43 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
43 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
+++
|
||
title = "Luke 17:11–19"
|
||
date = "2023-01-08"
|
||
+++
|
||
|
||
### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk17.11-19)
|
||
|
||
It's funny how perspective changes when you read through an entire Gospel,
|
||
versus discussing individual stories from the same book. When you take a story
|
||
by itself, it's usually pretty easy to get the surface-level meaning and
|
||
application. In context, with this one in particular, I wonder, "Why is this
|
||
here, in this chapter? What else do we learn from the next and previous
|
||
passages together with it?"
|
||
|
||
That said, I don't think I have any answers to those questions. As best I can
|
||
tell, Luke is reminding us that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem for the last
|
||
time, and this is something that happened on the way. Ten lepers met Jesus,
|
||
apparently knew who He was, and asked for mercy. It's interesting that they
|
||
called Him "Master", which is not something people address Jesus with often, if
|
||
ever. More typical is "Teacher", even among His disciples. Clearly these lepers
|
||
are trying to exalt Jesus and humble themselves in the hopes that He will help
|
||
them. Surely they have heard that He has healed lots of people before, possibly
|
||
even other lepers.
|
||
|
||
It is also interesting that Jesus doesn't heal them then and there. Instead, He
|
||
tells them to go show themselves to the priest with the unspoken expectation
|
||
that they will be cleansed by the time they get there. But as they all had
|
||
faith that Jesus could heal them, they go in faith to see the priest. But then,
|
||
one of them sees what happened, and turns back to praise God and thank Jesus,
|
||
and this one was a Samaritan.
|
||
|
||
Jesus expresses disappointment, it sounds like, that the other nine did not
|
||
praise God for their healing too. And then there's a text note on the last
|
||
thing He says to the man: instead of "your faith has made you well", it might
|
||
mean "your faith has saved you". (_v. 19_) Considering that all ten lepers
|
||
were healed, "saved you" makes more sense for Jesus to say to this one who came
|
||
back. We don't know what was in the hearts of the other nine, but this
|
||
Samaritan was grateful for the mercy he was given, and responded appropriately.
|
||
|
||
* * *
|
||
|
||
Give us the faith that saves us, for we are sick and need Your mercy.
|