Gratitude and Faith: The Leper's Transformative Return

 

Summary

In today's passage from Luke 17:11-19, we encounter a profound narrative that speaks to the heart of gratitude and faith. As Jesus travels through Samaria and Galilee, He meets ten lepers who cry out for mercy. Despite the societal norms that would have kept Him away from Samaritans and lepers, Jesus approaches them with compassion. He instructs them to show themselves to the priests, a directive that implies their healing is imminent. As they obey and begin their journey, they are miraculously cleansed. However, only one of the ten, a Samaritan, returns to express his gratitude, glorifying God with a loud voice and falling at Jesus' feet in worship.

This story highlights the stark contrast between feeling gratitude and expressing it. While all ten lepers were undoubtedly grateful for their healing, only one took the time to return and show his thankfulness. This act of returning to Jesus is not just a gesture of gratitude but a profound act of faith and recognition of Jesus' divine authority. The Samaritan's response underscores the importance of not just feeling grateful but actively demonstrating it through worship and praise.

The narrative also serves as a reminder of our own spiritual condition. Just as the lepers were cleansed of their physical ailment, we too have been cleansed of our spiritual leprosy through Christ. This cleansing calls for a response of gratitude that goes beyond mere words, manifesting in a life of worship and service to God. The Samaritan leper's story is a powerful illustration of the transformative power of faith and the necessity of expressing our gratitude to God for His grace and mercy.

Key Takeaways:

- The Power of Obedience: The lepers' healing came as they obeyed Jesus' command to go to the priests. This teaches us that obedience to God's word often precedes the manifestation of His promises. Our faith is demonstrated through our willingness to act on His instructions, even when the outcome is not immediately visible. [09:25]

- Gratitude in Action: True gratitude is not just a feeling but an action. The Samaritan leper's return to Jesus to give thanks illustrates that expressing gratitude requires intentionality. It is a conscious decision to acknowledge God's work in our lives and to honor Him through our actions. [12:17]

- Breaking Social Barriers: Jesus' interaction with the lepers, particularly the Samaritan, shows His willingness to break social and cultural barriers. This reminds us that God's love and grace extend to all, regardless of societal divisions. We are called to emulate this inclusivity in our own lives. [02:59]

- Faith and Healing: The healing of the lepers is a testament to the power of faith. Jesus' statement to the Samaritan, "Your faith has made you well," highlights that faith is integral to experiencing God's transformative power. It is through faith that we receive both physical and spiritual healing. [19:03]

- Worship as a Response: The Samaritan's act of falling at Jesus' feet in worship is a model for how we should respond to God's grace. Worship is the natural response to recognizing God's work in our lives, and it is through worship that we express our deepest gratitude and reverence for Him. [13:18]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:35] - The Encounter with the Lepers
- [01:19] - Jesus' Unconventional Response
- [02:27] - The Journey Through Samaria
- [02:59] - Social Barriers and Jesus' Compassion
- [03:46] - The Isolation of Leprosy
- [04:31] - The Fellowship of the Afflicted
- [05:14] - The Cry for Mercy
- [06:03] - The Fame of Jesus
- [06:49] - The Miracle of Healing
- [07:39] - The Leper's Decision
- [08:33] - The Command to See the Priests
- [09:25] - Obedience and Healing
- [10:13] - The Joy of Restoration
- [10:54] - The Return of the Grateful Leper
- [12:17] - Gratitude vs. Expression
- [13:18] - Worship and Praise
- [14:18] - The Sin of Ingratitude
- [15:17] - The Samaritan's Faith
- [16:10] - Spiritual Cleansing
- [17:04] - Our Response to Grace
- [18:22] - Jesus' Question
- [19:03] - The Leper's Complete Healing
- [20:03] - Conclusion and Reflection

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Luke 17:11-19

Observation Questions:
1. What was the initial reaction of the ten lepers when they saw Jesus, and how did they address Him? [05:14]
2. How did Jesus respond to the lepers' plea for mercy, and what did He instruct them to do? [08:33]
3. What was the reaction of the lepers as they realized they were healed, and how did one of them respond differently from the others? [10:54]
4. What did Jesus say to the Samaritan leper who returned to give thanks, and what does this reveal about the role of faith in healing? [19:03]

Interpretation Questions:
1. Why do you think Jesus chose to instruct the lepers to show themselves to the priests rather than healing them immediately? What does this teach about obedience and faith? [09:25]
2. The Samaritan leper returned to thank Jesus, while the others did not. What might this indicate about the difference between feeling gratitude and expressing it? [12:17]
3. How does Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan leper challenge societal norms and barriers, and what does this teach us about inclusivity in our faith communities? [02:59]
4. In what ways does the story of the lepers' healing parallel our own spiritual journey and the concept of spiritual cleansing through Christ? [17:04]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt grateful but did not express it. What held you back, and how can you ensure you express gratitude more intentionally in the future? [12:17]
2. Jesus broke social and cultural barriers by interacting with the lepers. How can you emulate this inclusivity in your daily interactions, especially with those who are marginalized? [02:59]
3. The lepers were healed as they obeyed Jesus' command. Is there an area in your life where you need to step out in faith and obedience, even if the outcome is not immediately visible? [09:25]
4. The Samaritan leper's act of worship was a response to his healing. How can you incorporate worship and praise into your daily routine as a response to God's work in your life? [13:18]
5. Consider the societal barriers that exist in your community. What practical steps can you take to break down these barriers and extend God's love and grace to all? [02:59]
6. Jesus asked, "Where are the other nine?" How can you ensure that you are not like the nine who did not return to give thanks? What specific actions can you take to show gratitude to God and others this week? [18:22]
7. The story of the lepers highlights the transformative power of faith. Identify an area in your life where you need healing or transformation. How can you actively seek God's intervention and trust in His timing? [19:03]

Devotional

Day 1: Obedience Precedes Blessing
Obedience to God's word often precedes the manifestation of His promises. In the story of the ten lepers, their healing came as they obeyed Jesus' command to go to the priests. This act of obedience, even before they saw any evidence of healing, demonstrates a profound trust in Jesus' words. It teaches us that our faith is often demonstrated through our willingness to act on God's instructions, even when the outcome is not immediately visible. This principle is a reminder that God's timing and methods may not always align with our expectations, but His promises are sure. [09:25]

"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine." (Exodus 19:5, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you feel God is calling you to obey, even if the outcome is uncertain? How can you take a step of faith in that area today?


Day 2: Gratitude Requires Intentionality
True gratitude is not just a feeling but an action. The Samaritan leper's return to Jesus to give thanks illustrates that expressing gratitude requires intentionality. While all ten lepers were undoubtedly grateful for their healing, only one took the time to return and show his thankfulness. This act of returning to Jesus is not just a gesture of gratitude but a profound act of faith and recognition of Jesus' divine authority. It underscores the importance of not just feeling grateful but actively demonstrating it through worship and praise. [12:17]

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High." (Psalm 50:14, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent blessing in your life. How can you intentionally express your gratitude to God for it today, beyond just feeling thankful?


Day 3: Breaking Barriers with Love
Jesus' interaction with the lepers, particularly the Samaritan, shows His willingness to break social and cultural barriers. Despite the societal norms that would have kept Him away from Samaritans and lepers, Jesus approaches them with compassion. This reminds us that God's love and grace extend to all, regardless of societal divisions. We are called to emulate this inclusivity in our own lives, reaching out to those who may be marginalized or different from us. [02:59]

"For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26, 28, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community or life might be feeling marginalized or excluded? How can you reach out to them with the love and grace of Christ this week?


Day 4: Faith as a Path to Healing
The healing of the lepers is a testament to the power of faith. Jesus' statement to the Samaritan, "Your faith has made you well," highlights that faith is integral to experiencing God's transformative power. It is through faith that we receive both physical and spiritual healing. This narrative encourages us to trust in God's ability to heal and restore, even in situations that seem beyond hope. [19:03]

"And Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way." (Mark 10:52, ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you need healing or restoration? How can you actively place your faith in God's power to transform that situation?


Day 5: Worship as a Response to Grace
The Samaritan's act of falling at Jesus' feet in worship is a model for how we should respond to God's grace. Worship is the natural response to recognizing God's work in our lives, and it is through worship that we express our deepest gratitude and reverence for Him. This story reminds us that our lives should be marked by worship and praise, acknowledging God's goodness and mercy in all circumstances. [13:18]

"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." (Hebrews 13:15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate worship into your daily routine as a response to God's grace in your life? What specific actions can you take to make worship a priority?

Quotes

"Now it happened as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as he entered a certain village, there met him ten men who were lepers who stood afar off and they lifted up their voices and they said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.' When he saw them, he said to them, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests,' and so it was that as they went, they were cleansed." [00:18:50]

"Jesus went against that convention and decided to go directly through Samaria. We read in verse 12, as He entered a certain village, He met ten men who were lepers who stood afar off. Now we know, of course, that once you had been diagnosed with leprosy in ancient Israel, you suffered the worst of all possible kinds of quarantines; not a quarantine that would last a week or were two weeks, but it would be a quarantine that would last for the rest of your life." [00:03:27]

"Unless by some marvelous means, you were cured of that leprosy, you were sentenced to a solitary life removed from the community, removed from your family, removed from the religious institutions of your day. You were a social pariah and the only fellowship that you could have with other human beings would be with other lepers and so there were reasons why lepers gathered together in groups such as this group of ten, because that was the only companionship that they could possibly enjoy." [00:04:08]

"Now the response of Jesus here is quite unusual. On the other occasions where we see people who are afflicted and suffering coming up to Him, Jesus will reach over and touch them and heal them, lay His hands upon them or even in the moment, just say, 'Be clean!' and instantly they were healed, but that's not how He did it this time. It said when He saw them, He said to them, 'Go show yourselves to the priests.'" [00:08:16]

"Well, obviously, they hadn't been cleansed yet, but they obeyed, and they started to go to visit the priest in obedience to the command of Jesus. And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. Again, not when they just first saw Jesus, but after they started on their journey to see the priest, while they were walking along the road, all of a sudden, their fingers are becoming whole. Their toes are being healed and the horrible sores on their body were vanished." [00:09:39]

"But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned. Imagine ten lepers in a group, watching each other suddenly being made whole. They can't wait to get to the priests because they know if they go to the priests and the priests pronounce them clean, then in that moment, they can go home again. They can see their wives again. They can embrace their children again. They can go to church again, so they're saying 'Let's go! Hurry up!' and one says 'Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait.'" [00:10:54]

"See, beloved, it's one thing to be grateful. It's something altogether to show it, to manifest it, to do gratitude. Feeling and doing are not the same thing. But this man was steadfast, and he said 'Fellows, we may never meet again. We spent all this time together in misery. I've enjoyed your company in misery, but you guys go ahead. I'm going back.' So Luke tells us, he returned and again, with a loud voice; not quietly, not subtly, not embarrassingly, not with a whisper; again, his voice is raised for what? To glorify God." [00:12:29]

"The reason why they are ungodly and unrighteous is they suppress the truth of God that He reveals to every man, leaving them without an excuse and then he goes on to say knowing God, they did not honor Him as God, neither were they grateful. Now the two sins, the primary sins, the most basic of all sins, the root of every other sin, those two sins for which every human being in his natural, unconverted state is guilty of, are refusal to honor God as God and ingratitude toward God." [00:14:18]

"If a person is truly grateful, he shows it and he shows it in worship and in service to God. That's the part of this passage that I said is so precious: The response of the man who was healed. With a loud voice, he glorifies God and he fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus, giving Him thanks and then by the way, it says he was a Samaritan. A leper, strike one. A Samaritan, strike two. A social outcast, strike three, who fell at the feet of Jesus to thank Him." [00:15:49]

"Now there's nobody in this room this morning who at sometime in his or her life has not suffered from spiritual leprosy. We are by nature lepers and the God of all mercy and grace, through His beloved Son has made us clean, if it be that we are in Christ Jesus, so we shouldn't need to eat Pringles in order to shout our thanksgiving to Him or to fall at His feet in honor, adoration and worship. This is why we're here. We've been made clean, and we come to give praise and we come to give thanks." [00:17:04]

"So Jesus answered and said, 'Am I having a problem with my math? Did I not just heal ten? Where are they? Where are the other nine?' 'Well, sir, they're on their way to the priest like you told them.' 'Yes, but you came back to say thank you. You came back to give honor. You came back to praise God. Where are the rest? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?' He's speaking to the man and the man's still on the ground and now Jesus said to him, 'Arise. Go your way. Your faith has made you well.'" [00:18:04]

"Now this poor leper was really clean. Now he was really free to go. Now he could go on his way. He could see the priest, he could see his wife, he could see his kids, he could see his friends, he could see his rabbi because the Lord Jesus Christ cleansed him. You see it? It's your story. It's my story and it's God's story. How do you show your thanks to Christ? How do you give glory and honor to your Redeemer? That's what we're about, saying thank you." [00:19:24]

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Transcript
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