BIBLE STUDY for May 2, 2021 By Bill Stahler

Luke 17:11-19

Transforming Gratitude

On Your Own Quick Study Writer- skip this section Read the Scripture passage.

Observe – what is God saying? ● Identify key words or ideas.

● What theme is being expressed?

● Can you summarize in your own words what the passage is saying?

Apply – what are you going to do about it? ● Note some things that initially may be relevant to your situation and how you may be able to apply the passage.

OBSERVE - What is God saying? LUKE 17:11-13 11On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem where he would eventually be crucified. As they were traveling they came upon a small village and as they were about to enter the village they were approached by a group of lepers. Keeping their distance from Him, they called out to Him, saying, “Jesus. Master, have mercy on us.”

This group of men had been forced to live outside of the village due to their disease in order to protect the other villagers. Having been “diagnosed” by the priest as leprous and unclean, they had to leave the village until they recovered from their condition. These men had been drawn together by their mutual affliction. Separated from their families and friends, the only human contact they had was with each other. Their clothes were torn and they were bodies were filthy. They were forbidden from any contact with anyone who was “clean.” Whenever they came near another person they were required to identify themselves as lepers by shouting out “Unclean, unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45-46). The only way that these man were able to communicate with Jesus was from a distance.

Obviously, the men knew who Jesus was. Whether they recognized him when they saw him or had simply heard that he was coming to their village, they knew that Jesus had the power to heal them. They had most likely heard of the acts of healing that Jesus had performed for other people and were desperate for Him to heal them as well.

For Discussion  Why do you think the lepers referred to Jesus as Master?  Why did they ask him to have mercy on them instead of simply asking him to heal them?

LUKE 17:14 14When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

When Jesus saw this group of men he had mercy on them and instructed them to “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Even though their interaction with Jesus was brief, Jesus did respond to their cries for help. Anyone else would have run the other way when these men approached but Jesus had compassion on them when no one else would.

Jesus had given them an instruction, but at this point there was no indication that anything had actually happened to them. Whatever they may have expected from Jesus, their faith was made evident in the fact that they did follow Jesus’ instruction even though their cleansing had not yet occurred. It was not until they had left Jesus and were making their way to see the priests that their cleansing took place. For all of the joy they must have felt, their ordeal was not over yet. Even though they had been healed by Jesus they were still required to show themselves to the priest. Once the priest had declared them clean they would still not be allowed to return to their homes for several days and they were still required to ritually cleanse themselves according to the law (Leviticus 14).

For Discussion  What do you think these men might have expected from Jesus when they cried out to Him?  What do you think these men were thinking when Jesus first told them to go and show themselves to the priests?  What does their obedience to Jesus’ instructions say about this group of men?  Take some time to compare the healing of the ten lepers to the other stories of healing we have discussed in this series.  The healing at the pool of Siloam (John 5)  The man who was born blind (John 9)

LUKE 17:15-19 15Then one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

One of the ten lepers, after realizing that he had been healed, stopped and went back to Jesus praising God and shouting out to anyone who would listen that he had been healed. When he once again saw Jesus he ran up to him and fell on his face at Jesus’ feet thanking him for showing him mercy and healing him. This time the leper was not concerned about keeping his distance. Even though he had not yet been declared clean by the priest, he had to speak to Jesus and was not concerned with “social distancing.”

Luke makes a point to identify this man as a Samaritan. There was a long history of hatred and animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans. Most Jews avoided all contact with Samaritans and viewed them as the enemy in spite of their shared history. Because of the animosity that the Jews held toward Samaritans it is significant that there would be a Samaritan living among a group of Jews. It seems that national, racial, and religious barriers disappeared among these men who were forced to survive together in exile from their families and their communities. Their shared plight seemingly made their differences insignificant.

The fact that this Samaritan was the only man that returned to thank Jesus also illustrates that righteousness was not exclusive to the Jews. In fact, Luke makes reference to the Samaritans more than any other biblical author. Both in this story and the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-27) we see the contrast between the pride of the Jews, specifically the Pharisees, and the humility and compassion of the Samaritan.

Jesus asks the Samaritan what happened to the other nine men that were with him. Verse 14 indicates that all of them had been cleansed of their diseases. Had they not yet realized that they were healed? Were they planning on catching up with Jesus later after they had been declared clean by the priest? Were they so overwhelmed by what had happened that it never even occurred to them that they should return to say thank you? Now that they had been cleansed was it not worth their time to actually say thank you?

Jesus’ next response to the Samaritan was “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” All of the men initially responded in faith and obedience to Jesus’ instruction to go and present themselves to the priest which had led to their cleansing. Their faith had made all of them well, physically. Their bodies were had been cleansed of their diseases and they could now return to their lives and families. But this statement to the Samaritan was meant to convey a greater meaning. The word used hear in the original language could be translated to mean healed, made well, or saved. The King Lames translation uses the phrase “thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Each of the ten men had been healed by Jesus. Their bodies had been healed and they could now resume their lives as normal. But the one who returned to thank Jesus had been transformed and made whole because of his gratitude.

For Discussion  What do you think only one of the lepers returned to thank Jesus?  What reasons might the other nine have had for not returning to thank Him?  Why did Jesus emphasize the fact that the man who returned was a Samaritan?  Apart from his physical healing what did Jesus mean when he said “your faith has made you well”?

APPLY - What are we going to do about it? This passage speaks to the transforming power of gratefulness. While all ten of the lepers were cleansed of their diseases the one who expressed his gratitude to Jesus received a blessing far beyond physical healing.

 How can expressing thankfulness be a catalyst for transformation in someone’s life?

 How have you personally seen thankfulness transform your life or the life of someone else?  In what ways has God blessed you?  Take some time now to return to Him in gratitude and tell Him how thankful you are for all that he has done for you.

Missional Community Application Writer- skip this section Think about your missional community. Is God speaking in some way that might apply? Is there someone who could be encouraged? Is there something God might be leading your missional community to do? Write your thoughts down.

Prayer Writer- skip this section In what ways could God be leading to pray: for yourself, those close to you, those in your missional community, or those who need the salvation of Christ?