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Where_are_the_other_nine.hwp|
2011 English Service Luke 17:11-19 Key verse 17:17 WHERE ARE THE OTHER NINE? "Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?’" Jesus is joyful and blesses the one man who comes back to thank and worship him. But he is disappointed with the other nine. Like these men we have been healed of our sin by Jesus and given a relationship with Jesus. Let’s learn from this one man and thank God for his grace in our lives. Let’s begin with verses 11 and 12; ‘Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance…’ Jesus was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee. This was the land between the Jews and the Samaritans who hated each other. Therefore it was a place no one wanted to live in but a community of lepers was living there. Leviticus 13:45-46 teaches us how lepers had to live. They should have torn clothes, unkempt hair, cover the lower part of their face and shout ‘Unclean, unclean!’ Because they were unclean they had to stay outside the camp away from other people and from the holiness of God. The main symptom of leprosy is skin lesions which are like cuts to the skin. Leprosy damagesthe skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. These men were suffering, isolated from their communities, families and friends and living in poverty. They led miserable, lonely, and hopeless lives. But one day, these men had heard about Jesus. They must have been very excited when they saw him passing. Look at verse 13 ‘…and called out in a loud voice, Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ Look at verse 14a; ‘When he saw them, he said, Go, show yourselves to the priests.’The lepers were infectious. The law said that they must not go into the village and that the only reason to go to the priests was if they were already healed. If Jesus had come over and touched them or commanded the leprosy to leave them, they would have found it much easier to obey. But verse 14b says; "And as they went, they were cleansed."The lepers obeyed Jesus’ words and went. They didn’t argue but accepted Jesus’ word by faith. As they turned to go,the leprosy left them and they were healed. The lesions on their skin disappeared and they regained their sense of feeling. They shouted for joy. It was the best day of their lives. Look at verses 15 and 16; "One of them,when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him— and he was a Samaritan."One of the lepers came back to Jesus and threw himself at his feet to thank him. He was a Samaritan. What did Jesus say? Let’s read verse 17 together. "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" Jesus had completely changed the lives of all ten lepers, so they should all have come back and thanked him. But only the Samaritan did so. Jesus asked "Where are the other nine?" "Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Jesus was glad to hear the thanks fromthe one man but disappointed with the nine who forgot to thank God and went on their way. Why did the nine not come back? We don’t know. Maybe they thought that they were healed by something else or that their condition was not very serious in the first place. Maybe they thought that because Jesus did not actually do anything to them their healing was just a coincidence. Whatever the reason, when they had what they wanted, they left. They were like a child who is excited about gifts but then forgets all about the giver. The problem of the nine was ingratitude. This is the root of sin. Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden because she was ungrateful to God for all he had given her. In the Old Testament, God saved Israel and constantly helped them but because they were ungrateful, they repeatedly forgot what God had done and fell into complaint and unfaithfulness. As Bible teacher, we can live a very busy life. We study and serve students with Bible study. Some of us have full time jobs. So, it is easy that we live busy, forgetting God’s grace. We must give thanks to God by stopping what we are doing and taking a moment of remembering his grace. Thankfulness is fundamental to our lives of faith. By giving thanks, we invite Jesus into our life. The Samaritan thanked Jesus, and then Jesus became his saviour. Jesus saved his physical life and also spiritual life. Jesus became his father and true object of worship. The Samaritan is given a new life in Jesus. He is not a foreigner but a citizen in the kingdom of God. The other nine lepers, though they received physical healing, their lives had nothing to do with Jesus. As time goes by, all of them eventually died in their sins. Secondly, thanksgiving is God’s will. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually;give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Giving thanks is a matter of commitment. As man and woman commit themselves to each other through marriage, we need to be committed to thanksgiving. It means practically we give thanks in all situations. When we wake up early in the morning by loud alarm clock and it is still dark outside, we give thanks. It’s because we are healthy enough to get out of the bed and walk. There are many people who long to get out of their hospital bed but can’t. When the traffic light just turns red when we try to cross the road, we give thanks. Because God controls everything and it is good for us to stop and wait. When we go to a restaurant and the food is too salty, or not seasoned at all, we still give thanks to God for food. When we have cold, flu, or pounding headache, we give thanks, as it is God’s will. When we give thanks even in those seemingly unhappy and unjoyful circumstances, God fills our hearts with joy, the joy that the world does not know or understand. It is challenging to give thanks in all circumstances. But when we deny our natural response – grumbling or complaining, God shows his way to us. Pastor Merin Carother served as Chaplain in the army. One day, one of his officiers, Ron, came to his office. Her wife, Sue, was adopted very young and didn’t know her real family and depended on her husband Ron. The problem was that Ron was going to Vietnam soon. She was so much discouraged and scared of being alone. She said, "Chaplain, I’m scared. I can’t live without Ron." Chaplain challenged them with Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" He asked Sue to give thanks that she is lonely and Ron is going far away to Vietnam. It was very difficult, but they accepted Romans 8:28 and thanked God for their seemingly bad luck. To make a long story short, Sue met her real families through this. They learned how to entrust their lives to Jesus and experienced God’s miracle. When we give thanks, we learn God’s wonderful leading in our life. I have many things to thank God for. I serve in London chapter as Bible teacher and work as an IT developer for Barclays bank in UK. God blessed me so abundantly spiritually and practically. Yet I confess that my thanksgiving was conditional. I didn’t give thanks in all circumstances. But when I look back on my life, many of God’s blessings came in a way I could not understand and appreciate. When I was in a first year at University, I met a girl I thought I loved. Yet she didn’t like me and broke my heart. God used this unhappy event to humble me and I started studying the Bible and eventually met Jesus. Instead of a girl’s love, I received Jesus’ love and eternal salvation. When I finished my study, there was an economic crisis. I couldn’t get a job for two years, but because of this, I was able to get government sponsorship for my computer programming course. After the course, I applied for a job in London and went to UK as missionary in 1999. God used the obviously bad thing – joblessness – to lead me to UK for his mission. When my plan failed, God’s plan worked. When the situation is seeminglynot good, it is actually time to give thanks all the more. In all circumstances whether they are seemingly good or bad, we have reason to be thankful. I praise God who leads one’s life in the best way in his sovereignty. In conclusion, Jesus was joyful because one man came back and thanked him but disappointed with the nine who failed to give thanks. So let’s take a moment in the middle of our busy life and thank, worship and praise Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Amen |
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