Day 175: Luke 17:11–19

Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (vv. 17–18).

While I ministered in India, I was often stunned by what God empowered me to do. He seemed to raise me above my fleshly senses and allow me to minister in extreme circumstances. Only one thing was I unable to do, and it has haunted me ever since. I had confidently planned to minister in a leper colony. The opportunity didn’t readily arise, but after passing very close to several colonies, I deliberately did not pursue it.

The reason was not unconcern. Rather, I feared I would dishonor them by becoming physically ill. I almost became ill just passing by. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight or the smell. I had been in one squalid village after another without hindrance, but the smell of diseased and decaying flesh was more than I could handle.

I don’t know if God was upset with me, but I was definitely upset with myself. My experience helps me to appreciate this story. Let’s highlight several significant pieces of information shared about the lepers in Luke 17.

1. The lepers were outside the city gate. What could be worse than forced isolation? I can hardly stand the thought of the emotional results of this dreadful disease, especially in an ancient society. The law of Moses said, “As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp” (Lev. 13:46).

Try to imagine what this was like. Oh, beloved, I’m so grateful we never have to stand at a distance from Christ. Not only is He incapable of catching our “disease,” He is never reluctant to embrace us. Who could be more brokenhearted, more crushed in spirit, than these outcasts? Yet in the words of Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” He drew near them with His soothing balm.

2. The lepers cried out in a loud voice. Don’t miss the fact that every word attributed to the lepers is in a “loud voice” (vv. 13, 15). The distance explains their initial volume, but why did the one who returned and fell at Jesus’ feet also cry out in a loud voice?

I’d like to suggest that they were accustomed to having to shout. Leviticus 13:45 is probably as hard for you to read as it is for me: “The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’’”

Because of the nature of this ministry and my own testimony, I encounter many people who live like the ten lepers. They are in bondage either to sin or to the aftereffects of sin. Their voices may be silent, but their expressions cry out: “Unclean! Unclean!” They feel excluded from the pretty part of the body of Christ. Yet they feel their shame is displayed for all to see. My heart breaks every time. These lepers were not just asking for sympathy. They needed someone to change their lives, and Jesus was the One and Only who could.

3. The common condition of the lepers eclipsed their differences. The lepers had to have been a mix of Samaritans and Jews. Christ never would have commented that only a “foreigner” returned with thanks if none of the ten had been Jews. Yet the tragic plight of the lepers gave them far more in common with each other than their differences as Jews and Gentiles. Aren’t we the same way? Before we are redeemed, not one of us is better than the other. We are all in the same sad state—lepers outside the city gate. Lost and isolated. Marred and unclean—whether we’ve lied or cheated, devalued another human being, or committed adultery. Lost is lost. Furthermore, found is found. All of us in Christ have received the free gift of salvation in one way only: grace. When we judge a brother’s or sister’s sin as so much worse than our own, we are like lepers counting spots.

4. The lepers were cleansed during their faith-walk to the priest. I love the way Scripture refers to their healing as being made clean (v. 14). Oh, dear sister or brother, that’s what healing has meant to me. Being made clean! Do you know why I recognize those who wear shame like a cloak? Scarlet letters on their chests? Because I did. But I don’t anymore. Acts 10:15 tells us so clearly, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

You can be fairly certain the village priest had never practiced the purification ritual to pronounce a leper clean. I can almost picture him reading the instructions in Leviticus 14 step by unfamiliar step—like we read a new recipe. What a story he had for the Mrs. that night! Then again, it wouldn’t have been like a woman to miss the parade of ten former lepers dancing their way down Main Street. Finally, note the punch line of the event:

5. One leper returned to give praise to God. I wonder if he tried to get the other nine to come with him. Or if he suddenly stopped in his tracks realizing he hadn’t said thanks, then darted impulsively from their presence to find Christ. The point is, his healing made him think of his healer, not just himself. Sadly, the rest of them never knew Christ except from a distance. When the one returned, he was unrestrained—falling at Christ’s feet and thanking Him.

Just one last thought. I wonder if he was the one with the most spots?