Guest Post by Elder C.C. Tate Sr., Pastor of Bethlehem Church of God in Christ, Patterson, LA
Sermon Date: 08/02/2020 Scripture: Luke 17:11-19
Jesus heals ten lepers.
In the scriptures, we read that Jesus and his disciples were travelling to Jerusalem on the border between Samaria and Galilee when they encountered ten men suffering from leprosy. These men stood at a distance, because, by law, they had to stay far away from people lest they infect anyone with their disfiguring disease. Mosaic Law, enforced by the Jewish religious leaders, declared that lepers were "unclean" and therefore not allowed into the temple to worship God. Not only were they not allowed in the temple, they could no longer live with their families, and were forced to remain outside of the city, most dwelling in caves. They were also required, by law, to cover their faces and cry out "Unclean!" whenever anyone came near.
Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word translated as "face" is the same word to describe "presence". To be a leper was to have one's own presence essentially hidden. Since their faces could not be exposed, they were unknown to others, hidden. Their lives were all about distance. Distance from their religious identity. Distance from their families and community. And they stood at a distance, calling out to Jesus, "Master, have mercy on us!" (vv. 12-13)
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. Mark 1:40-42 KJV
As Jesus heard these men cry out in the distance, he said to them "Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed." (vv. 14) Jesus obviously didn't do this because he was afraid to be near them, after all, he'd already healed one leper by touching him. However, in this instance, Jesus demonstrated that his power to heal is not limited by distance, physical nor spiritual. Sin may sometimes keep us behind a veil and hinder us from finding real intimacy with with God and with others, but Christ has the power to overcome the distance that separates us. That's what he wanted to do for these lepers.
Yet only one of the ten seemed interested in receiving the fullness of what Jesus was offering, and he was a Samaritan. The Jews looked down on Samaritans as a "Half-Breed" race, as "Unclean" outsiders whose inferior spiritual status excluded the from temple worship. But when this Samaritan realized that Jesus had miraculously healed and restored his body, he alone came back, "and with a loud voice glorified God". He threw himself at Jesus' feet "giving him thanks." (vv.15-16)
O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 105:1;136:1 KJV
The Jews grew up constantly hearing about the importance of giving thanks to God. Expressing gratitude was a significant part of their sacrificial rituals. Jewish tradition includes repeating over and over all of the blessings that God had showered on Israel in the past. But perhaps that was part of the problem. As the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson aptly noted, "If the stars come out only once a year, everyone would stay up all night just to watch." We tend to ignore the things that are always present or available to us. It's easy to take those things or people for granted, no matter how wonderful they are. When we're accustomed to material blessings, we hardly count them as blessings until we begin to lose them. Good health, financial comfort, even easy access to life's necessities, we may be so familiar to such blessings that we actually trivialize them, or view them as rights. Have we heard about God's grace so often that it no longer gets our attention?
When Jesus healed these men, he gave them more than physical health, he also restored their independence. Before their encounter with Christ, as lepers, they were prohibited by law from going near non-lepers. They were dependant on charity since they could not support themselves through a trade. But now, these "Unclean" men could reenter society, earn a living, and feed themselves and their families. Before their encounter with Christ, they hobbled around on whatever portions of their feed the disease hadn't eaten away. But now, they could walk unreservedly throughout the village. Before their encounter with Christ, they were locked in the grip of a debilitating disease, but now, they were released from "prison" to start life over in newfound freedom. This made it easy to take the gift and run, rather than go back to Jesus and acknowledge their complete dependence on his mercy and grace.
Tribal groups understand that gratitude is an act of humility, a confession of dependence. When we sincerely thank someone, we are acknowledging the fact that the person did something for us which we could not do for ourselves. A confession like this is a healthy assault on our pride. And more often than not, we don't do it. We don't like admitting that we need others. But here is something to consider. If we can't confess to God our deep need for what only he can do, we'll never be able to receive what we truly need from him. Consider that after the Samaritan went to thank the Lord for healing him, Jesus graciously accepted his gratitude and said, "thy faith has made thee whole." (vv. 19) The Greek text reads, "your faith has saved you", and saved is expressed by the word sozo (so'-zo), which describes how a person is forgiven and placed in the right relationship with God.
Nine of the lepers responded to their healing by running off so the priests could declare them legally "Clean" and, therefore acceptable again to their community. Only one of the lepers, the religious and social outcast, was able to receive the the complete healing that Jesus alone could truly give: the healing of the heart, soul, mind, and spirit. In returning to say "Thank you Lord," the Samaritan leper was the only one to confess that the rest of his life was a gift, entirely due to the One who gave it to him.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
We find it easy to thank God privately, but what about publicly confessing our gratitude to God to others? Our acts of humility are a gift back to Him that He delights in receiving. Afterall, love is a two-way relationship. The more we seek God's presence in our lives, and the more we seek him in prayer and in His Word, the more we will see what he is doing around us, and the more we will feel compelled to give thanks in all circumstances. We will also better understand that he truly desires and takes pleasure in our gratitude. Just as it means a great deal to us when our spouse, child, or friend sincerely thanks us for our everyday acts of love.
But the less we seek God, the less we'll see Him. So when he blesses us with good things, we won't be as likely to think of Him as the source. We will look for more immediate or "present" explanations like "I got the job because of the impressive way I performed at the interview" or "I was healed because I sought the best medical care available". We won't give credit to the Lord because we are not experiencing His presence and confessing our dependence on Him.
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 KJV
Ultimately, we don't have to thank God for Him to bless us. He doesn't give based on who gives him credit. Every good gift that anyone on earth receives comes from Him, whether or not God as the gift giver is acknowledged. Jesus didn't revoke his gift from the nine lepers who failed to thank him. But, when we take his gifts and run, never confessing our gratitude and dependence, we miss out. We miss out on hearing him say "Rise and go, your faith has saved you". We miss out on receiving the fullness of what he desires to give. We miss out on the protection afforded to our family because of the love Jesus has for us. Yet, when we choose to live and breathe with continuous gratitude, we free ourselves to receive the greatest gift of all, an intimate friendship with the Giver himself.
Offering thanks to God begins with words, but like children who grow in appreciation as the mature, so should we be growing expressions of gratitude to the Lord. Give Him your whole life as a sacrifice of thanksgiving, you will experience amazing benefits because you can never outgive God.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:15-16 KJV
Elder Clifton C Tate Sr., a native of Jeanerette, LA, is a Vietnam Veteran and a graduate of Southern University (BR). Elder Tate received his theological training from the Charles Harrison Mason System of Bible Colleges in Lafayette, LA and was ordained as an elder in the Church of God in Christ in 2006.
Elder Tate holds regular church service at Bethlehem Church of God in Christ in Patterson, LA.
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