Luke 17:11-18
Intro: As the nine ran off, they left this tenth leper behind. So eager were they to show themselves to the Priest; to be justified in view of the law; and to get back to their homes, their families, their lives…that they seemed to forget about him. This tenth man, on the other hand, must have learned a thing or two by virtue of his other trials. Where his Jewish friends would, by nightfall, be fully restored in the sight of their friends and all of society, he would never know the same degree of restoration. He couldn’t. Afterall, he was still a “Samaritan”.
I. All ten had received the same grace.
In the words of the Book of Ruth, "the Lord had visited His people". Walking between Galilee and Samaria, Jesus demonstrated that he is not beholden to the boundary lines that are so often established by men. He came into this town where there was this mixed group of Jews and a Samaritan and, having heard their cry, ordered them to go to the Priest so that everything required by God’s law would be fulfilled. And like so many of us would do, these ran off immediately with joy – because to them, this was salvation! God had visited His people and now they would appear whole again. In view of the law, their sickness was gone and they would be “justified”. They could run around, in society with a good conscience and hold their heads high…and to some degree, this is something we all want.
That’s not to say that these men weren’t given faith by Jesus’ command. They were. That’s why they all ‘go’ in response to His Word. In fact, according to the narrative, it wasn’t until after they were some distance along the way that they realized that Jesus had already done what they had asked of them. They responded to the grace of God that came to them in Christ who spoke to them His Word. It’s evident then, that they had faith.
II. But there are two types of faith being taught to us here.
A. First, there is the faith that believes in a God who answers prayer.
This kind of faith grasps that God provides (or, at least can). It understands that God has the ability to heal and make whole. By this faith a man calls out for his daily bread. He cries out for help in His time of need and by this faith, a man will live out His life, understanding that God’s law is good. By this faith he understands the words of Proverbs 3:8 which says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will bring healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones”.
It was this kind of faith that had caused these men to stay on the outskirts of the city, as the law required. It was also this kind of faith that had led these men to indeed, “Go, show themselves to the priest” as was also required by law. And this kind of faith had even led them to hope. It had led them to recognize that, in Jesus, God Himself was visiting His people and that God would be able to do that which they hoped He would do and that which they NEEDED Him to do. And this IS an essential part of faith.
B. But there is another type of faith being taught to us here as well.
This is the faith that returns to the Lord. This is the faith that, having received (as the Apostle says) “all that and more than they could ever think or ask”…this faith considers (along with the Apostle) that all these temporal things and even these momentary afflictions pale in comparison to the glory that is to be revealed when we see and behold our Savior face to face.
The other nine, assumedly, went back to their lives. They were like so many of us who cry to the Lord when we find ourselves in need…who call upon the Lord in our time of trouble…but who, when the trouble is lifted…return without a thought of thanksgiving - to our temporal life. We may do so with a renewed sense of “wanting to treasure every moment” and a commitment to make sure we never “take anything for granted, ever again”, But our focus too often returns to simply, “this life”, and everything temporal becomes the center of our life once again. And, having done this, we’re still missing something. What we’re missing is the faith by which a man “returns to the Lord”. The faith through which our life finds a new center or foundation. The faith by which the Apostle Paul counted “everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. We may have faith that there “is a God”, but we can still lack the faith to “fear, love, and trust in Him above all things”. So, we remain idolaters and this Gospel reading really Shows us Our Sin when it, through these nine lepers, really illustrates our own, constant turning back to the things of this world when we should have first and foremost, returned to the Lord our God. Christ’s words speak to us particularly when we have shoved Him off to the side, saying, “Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God?”. These words still convict a world of their bondage to sin.
III. That’s why we proclaim a God who visits His people.
A. The shepherd goes after the sheep.
The Lord walks into your life like He walked into this town. He comes to do for you what you could not do for yourself without any regard for your nationality, your failures, your misunderstandings and even the mistakes that you’ve made when confronted by forces that were way beyond your control. He comes speaking to you a Word that you might have faith and be saved.
B. The faith that saves is the faith that returns to the Lord who first visits you.
It seeks the Lord while He may be found. It calls upon Him while He is near. AND it is also the faith by which “the sinner forsakes his former ways”. It is the faith by which the idolater counts it all for loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.
This is the faith that sees God, in the face of Christ Jesus, who takes upon Himself the punishment for our sins that God might count our faith in Him - as righteousness. It is the faith, that in the face of the fact that we (like this 10th leper) are still waiting our full restoration, abides in the surpassing worth of knowing the gift of sufficiency that is given freely to us through Christ our Savior – even though we so often get “caught up in the moment” and lose the individual battles against sin. This faith trusts in the gift that counts Christ’s sufficiency – His holiness…His righteousness…to us. This is the faith that saves.
The faith that saves is more than the faith that knows that there’s a “God out there”. Yes, God is, in some sense, “everywhere”. The Psalter, for example, reflects on the fact that there is nowhere that a person can go from God’s presence. “If I ascend to the heavens, you are there. If I make by bed in the depths of Sheol, you are there. Even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me”.
But the faith that understands that God is just everywhere is incomplete and it can even take the form of a pagan heresy called, “pan-theism” – which says that “God is in everything”. That’s not Christian. That’s a pagan theology and with the pagans, the only ‘god’ that you see “everywhere” is the God who (in one season) allows the grass to be green and lush for months – from early in the early Spring to late in October and even late in the fall. Then, in another season, you see the same God causing the light spring grass to brown…never to revive again. This God makes no sense to you. This God that IS everywhere is a God who destroys all evidence of entire civilizations – even good ones! – while wicked ones seem to flourish indefinitely. It’s the God who seems to judge and afflict the Job’s of the world, while letting the heathen thrive age upon age. This God that is everywhere is the God, before whose face, you don’t know what tomorrow will bring and what will happen if it’s ill.
What you need is the God who visits you. You need the God who, in the face of Jesus Christ, not only reveals Himself (despite all the things you seemingly witness to the contrary over the course of time and nature) to be a God who is actually merciful and compassionate. Who is forgiving and who has the power to not only heal and make whole…but who has the power to SAVE YOU from the power that changes the seasons so chaotically and which kills and makes alive with seemingly no rhyme or reason. What you need is God in the face of Jesus Christ, who visits you…even now…NOT EVERYWHERE…but particularly in the place where HE says He will be: In His spoken Word and in His Sacraments. These are the “mysteries of salvation” (as the bible says). These are the “mysteries of salvation” because this (for reasons we cannot fathom) is where God has chosen to place His Name and to be the new Temple in which His people can return to Him. We See our Savior in this Gospel, as the One who comes, that we might see His face, hear His Word and be saved.
THE LORD COMES TO US THAT WE MIGHT HAVE THE FAITH THAT SAVES
Conclusion: So, hear the call through this gospel today to not only recognize where Jesus Himself is, but to return to Him and remain turned to Him. Come once again, to know the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus your Lord. He is not only the One who gives you His law that you might walk in a way of refreshment and healing - turned from the lawless and rebellious ways of the world, He is the One who gives His very body and blood that you might be redeemed and reconciled with God - that you might know a love beyond all love’s excelling…that you might know a life beyond that which is temporal and a power that is directed towards you and for your good – often despite the overwhelming power that you perceive in “everything”. The Lord has come to you in Word and Sacrament that you might return to Him and remain with Him, in the faith that saves. To the glory of His Name. Amen.