In Luke 17:11-19, we read about 10 men who had one problem in common. They were lepers which meant they had no visible means of support apart from begging, no place to live in any town or city, no hope and no future. They were outcasts. But then they saw Jesus from a distance and yelled as loud as they could for Jesus to pity them. Jesus did more than that. He had mercy. He healed them with no strings attached except that they observe the law of the land.
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for his rendezvous with a certain Cross. He was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee. And everywhere he went he encountered desperate people. These lepers were close to the top of the list of the most wretched of men with the demon possessed no doubt heading up the list. But so many souls were unaware of a disease that was even more lethal than anything they were wrestling with. This deadly disease was alienation from the only source of eternal life. They had long forgotten the One who had given them life in the first place and they were looking for relief in all the wrong places. Even Jesus, the fount of all blessings, was perceived by them to be a healer and even a master but certainly not the giver and source of life. So, for nine of the ten lepers this was their “lucky” day. Or was it “unlucky?” They stumbled into a way to get what they wanted but they never got what they needed.
Why was that? Well for openers, to their credit, they did follow Jesus’ directions. They headed for the nearest “health station” ( housing the local priests) where they could be certified as being clean (this was the law of the realm). But they kept going even as the leprosy was falling off of them like a slippery blanket. It never occurred to them that they ought to check this Jesus out and find out what made Him so special. There was not a hint of gratitude just the realization that they got what they wanted and were off to explore new prospects. They were takers and probably would never be givers. They had come, they had plundered, and they had walked off with their new found booty-sound physical health but no sense of wellness. They had satisfaction, but no thankfulness, no praise and no desire to see Jesus. They had been converted from desperate lepers into contented cows.
The one leper who was a Samaritan, went the whole distance; but not to the nearest health station. There was plenty of time for that. He reversed his steps and headed for Jesus. “He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and he thanked him” (verse 16). After inquiring about the others, Jesus dismissed him and told him that his faith had made him well. He was now whole, not just healed. Whole people know about thanksgiving. They have a sense of wellness even if they are still hurting. The one leper was healed and he was whole, but as Bruce Larson has said about this man, he still had to deal with the formidable task of reinventing himself in the job market, earn a living, establish a home and maybe even build a family (Communicators Commentary, N.T.,Vol.3-Luke). But as challenging as that might be, he had an edge. He found salvation in Jesus Christ and no matter how bumpy his journey might be he had a thankful spirit that would sustain him no matter how much he might be hurting. The truly thankful person meets adversity with praise and pain with gratitude. It’s just the way it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment