“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
Miracle #34-
Luke 17:11-14,15-18,19
11 And it came to
pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he
passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he
entered into a certain village, there met him
ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted
up their voices, and said, Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw
them, he said unto them, Go shew
yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went,
they were
cleansed.
15 And one of them,
when he saw that he was healed, turned
back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on
his face at his feet, giving him
thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus
answering said, Were there not ten cleansed?
but where are the nine?
18 There are not
found that returned to give glory to God,
save this stranger.
19 And he said unto
him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath
made thee whole.
11 And it came
to pass, as he (Christ) went
to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Interesting? In the
midst of Samaria, the Samaritans being the
sworn enemies of the Jews, were nine Jews with leprosy! I guess it
makes sense …
they had been ostracised and rejected by their own Jewish brothers and
had
nowhere else to go but into enemy territory.
A bit like David, not
that David had leprosy, but he went and
lived with the enemy for four months (1 Samuel 27:1,7).
12 “And as he
entered into a certain village,
Whenever the word ‘certain’
is used, it always denotes
a fact … a true story.
As with the case of
the rich man in hell (Luke 16:19, 23) …
not a parable but an actual man. And this being so, then
Abraham’s bosom
was also a real place
there met him
ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
off:
Leprosy in the Bible
represents sin which is contagious … and
can be caught off others very easily … just like sin … if you hang
around with
the wrong crowd.
Indeed Dear Reader,
before the shed blood of Christ, we were
all standing far off as well … but have been brought nigh by Christ’s
shed
blood (Ephesians 2:13).
13 And they
lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us.
Interesting? Both the
Samaritan and the leprous Jews, were
outcasts from Israel.
The Samaritans had all
heard all about Jesus through the woman
at the well, with many husbands … and the lepers, knowing that Jesus
was not
accepted in Israel by the authorities, also may have thought they had
an ally
and friend in Jesus.
A good plea for us all
…. saved and unsaved.
I
mean the leprous Jews were well aware of what to do … as they had seen
others
healed the same way. Why not give Jesus a go? After all, they had
nothing to
lose.
Dear Reader, as you know … all
may be saved. Christ rejects no one (Romans 10:13).
14 And when he saw them,
he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests.
Christ was staying within the
bounds of the law with a showing of themselves to the priests.
However this showing would not
be for cleansing but to demonstrate that Christ had ‘done the
deed’.
Christ was now the new high
priest that had replaced the old priesthood … they were now out of a
job. There
was a new boy on the block.
Yes, without knowing, the
priests would have been enacting Christ’s death and resurrection to
come … with
the two birds … one killed over running water and the other dipped in
water and
blood.
This would be followed by
various offerings of oil, and blood, put on the thumb, ear and toe …
signifying
sanctification by blood and anointing of the Spirit.
However their efforts would no
longer be necessary.
Here was an outsider, the
returning Samaritan, recognising that Christ had superseded the law and
the
priesthood, and this man knew that he was in a new dispensation.
Here was a Samaritan not
returning the types and shadows of the law, but turning to the fountain
of all
blessing … Christ himself … with all praise, humility and worship.
And it came to pass,
that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Obedience first them cleansing …
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ then thou shalt be saved … as
with the
jailer (Acts 16:31) …
15 And one of them, when
he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified
God,
Yes, he turned his back on the
priesthood … a wise fellow.
As stated he no longer needed
the Aaronic priesthood as there was a new sheriff, with their authority
and
much more, in town.
Easy peasy! No more complicated
rituals of birds, blood and water.
16 And fell down on his
face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Glorifying God is not found
in churches today … as everyone is pridefully lifting up their eyes to
the
Lord. Thankfulness and glorifying the Lord God is an act of humility
and a
bowing of the head.
Now, unconsciously in people’s
minds, is this … that the man who returned to give thanks was a Gentile
… but
no … he was a Samaritan.
Samaritans
were half-breeds born outside the Jewish race … they were the
ten
cast off tribes of the Northern Kingdom. Calling a Jew a Samaritan
was a
racist insult … and there was probably no greater hatred the Jew had,
than that
of the Samaritans.
Indeed, the Jews blasphemously
called Jesus Christ, the holy God, a Samaritan, as having a “devil”
(John
8:48).
However, the Samaritans show they
were far more compassionate to the Jew than vice versa (John
10:33); and
more accepting that Christ was the Messiah than the Jew (John
4:7; John
4:39-42).
Indeed as this miracle shows, they
are far more grateful, humble and worshipping (John
4:40).
Now the statistics were nine to
one.
So here we have nine
leprous Jews and one enemy of the Jew …
all were healed, but only the Samaritan stranger (Luke 17:18)
was
grateful.
One would think that
the opposite would be true … a Jew,
healed from leprosy, could now enter back into normal Life with his
family, the
synagogue, no more face masks and so on and so on. They should have
been over
the moon shouldn’t they?
They should have been
rushing back to Jesus … grovelling,
thanking and worshipping Christ.
They had just had a
double blessing.
I mean the Samaritan
should have only been half pleased … I
mean … he’d been healed but he could never be accepted by the Jews.
Anyhow, they were all
God’s elect in Jacob (Isaiah 45:4).
However, as Paul said
the more I love, the less I am loved (2
Corinthians 12:15).
17 And Jesus
answering said, Were there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine?
Yes Dear Reader,
Christ invented mathematics … ten minus one
equals nine!
Christ must have felt
like throwing up his hands in absolute
disgust and tearing his hair out … over the nine walk-aways.
But Christ knew who he
was dealing with as he says
“… ye will not come
to me, that ye might have life.” (John
5:40)
18 There are not
found that returned to give glory to
God, save this stranger.
That’s what Christ
called him … a stranger.
19 And he said
unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith
hath made thee whole.”
Today, it the faith of
Jesus Christ that makes us whole … not
our faith (Ephesians 2:8; Galatians 2:16, 20). Back then it was their
own
personal faith (Habakkuk 2:4)
This
miracle reminds is of the commitment and love of Hosea … the prophet
who took
to wife an unthankful prostitute … signifying the LORD God’s love and
commitment to a continuing unthankful Israel.
Christ healed their leprosy but he couldn’t heal their unthankfulness … but he will (Zechariah 12:10)
Harley
Hitchcock
May 2023
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
“JESUS
CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD” (Acts 2:22)
Miracle #35-
Luke 18:35-38,39-42,43
A Calvin free zone
