Lutheran Brethren Church of Nampa

What is faith? What is the faith that Jesus speaks so highly of all about? What is the content of faith should be. This story isn’t just about a group of lepers that are miraculously healed; this is the story of the difference between this one Samaritan’s faith and the faith of the others. It’s presenting to us ten lepers, among whom only one received that essential blessing from Jesus, “Your faith has made you well.”

Reaching Across the Border

Right at this moment, Jesus is on the border between Samaria and Galilee. He’s right at the border between the unclean Samaritans and the clean Jews. And as he was entering into a village, ten leprous men, standing a distance away, met him and cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” In other words, these lepers were living their lives the way any person with leprosy ought to have lived in this day and age. They’re living outside of the city. They’re not allowed to live in and amongst everyone else for fear that their disease would spread; that their uncleanness would spread to others and make them unclean. It was a painful existence even apart from the pain of the disease itself, because it meant that you could not enjoy the company of the other people in the city. You could not join in with them on their daily affairs, eat with them, go to the market with them. You had only the companionship of the other, miserable lepers who lived with you far away from everyone else. And, these guys, if they want to talk to someone, they have to stand well far away from them for the very same reason. And so, in this borderland, we also see – in this exchange between Jesus and the lepers – we see Jesus reaching out across the border between the unclean and the clean. He, the clean, spotless lamb extending mercy toward the unclean, leprous outcasts.

Reaching for Mercy

So, the lepers ask Jesus for mercy. Mercy, to be healed from this terrible, progressive, wasting disease. Mercy to be restored to health. Mercy to be restored to society. Mercy to be restored to worship in God’s temple. And without a moment’s hesitation, Jesus grants them this mercy. And here’s another thing I want you to notice about this event, and that’s the way Jesus does the healing. Here, just like so many of the other healings Jesus performs, this healing is accomplished in an entirely different way than the others. What’s interesting about this is that he merely tells them to present themselves to the priests. That’s it. No command telling the disease to flee from them, no laying on of hands. Just, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.

And so, at those simple words, Jesus accomplishes complete healing in all ten of the lepers. The healing occurs while they’re on their way. So, as the priest would look them all over to see if there’s any sores or blemishes left on them, if he didn’t find any, he’d pronounce you clean. After that, they’re free to rejoin society, worship at the temple, and all the other things you couldn’t do as a leper. At that command, Jesus is telling these men to go, and while you’re on the way, you’ll be made fit to present yourself to the priest.

Reaching for Salvation