Where Are the Other Nine?

Luke 17:11-19

Key verse 17:17

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”  

In this passage, we learn the importance of giving thanks and praise to God for his grace upon our lives. We also learn that we can experience God’s power when we walk by faith rather than sight.  May God help us through this passage to think about the true meaning of thankfulness.   

Part I. Go, Show Yourselves to the Priests (11-14)

Look at verses 11-12.  Once there were ten men who had leprosy living on the border between Galilee and Samaria because they were not welcome in either region.  These men lived truly tragic lives. Not only did they have an incurable disease that disfigures the body, but the disease also made it impossible for them to have fellowship with healthy people. Leviticus 13:45-46: “The person who has 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!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”  These men could not get married—or, if they had been married, they had to leave their families behind; they could not have children; they lost all their friends.  They could not attend worship services, weddings, or any other social events. Even animals are loved by their owners, but lepers were unloved. 

Look again at verses 12 and 13: “As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’” Somehow these men heard that Jesus was passing through the border of Samaria and Galilee and they realized that this was their chance to be healed. The problem was finding a way to get to Jesus.  As lepers, they could not just walk into town.  So they watched and waited for Jesus to come.  When they saw him, they all stood at a distance, and perhaps one of them said, “O.K. boys, here we go. On the count of three: one, two, three!” Then they all shouted in one voice as loud as they could, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  Their shout came to Jesus’ ears loud and clear. These men looked so pathetic, but their cry was heart-moving. 

Look at verse 14a: “When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’”  Jesus had pity on these ten men. In compassion, he told them to “go.” Until now, these men were stuck in a no-man’s land between two societies that did not want them. For them, there was no place to go.  But Jesus told them to go and step out of their hopeless situation. This command presented them with the opportunity to turn their hearts from hopelessness to hope by faith. 

Where should they go? Jesus told them to go to the priests. According to the thirteenth chapter of Leviticus, anyone who is healed of an infectious skin disease must be examined by the priests and pronounced “clean” before they could be admitted back in to the community.  

The only problem was that they still had leprosy. Jesus told them to go to the priests, but they were still the same. What Jesus said sounded totally unreasonable. In fact, it was even dangerous. What would happen to them if ten lepers tried to go into a town to see a priest? They would surely be driven out of the town—perhaps people would even stone them. Even though their lives were miserable, they did not want to die by stoning.  But Jesus wanted them to have faith in him if they really wanted to get healed. They had faith to come to Jesus, but did they have faith to take him at his word and go to the priest even though they were still leprous?  Yes, they did.  They overcame the visible reality and common sense and trusted in Jesus.  Their journey to the priests was their practical expression of faith.  This shows us what kind of faith Jesus is looking for.  True faith is not just a feeling or a conviction in our hearts, but true faith comes with action.  By actually walking to the priests, the ten men with leprosy showed that they truly had faith in Jesus.    

Look at verse 14b: “And as they went, they were cleansed.” The lepers took Jesus at his word and set out to go to the priests even though they were not healed yet. God blessed their faith and healed them as they went. This shows us that the way to experience God’s power is to walk by faith in his words rather than sight.  

There are numerous stories in the Bible of people who experienced God’s power when they walked by faith rather than sight, such as the story of General Naaman in 2 Kings chapter 5, or the story of Jesus’ disciples. The disciples were mostly humble, uneducated fishermen from Galilee, but after his death and resurrection, Jesus commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:18-20).  This command was totally impossible for them to obey, especially since they were regarded as a dangerous sect by the religious authorities and had to watch out for persecution.  But when they obeyed, Jesus gave them power and authority to preach the kingdom of God to all nations on earth.  

Since that time, countless Christians have experienced the power of God when they walked by faith and not by sight. There is a missionary in Germany who once faced the prospect of being kicked out of Germany because the German government refused to renew his visa.  It looked impossible for him to stay in Germany, but God gave him faith based on Mark 11:22-23: “‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’”  With this word in his heart, he stood in front of the German immigration building and began to make motions as if he were picking up a mountain and throwing it.  When the guards saw him, they thought he was crazy and escorted him away. But he didn’t give up. Day after day, he came and made the motion of throwing the mountain. Finally, one day, a German official became curious and came to him and asked him what he was doing. When the German heard what he was doing and why, he decided to grant the visa request.  

When we walk by faith, we too, can experience God’s power in our lives. “As they went, they were healed.” As we go by faith, we can be healed, too.  Sometimes, we become totally paralyzed by our sins and think that we are hopeless.  Or, we become powerless because we experience failures in serving God.  For example, in Downey UBF we pray to pioneer all the campuses in this area, but we often experience disappointments and rejection as we do this work.  How can we be healed of these sicknesses and wounds?  Like the men with leprosy, we, too, can experience God’s power when we walk by faith in the word of God. If we suffer from condemnation, we must give thanks to God for complete forgiveness in Jesus Christ, for Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If we are powerless in serving God’s flock, we must go out to the campuses by faith in Jesus who says in Matthew 28:19b: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  When we walk by faith in God’s word like this, we will experience his power and healing. We must walk by faith in God’s word rather than based on our feelings, other peoples’ opinions, or the visible reality.  May God help us to walk by faith in Jesus’ word rather than sight.

Part II.  Where are the other nine? (15-19)

Look at verses 15-16: “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.”  

When one of the ten men with leprosy saw that he was healed, he stopped going to the priests, turned around, and went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice as he went.  Can you imagine what this experience was like for him?  What was it like to look down and see that your diseased skin was totally clean and smooth?  What joy filled his heart? This was the happiest moment of his life.  All the sorrow and pain that had piled up in his heart through many years as a leper was now transformed into an overwhelming storehouse of joy.  The only thing he could say was, “Thank you, God! Praise you, God! I love you!  You have been so good to me.”  He had to sing God’s praise in a loud voice: “Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim! Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to his holy name! Sound His praises! Jesus, who bore out sorrows! Love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong! Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of his excellent greatness. Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!”  

Have you ever experienced God’s grace in this way? I know that there are many among us who were once like this leprous man because of our sin, but God had mercy on us and cleansed us. One man I know experienced God’s grace deeply through Romans 1:5, which says: “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” Through this verse, and the encouragement of a servant of God, this man heard God’s calling to be a Bible teacher for college students.  At first, he did not want to serve God like this, but after making a decision to obey God’s calling, he found truly great joy.  He realized that God had prepared him for this mission, and in serving God this man found great joy—so much that he often sang songs of praise to God as he was walking along.  When we experience God’s grace like this, it is natural for us to praise God with thankful hearts.  

Yet, not all people are thankful to God.   Look at verses 17-18: “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’”

Jesus was disappointed to see that only one out of the ten who were cleansed came back to give praise to God. He asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”  Jesus expected that all ten lepers should have come back, praising God in loud voices.  Yet it seems that they had totally forgotten about Jesus; they were nowhere to be seen. Where were they? We don’t know for sure; it is reasonable to guess that they were still on their way to the priests to be officially declared “clean,” but instead of walking, they were probably now running. They, too, were full of joy, but unlike the man who came back, their joyful thoughts were not directed to God. They were probably thinking about how wonderful their lives would be once they were declared “clean.” They thought about going back to their family and friends, about eating delicious food again, about living in a nice house, about marriage and children and many other such things that they could enjoy now that they were healed.  Yet it seems that they forgot one thing in their joy over being healed—they forgot the Healer.  Their joy was self-focused rather than God-focused, and as a result they ended up disappointing Jesus. What is most shocking is that it was not just one or two of them, but nine out of ten.  If this statistic is representative of the whole world, it suggests that the overwhelming majority of people who experience God’s grace are ungrateful.  In fact, these nine can represent the Jews who were chosen and saved by God but who did not welcome Jesus.  

Jesus asked, “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  Since they were living on the border between Galilee and Samaria, the ten lepers included both Jews and Samaritans.  Normally Jews and Samaritans did not associate with each other, but these men formed their own leper’s society. The Jews always looked down on the Samaritans.  Once, when some Jews wanted to insult Jesus, they said to him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon possessed?”  The Jews were so proud of their heritage as “God’s people.” Yet Jesus noted that none of the Jews who were healed came back; only the Samaritan.  Jesus’ point is that it was those who were supposed to be closest to God who were least thankful for God’s mercy. 

“Was no one found to return and give praise to God…?”  The Samaritan man expressed his thankfulness to God and Jesus not just in words, but in actions.  He turned back and came to Jesus; he bowed down at Jesus’ feet; he shouted praises to God in a loud voice.  This man’s thankfulness produced a clear and visible change in his behavior—he turned back and came to Jesus.  What about the other nine? There was no visible evidence of their thankfulness. Were they thankful for anything?  Surely, they were thankful that they could return to their old way of life.  They were thankful that they could enjoy the pleasures of this world again.  In fact, it is very likely that the other nine were thankful because they could enjoy their sin freely once again, for their hearts were fixed on enjoying their lives rather than praising God.  What do you think true thankfulness to God is?  True thankfulness is not just a feeling in your heart; it produces a real change in your life.  Surely, like this Samaritan man, those who are truly thankful to God turn around and go to Jesus.  

The proper response to God’s mercy upon our lives is to return and give him praise. When we praise God, we fulfill the purpose for which God healed us. God does not heal us just to make life more comfortable; he heals us so that we might know his grace and have a personal relationship with Him. As we praise God and give thanks to God, we build up a close relationship with Him.  When we study the Bible, especially the history of the Israelites in the Old Testament, the one thing that made God sorrowful again and again was the ingratitude of the Israelites. God rescued them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey, but they quickly forgot about his grace.  In fact, one of the fundamental sins of mankind is ingratitude. Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  

Whenever we are in distress, we always cry out to God for mercy, but after God helps us, we forget everything. We are like the nine lepers who were healed and then kept on going never to see Jesus face again.  When this happens, Jesus looks around and says, “Where is Jonathon?”  But many times Jonathon is nowhere to be seen; he is too busy enjoying God’s grace to remember God, and this makes Jesus sad. 

Jesus’ words, “Where are the other nine?” convict me of my ingratitude to God.  Instead of spending time praising God, I spent all my time working, studying, and spending time with my family; I was so busy living my life that I have only by God’s grace, that I forgot about God himself.  But the fact is that I have so much to praise God for.  Above everything else, God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for my sins; by his wounds, I have been healed. This is my greatest thanks topic, but I have taken this for granted and not given thanks to God. In addition to this, God has given me the mission to be a shepherd for college students, and serving this mission gives my life meaning and direction.  On top of this, God has also blessed me with a beautiful wife and daughter, and I am so thankful for them—but I forgot to give praise to God.  I also have a wonderful family in Christ here in Downey UBF.  God has blessed my life and shown me mercy in countless ways that when I actually stop to think about it, it is completely amazing.  I am so ashamed of my ingratitude to God; I am ashamed that I am among the nine who didn’t come back.  But I thank God for this passage and my prayer is that I may now come back to Jesus with praise and thanksgiving for all God has done for me.  May God help all of us to come back to Jesus and give him praise and thanks for his grace.  

Look at verse 19: “Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”  Jesus blessed this man with an acknowledgement of his faith. In Genesis 15, when Abraham believed God, God credited to him as righteousness. John 3:16 says that those who believe in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. This man was a Samaritan, but Jesus accepted his faith and encouraged him to go in peace. Surely this man would see Jesus again in the kingdom of God. Because of his thankful heart, he received the greatest blessing—far greater than his physical healing; he could be assured that Jesus knew him and accepted him. 

In conclusion, from this passage we learn the importance of being thankful and giving praise to God for his mercy upon our lives. May God help us to remember his grace and give Him praise.

One word: Where are the other nine? 

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