Where are the title nine?
Contents
November 08, 2009 Sermon
Text: Luke 17:11-19
11. As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
12. As he entered a village, ten lepers met Jesus and stood afar off.
13. He lifted up his voice and said, “Jesus Teacher, have mercy on us.”
14. And when he saw it, he said, Go, show yourselves to the priests. And they were cleansed as they went.
15. When one of them saw that he was healed, he returned, glorifying God with a loud voice.
16. He fell at the feet of Jesus and gave thanks, for I am a Samaritan.
17. Jesus answered and said to them, Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
18. Has no one returned to glorify God except these Gentiles?
19. And he said to him, “Get up and go, for your faith has saved you.”
Title: Where Are the Nine?
1. We are all lepers.
God sent two angels down to earth and commanded them to gather the prayers of those who are praying for this day. The two angels each carried a large basket and went wherever they prayed. Whether it was a rich family or a poor family, a closet or a church, I went to God with all the prayers of the people. An angel's basket contained very little. The angel's basket with 'supplication' was heavy and overflowing, but the basket with 'thank you' didn't bring much.
In today's text, he asks, 'Where are the nine?' The ten lepers seem to have been the living quarters of Jews and Samaritan lepers. Of course, they are also contagious, but the Jews considered them unclean to God and legally prohibited them from accessing the holy ones and living in isolation. I don't know if some of them have heard of Jesus or whether Jesus has gone near him, but let's think about how they scream in shame when they hear a rumor that they pass by with a desperate belief that they will be healed only if they meet Jesus. ‘Have mercy on us’
2. But only one returned to thank him.
Have pity on me! They wailed with cries of screams. Jesus heard and answered the cry of the forsaken man. ‘Go and show your body to the priest!’ It means to go to the priest with a body that has not yet been healed and to ‘get confirmation that you are seen and healed’.
It was none other than the Samaritan whom the Jews so despised. In 722 BC, when the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria, the Assyrian government took the Assyrians to the land of Samaria and allowed them to live in Samaria. It was people. These Samaritans knew how to appreciate genuine grace, but the Jews were not thankful for their superiority as they were the chosen people. Some of us have hearts like the Samaritans, and there are proud hearts like the nine who rejected us. ‘Where are the nine among you who now say you believe?’ This is Jesus’ sad question. They went their own way without thinking.
It was God's grace that we were healthy and that our family was peaceful. How earnestly do parents who give birth to their children wish their children well? However, if the child says, ‘What have you done for me?’ If the child blames the lack of something, rebels, rejects the parent, and falls in the opposite direction, how empty is the heart of the parent? Likewise, humans betrayed God, coveted God's place, and fell into unrighteous sins, resisting God and indulging in their own will. It is said that God lamented the creation of man. (Genesis 3:17) But God had compassion on that man and loved him so much that he sent his only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear our diseases and iniquities on the cross. (Isa 53:6) God fulfilled the promise of salvation according to His word. Glory to you with true gratitude, and I bless you that your soul and body will be saved, and that you will receive promises in the future as well.