"And it happened that while He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing through Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him. And they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was there no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
Good Morning my beloved,
What a privilege it is to welcome you to worship today, in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, your presence is acknowledged and truly appreciated. If you're not certain about whether or not you want to embrace Jesus Christ, I pray there will be something in our message today that will point you toward Christ. I humbly thank God for every opportunity that He has provided for me to proclaim the Gospel to those who are deceived by false religion, misled by a false doctrine, a privilege and responsibility that I do not take lightly. If God is using this ministry to impact your life, or the lives of those around you, please reach out to us and share your story. We would be delighted to hear from you.
However, as the Gospel continues to go out globally in multiple languages, we are receiving a significant increase in the number of responses from people who are coming to Christ from all over the world that are in need of Bibles. It is a very sobering thought as a pastor to realize that so many have never heard the Gospel. It is devastating to even try to imagine how many people do not know Jesus as their Savior. Because that is the reason the church exists in the world, is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to point sinners of every kind, including fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, murders, thieves, coveters, drunkards, drug addicts, extortionists, gossips and et cetera to Jesus Christ for salvation and the forgiveness of sin.
There seems to be much confusion today about what being a Christian is, what it really means to be saved. Some would say all that is required to become a Christian is just say you "believe." Others would say, believing isn't enough, you must do good works in order to be saved, which I believe stems from a failure to distinguish what genuine salvation, in the biblical sense, looks like in practice. Saving faith is living and active—which naturally produces obedience and good works as evidence. In James 2:14-26, he addresses those who claim to belong to Christ without a changed life, saying "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself." In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus essentially taught the same message, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits,.....Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
I do not believe there is any clearer statement in all of the New Testament than these three verses in Ephesians 2 on the sinfulness of man. If you are not a Christian, not a follower of Jesus Christ, who has not surrendered your life to His divine will, you are dead in your transgressions and sins, you are a child of Satan, walking in disobedience to His commands, destined for the wrath of God. Further, if you are a "professing Christian," who has not surrendered your will to His will, who is still living in habitual, ongoing disobedience, conducting your life according to your own will, indulging in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, your current position remains "spiritually dead" regardless of anything you claim and, because you are self-deceived.
Paul's point is, that sinners living according to the flesh are spiritually dead, children of wrath, as defined by your own nature and are destined for Hell. One's profession to follow Christ is not defined by mere words alone, but by the life that they live and the way you conduct yourselves, not what you profess, because it's easy to say literally anything, but is it must more difficult to live. If you are an authentic Christian, as defined by the Word of God, not self-described, you walk according to the Word of God. So, Paul goes on to say in verse 4 through 10, "But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." True Christians were bought by the blood of Christ, they belong to God do what He says, not doing whatever they want.
The invitation to follow Jesus Christ, is unmistakably clear, you must come to Christ on His terms, which is to surrender your own desires, goals, ambitions, and all the possessions that you have and submit them to Him in order to receive the grace and mercy, and forgiveness He is offering. If you are a genuine Christian, as defined by the Word of God, Jesus is going to completely take over your life. This is not a hostile takeover, this is a willing surrender, in order to receive what He offers which is eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. You must die to self and live for Christ, even if it costs you all your human relationships, all your possessions, even your own life. If that sounds extreme, that's because it is. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, "For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it." All He is saying is that by becoming a Christian, you are voluntarily subjugating everything in your life to His sovereign will.
That's why in Luke 14:28, He says before you commit to being a Christian, make sure that you have calculated the costs. "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" He's not speaking about building a tower, He's talking about genuine discipleship, narrow road discipleship, the high cost of following Christ.
Frankly, I believe it's pretty easy to understand what Jesus is saying, because there is really no other way to interpret the text, if you want to be His disciple, you must come to Him on His terms, not your own. The is NOT the "Burger King Christianity" offered today, that says, "Just add Jesus to your life and anything you don't want to get rid of, just keep it, it's ok, Jesus is fine with it." This IS narrow road Christianity as defined by our Lord Jesus Christ in His own Words, in Luke 14:26, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."
He's not calling for anyone to literally hate their family, He's saying your love for Him must reign supreme over and above every other human relation, past, present and future. And, if you're not willing to do that, you cannot be His disciple. Any other commitment to follow Jesus, is superficial and is useless to the Kingdom of God and will ultimately be thrown into the fire. That's why He often said "Let those who have ears hear." Obviously, most everyone could hear His Word, what He was saying then, and even now, if you can understand what He's saying, then you better embrace it, because the day will come when the window of opportunity to follow Him will close, as explained in the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, when the "the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. And later the other virgins also *came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour."
The biblical invitation to salvation hasn't changed, the only thing that has changed is the way it's being presented. You're free to choose who you believe. Personally, I believe Jesus over what anyone else says and have committed my life to "imperfectly" living by what He says, in order to receive what He offers. And for the times I fail, I am grateful for His grace, as described in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The Christian life is like a puzzle, once you start putting all the pieces into place, the intended picture becomes clearer and clearer. I beg you not to stop short of completing the whole picture, because the results will be catastrophic. Matthew 13, "Those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Examine yourself: Are you still habitually living in the same sin that Christ came to save you from? Dead faith is profession without transformation. While true Christians may struggle with desire, they do not continue to practice sin habitually. Saving faith produces a life characterized by obedience to God’s Word, even the parts we don't like or agree with which results in a departure from iniquity and sin.
I was talking to a gentleman in our church last week and he was saying to me, "You know, whether you come to know Jesus Christ now or not, isn't it wonderful to know that ultimately every human being on the planet will come to know Him as Lord and Savior?" So, I asked him how did he arrive at this conclusion. And he smiled and responded, because that's what Scripture says, quoting 2 Corinthians 5:13-15, "For if we are out of our mind, it is for God, or if we are of right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." While God is the One Who initially activates reconciliation through Christ’s death, verses 18-19 distinguish the objective provision from the subjective application. Since God does not force anyone to respond, reconciliation requires the recipient of His grace to desire and accept it, and a willingness to turn from sin and accept restoration of the relationship. As with any superficial relationship, a shallow one-sided commitment will only end in disappointment. Genuine salvation requires your willing participation to not only accept God's offer but to turn away from the sin which Christ died to redeem you from. You must actively participate for salvation to become your personal reality. That's why Paul calls us to "work out" this salvation with fear and trembling in Philippians 2:12. By continuing to rebelliously live in habitual sin, you may have accepted His offer with your word, but have denied it with your life, only deceiving yourself. I'd like you to notice that Paul's exhortation to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" immediately follows verses 9 through 11, recognizing this profession is merely a judicial acknowledgement of Christ's Lordship and sovereignty rather than a salvific confession from the heart as required for "saving faith." The Greek verb used is "exomologeō," meaning "to openly declare" or "acknowledge," in this context, it functions as a legal admission of fact rather than an expression of saving faith. While I understand some would like to believe this implies a universal salvation for all, because the wording parallels saving confessions elsewhere, the context and scope of the language used clearly reveal a critical distinction between the submission to authority and redemptive saving faith.
I recognize it may be extremely difficult for some to hear, but it's far better to discover the Truth now with an opportunity to submit to Christ's Lordship, rather than when you are standing before our Lord and hear these words from Him, "‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" In 1 John 3:4, John lovingly reminds that, "Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness." John 1:29 says "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away... what? The sin of the world! Not the whole, but those whose would believe on His name. Transformation comes when we despise our sin and seek genuine repentance, rather than remaining indifferent to it. So, I ask you again to examine yourself: Are you still habitually living in the same sin that Christ came to save you from? Dead faith is profession without transformation!
I recognize it may be extremely difficult for some to hear, but it's far better to discover the Truth now with an opportunity to submit to Christ's Lordship, rather than when you are standing before our Lord and hear these words from Him, "‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" In 1 John 3:4, John lovingly reminds that, "Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness." John 1:29 says "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away... what? The sin of the world! Not the whole, but those whose would believe on His name. Transformation comes when we despise our sin and seek genuine repentance, rather than remaining indifferent to it. So, I ask you again to examine yourself: Are you still habitually living in the same sin that Christ came to save you from? Dead faith is profession without transformation!
Isaiah 44:18, “They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.”
The text asserts that God has "shut their eyes" and "closed their minds" (and hearts) as a form of divine judgment for their persistent rebellion and idolatry. Many Christians today seem to have forgotten the necessity of their salvation, forgiveness of their sin, in order to live a redeemed life, but because their idolatry, their eyes have been blinded to the Truth, God’s Truth not man’s, they rebelliously worship their sin and sexual desires more than the One True Living God. The offer to salvation is universal, offered to everyone but the actual state of being reconciled with God is individual, requiring our personal response.
This aligns perfectly with Romans 1, which says "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."
God gave them over to the desires of their hearts, allowing the natural consequence of sin to deepen, rather than directly causing wickedness, serving as a warning against self-deception and putting their sexual identity and desires over their love for Christ, which Scripture explicitly categorizes as idolatry, ultimately worshipping "self" the created image rather than the Creator, God Himself. I lovingly ask you to examine yourself: If you are refusing to "let go" of a natural born "sinful" identity, whatever that may be, rather than clinging to your born-again, God-given new Identity in Christ, who are you really worshipping: God or yourself?
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are so thankful for Your Word, which is always so clear, though we confess the world frequently seeks to pull us in a direction that is diametrically opposed to everything You want from us. We also struggle with our own desires and our failures, because our flesh longs to hold onto those things. Help us to be more obedient to You and Your Word and willing to give up everything for You. Father, we pray that You would remove the sinful desires for those who are struggling to give up their homosexuality, their adultery, their fornication or any sin that is contrary to Your will for them. We ask and pray that You would do that in their hearts today and free them from that bondage, so they might remain faithful to Christ for their lifetime. We also pray for those who not yet come to Christ, entrapped in false religions, including those in our own families, friends and neighbors. We know that only when Your Spirit is at work in our lives can we accomplish anything good, because every good thing comes from You. We ask and pray these things in Christ's most precious name and thank You, believing it will be done according to Your will and for Your good pleasure.
Amen.
Today's Message: The Gospel: Good News For Outsiders
Some of you are probably asking what in the world does that introduction have to do with our text? In short, everything. The narrative of Luke 17:11-19 transcends a simple miracle, a story about physical healing. Our text centers on spiritual restoration and the renewal of our relationship with God through Jesus, the distinction between being "healed" and being "made clean," saved. In a prosperity-driven culture, we easily receive God’s gifts without returning to Him in worship.
"And it happened that while He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing through Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him. And they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was there no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
Our nation has effectively shoved God right out of the picture, pushing Him out of the consciousness of the American people and the nation—rejecting His Word in favor of the popular highly politicized Christian nationalism and the trending culture, which has reached a state moral bankruptcy, celebrating divorce as liberation, abortion as pro-choice, sexual immorality as freedom of expression, all signs of a depraved mind, while addiction to pornography is running rampant, which by the way, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies compulsive sexual behavior as a mental health condition. Like many other sexually oriented crises, the church is either ill-equipped or under-equipped to address such mental health issues, with a whopping 82% of Christians struggling with porn addiction reporting that there is no one "qualified" to help them. And, among church leadership, I believe the problem is even more severe, with 67% of pastors admitting regular use, and 50% of evangelical pastors reporting having viewed some form of pornography within the past year. I find it terribly troublesome that despite 57% of pastors identifying porn addiction as the most damaging issues occurring in their congregations, only 7% claim their church has a "qualified program" to assist those who are struggling. And the number of church leaders prepared to respond to adults who are struggling with the trauma of childhood sexual abuse is even far worse. Call it ignorance, a lack of compassion, or the combination of both, but many church leaders have stated that caring for survivors of childhood sexual abuse or sexual abuse prevention "wasn't even on their radar." I believe this is directly linked to shorter sermons, lower prayer frequency, and increased listening to secularized "Christian music," particularly among church youth.
And, while many Americans still tend to espouse a "live-and-let-live" attitude toward personal choices, a recent survey indicated that an astonishing 53% of Americans now view their fellow Americans morality as "bad," ironically, citing celebrating behaviors traditionally condemned as their reason, making the U.S. the only country among the twenty-five surveyed where negative perceptions outweighed positive ones. Some have attributed this to many churches aligning too closely with a particular political party in recent years, whether democratic or republican, has significantly damaged the church’s witness and alienated younger generations. Many pastors believe that despite invoking God's name, America may be under the divine judgment of God rather than a current recipient of His blessing due to the widespread moral decay. While not all religious leaders agree, nearly all would agree that our nation's current state is the consequence of a nation that has rebelliously turned its back on God.
Open your Bibles with me and please keep them open, and follow along with me as I read, with an receptive heart and open mind, so that you can see that this message comes directly from the inspired Word of God, particularly the Gospel of Luke chapter 17, verses 11 through 19. I'd like to encourage you to listen for the voice of our Lord. Luke 17:11-19.
Let's begin digging into verse 11, "And it happened that while He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing through Samaria and Galilee. " Luke, our trusted systematic theologian, is not merely giving us Jesus' travel itinerary, which began back in chapter 9 verse 51, by recording His journey as He continues to move in the direction of Jerusalem with the twelve and His disciples for the last time, he has been providing us with persuasive clarity, designed to lead his readers to faith, by revealing God’s saving purpose in Christ by offering us a glimpse of the ultimate promised restoration in the kingdom of heaven found in His redemptive work, rather than a strictly chronological record of events. In case you haven't noticed, He's not been taking a direct route, it has taken Him several months of ministry, numerous healings, many, many miracles, far too many to calculate the number and casting out demons, but we're finally getting close to His arrival into Jerusalem, which will take place in chapter 19 verse 28. This is the fourth miracle of five recorded during this period of Jesus' journey, which involves ten leprous men, the fifth miracle takes places in Jericho, which occurs in chapter 18, when He heals the two blind men. Luke records 18 miracles in total in his Gospel account, although there is some debate among scholars as to the specific number, by including the miraculous catch of fish and raising two people from the dead. John states in chapter 21 of his Gospel account, even "if every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." I know I've said it before, however, it bears repeating, every healing miracle Jesus ever performed was immediate, instantaneous and simultaneously complete to emphasize His sovereign power as well as to serve as signs pointing to His divine authority. However, there are some who also like to challenge this, by saying the healing of the ten lepers in our text today was not instantaneous, happening in Jesus’ presence, it occurred over time, during their journey to go show themselves to the priests, reflecting the diversity of God’s work. So, I will simply conclude this introduction for the sake of argument, by saying Scripture knows nothing of a healing that was merely partial or incomplete; when He heals, He heals fully, He heals completely, not necessarily after a delay. In my best understanding on what Luke writes, "it happened that as they were going, they were cleansed," the statement describes the timing of the manifestation, not that cleansing didn't occur immediately, in obedience to Jesus’ command and was confirmed in decisive act along the way, as they walked in faith, going to see the priests. Regardless of one's perspective, Jesus' divine power is unmistakable and absolutely undeniable. Never did the religious leaders deny the miracle power of Jesus, ever. There was no way that anyone could, everything He did was beyond natural explanation.
Verse 12, "And as He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him." At some point during this journey, passing between Samaria and Galilee, He entered a certain unnamed village. Why doesn't Luke give us the name of the village? Because it's not relevant to the story, Jesus frequently entered many towns and multiple villages, proclaiming the Gospel, demonstrating His compassion and power through various healing miracles. In fact, Jesus performed more than 50 healing miracles as recorded in the four Gospels, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, mobility to the lame, and speech to the mute, and even raising the dead, including Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the widow’s son in Nain.
Leprosy can be a general term that can be used to describe a number of skin diseases. Leprosy in Jesus day was severe, lepers were ostracized from society, forcing them into social and religious isolation. They were cut off from their families, communities, and worship. Leprosy was a communicable disease which is why Luke tells us in verse 12 they met Him standing at a distance because it was demanded of them, according to Leviticus 13:45 and 46, and in various other places in the Old Testament. People with leprosy were shunned to prevent any contact. I won't belabor the point, if you want to learn more about it, you can by reading our previous messages in Matthew 8:3 and Mark 1:42. Some of you may remember that back in Luke chapter 5, during His ministry in Galilee there is an account of Jesus healing a leper there as well. This is the same demonstration of divine authority and power times ten. Before we move on, let's not miss what the condition of these ten men with leprosy reveals as a visible picture of sin: It spreads slowly. It numbs the senses, it corrupts what was once whole, and distorts identity. Ultimately, it separates, creating a barrier between God and humanity, and apart from genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, it destroys eternally, resulting in eternal punishment. Sin is not just what we do—it’s what it does to us. There are millions of people walking around, every day, whose sin has become their identity. That's not a casual detail, because over time, it becomes normal. They begin to believe their identity is who they are, where they belong. An identity that was never part of God’s design. Jesus doesn't change lives from a distance, He transforms lives by entering into them, living on the inside.
That's why 1 John 3:9 states that anyone who is truly born of God does not sin because God’s seed remains in them and they cannot go on sinning. If you are currently habitually living a life that God calls sinful, without feeling convicted, I strongly encourage you to examine yourself. There's a really good chance you're not saved, you're self-deceived. This is NOT a judgment, it's a warning that stems from love, because I care about where you will spend eternity. This is where our text today becomes deeply personal. Please, don't be deceived: You can be in church, studying Scripture every day and still be far from Christ. He's close but not close enough to transform your heart. It is from that distance these men cry out as revealed in the next verse.
I’ve known people in whom I have personally invested an awful lot of personal time and effort, we're talking about a significant amount of time, only to find out that they were not real believers, genuine followers of Jesus Christ, and lacked having what it takes to endure to the end, which is what our Lord demands of His people. It was Jesus Himself who said in Matthew 24:13, "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved," implying that true faith, saving faith, the faith that will make it all the way to Heaven is demonstrated through continued steadfast faithfulness despite life's many trials and challenges and stands firm on the Gospel against the backdrop of increasing wickedness and apostasy. Anyone who has been a Christian any length of time, has seen their fair share of people who have, for whatever reason, walked away from the church, abandoned the faith and ultimately, rejected our Lord Jesus Christ, because when the rubber met the road, they were unwilling to abandon something Scripture demanded of them, things that had been spiritual blind spots for years, such as a judgmental spirit, a slanderous tongue or a sexually infidelity or immoral relationship.
So, ultimately, the bottomline is, it doesn't matter whether or not I believe you're a Christian, whether or not you believe you're a Christian, what matters is whether or not Jesus, the One Who knows your heart, believes you are a true follower of Him, lest you run the risk of hearing those most dreadful words in Scripture, found in Matthew 7:23, "‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,’" to individuals who outwardly appear to faithful followers of Christ, performing religious deeds and acts but lacked a genuine relationship with Him. Highlighting that despite their spiritual claims, their lives disregarded His command to obey the will of His Father, which is the true marker of genuine discipleship. Luke 6:46 records Jesus asking, "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" to emphasize the contradiction between a verbal profession of faith and actual obedience to His commands.
So, I ask you again, to examine yourself against the Word of God, the Epistles of John and James are a good place to start. Does your devotion to Jesus Christ supersede all earthly relationships? I sincerely pray that is does, because at some point in your life, it may come to that. Psalm 14:1 states "The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’" while many assume this is merely an intellectual denial, I submit to you, the deeper meaning goes well beyond an outward profession, but a conscious decision to live as though God’s authority does not matter. Persistence in sin reshapes desire, Truth becomes offensive when it confronts and disagrees with our coveted sin, so he defends it, to the point he no longer struggles against sin, he celebrates it. False Christians do not find satisfaction in the person of Jesus Christ. Is it Christ Whom you love or is it your sin, whatever that sin may be? Does He take first place in your life, ensuring that natural affections such as pride do not become obstacles to your spiritual obedience?
Verse 14, "When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And it happened that as they were going, they were cleansed." Unlike the first leper in Luke chapter 5, whom He told not to tell anybody, instead, He says something that at first might appear to be odd, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." He doesn't even say, "Your faith has made you well," which He does later. Just "Go and show yourselves to the priests." He is upholding the Old Testament Law which required individuals healed of leprosy, specifically Leviticus 14, to show themselves to the priests, who were the inspectors of health, to get a clean bill of health, followed by a subsequent offering served as official, public proof of the healing, typically turtledoves or lambs. You wouldn't want to go anywhere near the priest if you still had leprosy. So, in essence, He's testing their faith. Remember, He said the same thing to the leper He healed in back in Luke chapter 5:14, "But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." It was a whole process, which typically took eight-days, and in some cases needed to be repeated another eight days. In chapter 5, His response to go and tell no one was to avoid premature confrontation with religious authorities and misunderstanding His mission. Jesus is not merely a good man, prophet, or healer; He is the Son of God, fully divine yet incarnate. This dual nature is essential for salvation, enabling Him to serve as the perfect sacrifice for sin while empathizing with human weaknesses—a role impossible for a mere human or prophet. They heard about His ability to perform miracles, they believed in His healing power, He had clearly demonstrated that throughout Israel. They believed they were healed, they'd been made new from head to toe. And, they knew it needed to be verified by the priests.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul clearly states, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." This verse emphasizes that spiritual rebirth brought about by the will of God, was a "cleansing" rather than an emotional response, resulting in the removal of the old, sinful nature and the impartation of a new nature with new God honoring desires, brought about by the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in the life of a believer.
Has your life changed since coming to Christ, have old sinful desires passed away or are you still entertaining them, free of conviction? If it's the latter, according to Scripture, that may be a dangerous place to be in, a clear indication of your true spiritual condition. The good news is, no fool needs to remain a fool forever, the invitation to live a transformed life is available. So, the question is not whether the fool exists, but whether or not he chooses to remain a fool. True saving faith manifested through gratitude, obedience and worship.
Verses 15 and 16, "Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan." The significance of this event, is the response. God doesn't only work in moments, sometimes He sometimes works in a process. When one of them, one out of ten, realized what had just happened, he turns back. There are moments in Scripture that on the surface appear simple, not really a big deal, but carry profound spiritual weight when examined closely. I believe this is one of them. Just image with me for a moment being ostracized from society, family and friends for years, living in isolation with a disease that attacks the nerves and the skin, numbing the arms and legs so there's no feeling, the fingers and toes become absorbed into the body, interfering with the blood flow, causing the bones to deteriorate, as the skin loses its original color, becomes thick and scaly, producing sores and ulcers all over the face and body, especially around the eyes and ears. To have this just miraculously disappear would've have been beyond human comprehension. So, when it finally hit this man he had been completely healed, made whole, it stopped him in his tracks. I'd like you to notice only one turns back, at first glance, this appears to be a lesson in gratitude. This is about far more than simply saying "thank you"; it is about spiritual revelation and transformation—the difference between merely receiving a blessing and encountering the Blesser. All ten were healed, but only one recognized the change. Many today are eager to grab the blessings, but fail to pause long enough to acknowledge their source. This man didn't just see what happened to him—recognizing the source completely changed his direction. Luke writes, he "turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice." In Scripture, turning back often signifies repentance, returning to the Lord. He understood something the others missed, this wasn't just about receiving a miracle, this was about encountering God. I often see people who are so focused on what God is doing for them that they forget to return to God Himself. God desires more than just our applause, He desires our presence. All of life comes down to unashamed, "Glorifying God with a loud voice." We learn this man's posture, he knew he was in the presence of God, Luke says "he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him" that he simply could not restrain his praise, his worship, or his gratitude. As a Samaritan, a group often despised by the Jews, his spontaneous worship was particularly striking, highlighting a spiritual insight that the other nine healed lepers and the religious leaders lacked. By prioritizing demonstrating gratitude to the Blesser over immediate compliance with priestly protocols, he acknowledged Jesus’ superior authority and God’s power, receiving commendation for his faith.
Verse 17, "Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? " Where are the other nine men going? They're presumably going to show themselves to the priests for certification of healing under Mosaic Law as Jesus instructed, allowing them to re-enter society and worship at the temple. Unlike the Samaritan, an outcast, who was the least likely to worship God from a Jewish perspective, they made the decision not to return to Jesus to give glory to God. True people of God give Him the praise and glory He deserves, the rest, get what they can get and abandon Him. They wanted Jesus the healer, they had no use for Jesus the Savior.
The Jewish people had no dealings with the Samaritans, they hated each other. While the other nine were obedient to Jesus’ instruction, they failed to return to Jesus and give God the glory. True worship is not manufactured, it cannot be contained. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps, they were thinking, after they were certified "clean," they'd just head over to the temple, make their sacrifice per the Mosaic Law, and praise God in the place where God dwells. The problem is, God hadn't been in that temple for a very long time, due to Israel's disobedience, leaving the temple "empty." God dwelt in Jesus Christ, the true and ultimate temple. By the time that Jesus had come, the physical temple had become nothing more than a "den of thieves" rather than a house of prayer, which is what prompted Jesus to drive out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. In fact, if it hadn't been for the leprosy the Samaritan's had no reason to associate with Jews. The hate between them was mutual. Which is interesting, since the first person Jesus revealed His messiahship to was a Samaritan woman in John 4.
That brings us to verses 18 and 19, "Was there no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner? And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." This is not a request for information—it's a revelation exposing a much broader issue. The nine wanted the benefit of Jesus—but they did not desire the relationship with Him. This rhetorical question was intended to reveal the true condition of the human heart; hard-hearted, impenitent, self-satisfied, superficial worshipers of God, often failing to acknowledge His provision. It's worth mentioning, that Greek word "allogenés," or foreigner, was written on the outer wall of the temple forbidding any foreigner from access to the areas only allowed for the Jews. There was a Court of the Gentiles, but they couldn't go anywhere beyond that. He is a foreigner, by Jewish standards, excluded from the Covenant, excluded from the promises of God and the adoption of the people of God. He didn't come ask for healing, didn’t try to negotiate for a miracle, he simply asked Him for mercy, he understood something many Christians today seem to miss: before we expect God to do anything for us, we need to humble our hearts and beg for His mercy toward us. It is impossible to experience the transforming power of the Spirit of God without developing an authentic relationship with God, regardless of how much biblical information you acquire. Afterall, Judas walked with Jesus for 3 years, even participated in "spiritual activities" and still lacked a fully surrendered heart.
It is so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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