The story of the healing of the ten lepers, 17:11-19, is the third episode of six dealing with Jesus' teachings on the coming of the kingdom, 16:14-18:14. In the previous episode, 17:1-10, Jesus warns his disciples of the danger of causing "one of these little ones to sin". The "little ones" are God's children, Christ's brothers. They could be new believers or weak believers, but probably just believers. The "sin" is law-righteousness, pharisaism - the corrupting idea that right-standing in the sight of God is somehow maintained, even improved, by obedience to the law. Then follows a saying on forgiveness - an impossible law to keep, but easily received. The disciples call for faith to do, but Jesus offers them a faith to receive. Such a faith can be weak and insignificant, but it does have the power to activate God's forgiveness. Luke, in our passage for study, illustrates the one law that we must obey, the obedience of faith. Such faith is a reliance on Jesus for salvation. The amazing thing is, that an irreligious outcast is the one who responds with a faith focused on Jesus and it is this faith which saves him. "The story reveals that faith properly conceived is faith in Jesus", Frederick Danker.

v11. The healing took place on ("midst" AV., Gk. "between") "the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee", NEB. Luke has retained the geographical notes that went with this story while continuing with his overall theme of Jesus journeying to Jerusalem.

v12-13. As Jesus is heading toward a village, he is spied by "ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease", NJB, probably leprosy. The men are obviously gathered well away from the village. When they see Jesus they begin to shout out to him for mercy, for healing; they see in Jesus their only hope, and on him they rest. That is, they have faith in Jesus.

v14. Jesus tells them to have their condition inspected by the priests. This is proper practice, for they cannot return to their community and participate in its religious and cultural life unless they are declared free of their skin disease. Jesus actually tells them to go before they are actually healed, but as they head off, they are "cleansed". The command to "go" may be a test of faith, but is most likely just a practical directive; they have already expressed faith in asking.

v15-16. Out of the ten, the Samaritan, the hated outcast, is the only one to return to Jesus and worship him. The point is not that faith without thanksgiving is powerless to save. This would make thanksgiving a work which our salvation would depend on it. Nor is the point of the story that we should always be thankful when confronted with God's grace; of course we should, but this is not the point of the incident. The Samaritan's response simply illustrates a saving faith, a faith that rests wholly on Jesus for salvation. Faith in Jesus, for God's eternal acceptance, is the one necessary act of obedience required of broken humanity. The Pharisees always argued that law-obedience is the way to maintain and advance a person's standing with God, but in this little story a "foreigner" reminds us that God makes only one demand of us, faith in Jesus.

v17-19. Jesus observes that the only one to return to him and give God thanks and praise is a "foreigner", an outcast of Israel. His faith has saved him ("saved" is better than "made well").

I remember taking a school Bible lesson on this passage. The prepared lesson took the standard moralizing line. I was to instruct the children that like the Samaritan, we must be thankful for the blessings God gives us. If we want to be Jesus' friend we must be willing to come to him with a thankful heart. I wonder if a demand to be thankful could imply that salvation depends on thankfulness. Could a child make this link? In the end, the weight of this type of moral demand must inevitably condemn, even condemn the simple heart of a child. I fear such moralizing has led many a "little one" astray.

Be thankful! We should be thankful to God, for we have much to be thankful about, but linking thankfulness with a saving faith is dangerous, to say the least. By doing that we imply that faith, by itself, is not enough to save.

The thanks and praise of the Samaritan was a natural response to the free and undeserved mercy of God which was his in Christ, just for the asking. He didn't earn the kindness of God. He just asked for it and it was freely given. He knew he couldn't earn it, he was an outcast, a Samaritan. So, having accepted God's grace, thanks and praise was his natural response.

Yet, the thankfulness of the Samaritan is not the point of the story. The point of the story lies in the return of the Samaritan to Jesus, yes, a return to give thanks, but in particular, a return to Jesus. The story teaches a simple truth, faith saves us, or as Jesus said to the Samaritan, "your faith has saved you", but what type of faith? What type of faith can say to a mulberry tree, "be uprooted and planted in the sea" and it would obey us? Yes, a mustard seed faith, full of doubts, questions, hesitation, but still, what type of faith? Is it a thankful faith? No, not at all! The story of the thankful Samaritan makes the point that a saving faith is a faith in Jesus. How simple is that?

The living God offers us the gift of eternity. This gift is ours for the asking. All we have to do is ask Jesus; trust Jesus for salvation.

1. Why did Jesus say "go"?

2. What is the point of only the Samaritan returning to give thanks?

3. Define the "faith" Jesus says the Samaritan has.