Luke 17:11-19 The Grateful Leper
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: October 10, 2018 Luke 17:11-19
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up 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 as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
(Understanding the Text) Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem and traveling on the border of Samaria and Galilee. He was entering a village there on the border when He heard men calling His name. There in the distance were ten men dressed in the manner of lepers. They were asking for healing. Why ten at once? Edersheim suggests two possibilities. “It is a further confirmation of our suggestion as to the road taken by Jesus, that of the ten lepers whom, at the outset of His journey, He met when entering into a village, one was a Samaritan. It may have been that the district was infested with leprosy; or these lepers may, on tidings of Christ’s approach, have hastily gathered there.”
Jesus did not approach them, but instead told them to go show themselves to the priest. At that point, they were not healed. All ten showed faith in Jesus by immediately turning toward where a priest was and walking away from Jesus. As they walked away they were all healed. They might have walked for a while and been out of sight of Jesus when it happened. Did one notice first and then start shouting with joy and the others checked themselves after hearing him? Or did they all feel a sense of wellness at the same time?
Edersheim agrees with my ideas and adds a few extra. “It was, as fully explained in another place, in strict accordance with Jewish Law, that these lepers remained both outside the village and far from Him to Whom they now cried for mercy. And, without either touch or even command of healing, Christ bade them go and show themselves as healed to the priests. For this it was, as will be remembered, not necessary to repair to Jerusalem. Any priest might declare ‘unclean’ or ‘clean’ provided the applicants presented themselves singly, and not in company, for his inspection. And they went at Christ’s bidding, even before they had actually experienced the healing! So great was their faith, and, may we not almost infer, the general belief throughout the district, in the power of ‘the Master.’ And as they went, the new life coursed in their veins. Restored health began to be felt, just as it ever is, not before, nor yet after believing, but in the act of obedience of a faith that has not yet experienced the blessing.”
Why did the Jews go on and the Samaritan turn back to thank Jesus? Did the Jews not trust the priests to pronounce the correct judgment if they knew that it was Jesus who had healed the lepers? They were obeying Jesus in continuing on to the priests, so in one way they could not be blamed for not turning back. Also, the Samaritan might have known that he would be the least likely to get a fair hearing by a priest. Maybe, he did not even care if the priest pronounced him clean. In the best case, he knew that he would be the last leper looked at, so he had time to kill. In one way, he was actually disobeying Jesus in coming back to thank Him since Jesus’ order had been to show himself to the priest. This indicates to me that we need to look beyond the letter of the command to the heart. The others in obeying the command did not show gratitude toward their benefactor. The Samaritan in disobeying the command was showing his appreciation of Jesus.
I think it’s interesting that when they were still lepers, there was no difference between Samaritan and Jew, but the minute they were healed, the separation appeared again. Our bigotries disappear under duress. They were all lepers and rejected by society, so being a Jewish leper or a Samaritan leper made no difference. However, when they were cleansed of leprosy, there was suddenly a difference in their levels. As Christians, we need to be careful not to believe that one person’s sin is greater than another’s. We are all sinners, spiritual lepers, and there is no difference in the degree of our position as outcasts. Our only position comes from being connected to Jesus.
(Revelation of God) Only one gave thanks, but all ten were healed and remained healed. God does not give with one hand and take back with the other if we do not please Him. He did not take back the healing. God heals and blesses without regard to what will be returned. He does not punish those who abuse the blessings by taking those blessings away. A return to abusive behavior may make the blessing disappear as a natural consequence, but God is not the one taking back a gift He has given.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is to remember to praise God for the blessings He gives me. Rather than taking for granted the healing God provides me, I need to return to Him again and again, and glorify God for His mighty works. Lord, I am not good at praise. Teach me to be someone who naturally glorifies You. Thank You for the many blessings that You give me every day. I am sorry that I am not more appreciative. Forgive my ingratitude.