Jesus Mercies Ten Lepers

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

October 13, 2013

Luke 17:11-14

Jesus Mercies Ten Lepers

In the name of Jesus.

I.

They were desparate and they only had one chance to make contact. They weren't allowed into town, so they just prayed that He'd hear them on the road into town. They were a lot of people with Him—the noisy crowd was going to make it harder. But they had to try. He was their only hope.

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:11-13)

It worked. He heard them. But He didn't speak a word of healing or lay His hands on them. Instead, He gave them a strange task—go to the priests.

This was a strange request for two reasons. First, you didn't go to the priests until after you were healed of your leprosy. Jesus was skipping ahead in the elaborate ritual of recognizing a healed leper. Telling them to go to the Temple priests was premature, because they still were lepers.

Secondly, lepers who were healed did not go to the priest; the priest was supposed to go out to the leper (Leviticus 14). If an over-eager leper made a mistake, he'd be bringing contagion into the city, something all lepers were forbidden from doing.

Strange command. But the ten lepers obeyed. Why? They were desparate—what else were they going to do? So they started on their way and on their way they realized that their bodies were no longer falling apart. Their skin was fresh and clean. Their dirty clothes hung over brand new flesh. They were healed!

So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. (Luke 17:14)

Jesus treated the lepers like He treats you—He makes you clean with His Word. And He forgives you because He chooses to give you the opposite of what you deserve. That's mercy. Humans always talk about someone who deserves mercy or those who don't. God doesn't talk that way at all—His mercy is always and only given to the undeserving.

Jesus knew that the other nine were coming back, but He still made them clean. And He mercifully allowed them to stay clean. He didn't re-leperize them when they didn't come back. No, when they showed themselves to the priests as He commanded, they were still clean. Jesus treated them not as they deserved. He mercied them.

And so it is with you. You're falling apart. Some days you can hide it; some days you can't. But every day Jesus comes to you because Jesus didn't come for the deserving, but for the undeserving. And Jesus mercies you. He mercies you by washing you, speaking kindly to you, and feeding you with His holy food.

You cry out, “Lord, have mercy!” And His answer is always the same, “Yes.”

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.