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11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19
While the Lord Jesus was traveling along the border of Samaria and Judea ten lepers cried out to Him for healing. Due to the contagiousness of leprosy, Lepers were avoided the most. This is why we are told in v.12 they stood at a distance. The Lord Jesus was their only hope and there was no other solution.
Leprosy is caused by a certain bacteria which attacks the nerves and skin. It anesthetizes the body's limbs so that feeling is lost. It starts with a pink patch of skin usually on the face. The patch spreads in all directions, causing the eyebrows to disappear. Then tumorous swellings grow all over the face and then begin to spread all over the body as the disease becomes systemic. Eventually, the body is eaten alive by the bacteria and the Leper dies.
The Jews and Samaritans would not normally live together, but misery loves company and all ten of these Lepers were outcasts. It is amazing how death frames up reality for us. In the face of death, we entertain the most important questions. These ten men cried out to the Lord Jesus for mercy. They knew He was totally in command of even disease and death, and they trusted Him to help them.
The word translated “master” in the Greek is epistats and is only used by Luke and only here is it used to refer to Christ. It was a word of honor. In fact, it is a word that speaks of someone who has notable authority and power.
Today's text continues in v.14 with the Lord Jesus commanding the men to go show themselves to the priest, which in itself was an act of faith, for they had not yet been cured. When they turned to obey, they were completely healed.
After their healing one would expect all ten men to run to the Lord Jesus with great gratitude, but only one did. And, he was not even a Jew. Perhaps the triple whammy of being an outcast Samaritan Leper was enough to produce the great outflow of praise from his heart for the Lord. Perhaps the others had not fallen far enough to see reality of their desperate need for the Lord as this Samaritan did. We really lack the understanding of how great a teacher our pain truly is.
After being healed the nine had no more interest in the Lord Jesus anymore. They got what they wanted out of Him and now, they had no desire to worship Him. They did not see Him as God. They were declared clean by the priests, but this Samaritan man was declared saved by the Son of God!
While it is wonderful to experience the miracle of physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience the miracle of eternal salvation. These ungrateful nine illustrate the attitude of the Jews who wanted the miracles, but not the worship.
The Samaritan man came back “praising God in a loud voice.” It would have been logical for him to have followed the other men and gone to the temple, but he first came to the Lord Jesus with his heart full of gratitude.
In v.16 we read, "He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him and he was a Samaritan." By coming to the Lord Jesus, the man received something greater than physical healing: he also received forgiveness of his sins, and a personal relationship with God, and an eternity in heaven.
In v.19 we read, “Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” These were the same words the Lord Jesus spoke to the repentant woman who anointed His feet in Luke 7:50.
When we truly encounter the Lord Jesus for ourselves, we will be His worshipers. When we do not encounter Him, we will walk away from Him right into an eternity in hell. And then, it will be too late to decide to be a worshiper of God. This is one of the authentic signs of the saved, a heart which longs to worship the Savior.