Ten Lepers, One Grateful Samaritan – What Does This Mean?

Dear saints, last Sunday we encountered the merciful Samaritan. This week we encounter the thankful Samaritan. He is afflicted with leprosy, a disease that killed the body and separated you from both your family and worship community. Life with leprosy was a lonely proposition, and so you would build something of a community with others like yourself. And this is what we hear this morning: ten leprous men lived in something of a community outside the village that Jesus happens to be entering.

The men stand at a distance and cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Using master indicates they recognize power and authority in Jesus, but not his deity. Jesus looks to them and, bestowing that requested mercy, tells them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” He tells them to perform the duty required of the leper under the Law of Moses. They are to go to Jerusalem, present themselves to the priest, and perform the rituals and cleansing. After this, they may return to their families and again worship in the Temple.

Being told to go, but not being told they would be healed, they turn and begin their journey. And as they went they were cleansed. We are not told how long into the journey they were, and we do not know how long they were clean before they noticed. But we know that, whenever they realized they were healed, nine of them continue on, presumably heading up to the Temple as instructed. But one does not. He turns back and returns to Jesus. He falls on his face at the Lord’s feet and gives him thanks.

Of the ten, only one returns. Nine Jewish men travel to the Temple; the Samaritan returns to the Lord. And looking down at this man, Jesus tells him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

That the man who returns is a Samaritan is shocking on a couple of different levels. First, we recall that Samaritans were looked at as inherently impure by Jews. They were seen as half-breeds. Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But here, a Samaritan has joined nine Jews who shared a condition with him. Despite the prejudices Jews had against them, nine Jews with leprosy were willing to welcome this Samaritan into their group. Their lot was so bad and desperate, they welcomed the company of anyone. Even a Samaritan.

The other is that, of the ten, only the Samaritan recognizes Jesus for who he is. Samaritans only held the first five books of the Bible as authoritative. This may be the reason Jesus tells the woman at the well, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

But recognize Jesus is what this man did. He turned with the other nine to go to Jerusalem. Yet when he realized he was healed, that he was cleansed, he turned back. But instead of calling from a distance, he boldly approaches Jesus and falls on his face at his feet. He gives thanks. He takes the position of worship and praises God.

All this happens as Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, which means he is on his way to the cross. And that reminds us why things like leprosy exist. Without sin, we would not have maladies like leprosy or cancer or deadly viruses. Without sin, we would not die. Without sin, our God would not need to take on our flesh and die in our place to save us. But we have sinned. And, as I have said before, there is no better comparison to our disease of sin than the disease of leprosy.

As I mentioned, leprosy separated you from not only your family but from your worship community. You were unclean under the Law. There was no cure, so it was also a death sentence that would cause you to suffer while waiting.

Sin is similar. It may alienate you from your family, but it always alienates you from your God. It always makes you unclean and unrighteous. It is always fatal. There is no human cure. Like leprosy in the ancient world, it is always and only God that can cleanse you from sin.

All of humanity are like lepers. We are deathly ill with no hope of surviving. We need mercy. The lepers in our lesson this morning call out to Jesus seeking mercy. He shows it to them by telling them to go to Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests there. He shows them mercy by healing them as they turn and go. And yet only one of them returns to him and worships him.

Jesus shows us mercy by taking on our flesh and dying for our sins on the cross. It is a death that forgives the sins of all. Yes, all sin is forgiven by the death of Christ. In the miracle of our text, we see the cleansing power of Christ. But not all realize what mercy has been shown upon our race. Many remain in their condition unaware of what has been done for them. Others are thankless and abuse it. And some fall at the feet of Jesus in worship and thanksgiving.

And that is what we have come here to do this morning. We cry out, “Lord, have mercy!” We listen to his word. We receive and believe him in the absolution. And, in a few minutes, we will fall to our knees before the altar in thanksgiving. There you receive your Lord and Savior and obtain from him forgiveness.

At the end of our lesson, Jesus looks to the cleansed man and says, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.” As you rise from the rail, he tells you to depart in peace. He tells you that you are forgiven. He tells you that he has given you faith and it has saved you. You may go in peace knowing he has made you clean. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD