gratitude for benefits or blessings”
c.
Christians are commanded to be grateful
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “In everything give thanks”
Philippians 4:6 – “…In everything by prayer and thanksgiving”
Ephesians 5:20 – We are to be “giving thanks in all things”. Of notable
interest is the context associated with our singing. How many songs do we have
in our book that express our gratitude to God.
Jesus even set the example for us – Matthew 11:25 (thanking God for revealing
His message to babes); John 6:11 (feeding 5000); John 11:41 (at the raising of
Lazarus); Matthew 26:27 (instituting the Lord’s Supper)
d.
This week is a special week in American. We will
observe a major American holiday, thanksgiving. It is a day designed to call
upon us to “give thanks” for our blessings, a day to express gratitude for all
that we have. Truly in America we are blessed in so many ways. Compared to so
much of the world, we have so much that we often take for granted. A few years
ago I found a quote about our prosperity that I would like to share with you.
It was written by Economist Author Robert L Heilbroner about what would happen
to the average American family if they were suddenly reduced to an annual income
of less than $200 a year, which is the income level of nearly half of the world
who live in what is often referred to as “the gap”. He writes, “Take away
the furniture, saving a few old blankets, kitchen table and one chair; take away
all the clothing except for the oldest dress or suit, a shirt, a blouse, and one
pair of shoes for the head of the family; empty the cupboards of food with the
exception of a small bag of flour, some sugar, salt, a few molded potatoes, a
handful of onions, and a dish of fried beans; dismantle the bathroom, shut off
the water and remove the electrical wiring; take away the house itself and move
the family into a tool shed; cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines,
and book clubs; put the nearest clinic or hospital 10 miles away and put a
midwife in charge instead of a doctor; discard the bank book, stock
certificates, pension plans, insurance policies and leave the family $5 in cash;
give the head of the family three tenant acres to cultivate on which he will
make $300 in cash crops, one-third of which goes to the landlord; cut off 25-30
years life expectancy for every member of the family.” (exact source not noted)
When you hear descriptions like that it puts things into perspective where
we live. Yet we complain when the chef overcooks our steak a little or if the
temperature in our car is 5º too hot or cold. AND in spite of this, we are one
of the most ungrateful nations in the world. We are a selfish, arrogant and
discontented people.
e.
The Christian realizes that we need to be thankful
not just at this season, but at all times and in all circumstances. It is one
of the key foundations of proper Christian development.
We could spend an entire lesson noting sins that accompany ingratitude, what we
should be thankful for and how a proper (or improper) attitude can affect our
lives.
f. In this article we find one man truly grateful, and 9 others who were NOT grateful enough!
II. A Spiritual Application
a.
Leprosy was a disease that made men unclean.
It was a serious disease that as far as we know had no cure. It was also
contagious (though not easily given by casual contact) which is why according to
the Old Law and other societies those with the disease were outcasts and were
required to warn others when they came nearby. These ten lepers were unclean
and outcasts.
Sin makes us unclean before God – Sin is often associated with uncleanness –
Isaiah 1:6 described the wickedness of Israel as a body in which “there is no
soundness in it; But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores”
Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses
are like filthy rags;”
Romans 7:24 refers to our wretched condition as “the body of death”
Sin also separates us from God – Isaiah 59:2
Romans 8:9 – the carnal mind is enmity against God
b.
These ten lepers knew who Jesus was and that He
was their only hope of cleansing. They also wanted to be cured (cleansed).
There are many today who know they are in sin and that
they need to do something about it. Romans 7:24 – “O wretched man that I am”
There are also many today who know who Jesus is – their only hope. Many even
profess to believe IN HIM.
But knowing isn’t enough. Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46. It is like the doctor
giving a prescription but one doesn’t take the medication. He knows it will
make him well, but he doesn’t do what he needs to do.
c.
They called out to Jesus and He cleansed them.
Jesus will cleanse us of our sins. In fact, He is the ONLY hope we have. Acts
4:12
But we have to come to Him - John 14:6 – He is the way, the truth and the life.
1 John 5:11-12 – Life is in the Son.
How do we come to Him? Galatians 3:27 – Baptism puts us into Christ.
Acts 22:16 – it washes away our sins (uncleanness).
III. How Grateful are we?
a. Let us take a moment to focus on the reaction of these lepers. I find it interesting that only one of the ten returned and thanked Jesus. And he was a Samaritan (implying, I believe at least, some of the others were Jews meaning they were familiar with the Law and they knew about Jesus and His claims).
b. Are we are grateful as we ought to be when we consider what God and Christ have done for us? IF asked, all who are Christians here would say we are thankful. And I believe we are.
c. But HOW grateful are we? How do we show our gratitude to Him?
i. Do we try to do as little as we possibly can hoping to just “get by”?
ii. Do we just ASSUME He knows we are grateful? In the account we have been discussing, there were 9 who didn’t return to thank Jesus. Does this mean they were not thankful at all? Or were they not THANKFUL ENOUGH to do something about it?
iii.
Will we take the time to let Him know? Consider
some of the things we find thanksgiving offered for in the New Testament
Romans 6:17 – God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin you became
servants of righteousness
1 Corinthians 15:56-57 – thanks be to God who gives us the victory (from Sin)
1 Timothy 1:12- Paul thanked God because he enabled him
Ephesians 1:16 – for our brethren
iv.
Are we willing to sacrifice for Him?
The real strength in gratitude is manifested in what we are willing to give back
to God. Notice the Samaritan leper returned and fell at his feet. He was
willing to follow Jesus. Your gratitude for Jesus will be manifested by your
conduct toward Him.
Truly we have seen some great lessons to glean from the ten lepers. During this season when we pause to give thanks – for Christians it is just a reminder of what we ought to be at all times. How thankful are you?