Thanksgiving has come and gone and a post is long overdue. I was blessed to be able to travel to the east coast to spend some time with relatives (I like them a lot, so spending time with relatives is a good thing for me 🙂 ) during my 5 day break!
Then yesterday I went to my old church downtown which is always refreshing. The sermon was about the ten lepers who were healed. It’s a short passage, so I’ll just post it. It’s from Luke 17:11-19.
“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
The pastor emphasized how people with the disease of leprosy were ostracized. Once the healed men were declared clean by the priest, they were free to go home. (Before that, they were not allowed to come within 150 feet of anyone!) But, instead of going home to his family (who he had not seen in who knows how long?!), this one Samaritan makes the trek from the priest back to Jesus so he could thank and praise Him.
In this passage, the disease of leprosy is an image of sin (though not a result of sin!). It is an image of sin because it is a relationship killing disease that only Jesus can heal. We are all lepers. Our disease has distanced us from others and God. Only if we realize how big of a deal it is that those who believe are healed will we run to Jesus, fall at his feet and give him thanks.
In a society that dives head first into Black Friday with the mentality of “we were thankful yesterday, but today we need more stuff!”, may we not be like one of the ungrateful nine! May we be the one that leaves everything else behind to give thanks and praise to our Savior!
And, here’s a great Mary Mary/ Kirk Franklin song… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9HTXT7TPnI
Walking in Freedom 