Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
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Lepers, in ancient Israel, were required to stay physically distant from others and shout aloud, “Unclean! Unclean!”, warning those around to stay clear.
On this occasion, these lepers certainly keep their distance, but what they shout aloud is a cry for help. “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Literally, “Have mercy!”
It’s a cry that’s rooted in agonized need. But it’s also infused with hope-filled expectation, indeed faith. These men are on the “border between Samaria and Galilee.” Presumably they’ve heard rumours of Jesus’ Galilean miracles: how Jesus healed many on Simon Peter’s doorstep, how he released a paralyzed man into renewed mobility when he was lowered through the ceiling by friends, how he raised a widow’s son to life on the way to his own funeral, and much more. Had they also heard the story of the leprous man who fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”? If so, they would have been fueled with expectancy by Jesus’ life-changing response: “I am willing. Be clean!” (Luke 5:12-13).
And so, they cry. Aloud. They wanted healing. How did they expect it would happen? Were they eager for the compassionate touch of Jesus’ hand, the commanding word from his lips (“Be clean!”), the instantaneous result? We don’t know. But what they got was Jesus’ command, shouted across the distance: “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” This was certainly the step required by the Law which would confirm a leper’s healing. But the healing itself had not yet occurred. Undeterred, these men, fuelled by faith, turned and stepped into obedience to Jesus’ command. It was only then they experienced healing. What wonder! It surged them forward to find the priest and complete the renewal.
But one man turned and came back. Each of these lepers had exercised faith, but only one completed it with thanksgiving. Closing the distance, filled with praise to God, this man fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked him from the overflowing fullness of his heart.
And he was a Samaritan. A non-Jew. An outsider.
Ironic, for one would have expected those from a Jewish background to be best equipped to complete their faith with full-hearted praise and thanksgiving. But no. It was this “foreigner,” as Jesus calls him. The rest didn’t return.
Jesus highlights the man’s response, emphasizing the importance of thanksgiving. It’s an ongoing lesson for us. But more powerfully yet, he says to the man, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” That final phrase is a translation of the verb “to heal,” but its more expansive meaning is “to save.” It’s often used this way, including when the angel announced that Mary’s boy-child would be named Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins”(Matthew 1:21).
I think that’s what Jesus has in mind here. The man has been healed physically, but when he turned back and fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked him from his heart, he entered into relationship with the very one who could also save his soul.
It’s not enough to receive a miracle. It’s necessary to receive the Saviour.
Like this Samaritan did.
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Lord Jesus, thank you for your grace and salvation-work in my own life. You have been so good. I am eternally thankful. I turn my eyes to you, evermore.
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Reflect:
What can you give thanks for? Cast your mind back over the past 4-6 months. What relationships, circumstances, answered prayers, and unexpected blessings come to mind. Turn them to thanksgiving. Enter into deeper relationship with the Lord as you give him thanks.
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Photo by Lucas Lenzi on Unsplash
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