Where are the Other Nine?

Luke 17:11-19

Key Verse 17:17

This passage teaches us the way to overcome the power of sin and remain strong and sound in the Lord. [Remember the tyranny of sin, esp. what it does to man. Consider also the deceptive nature of sin. Sin is every thought, inclination of thought, tendency, attitude, and certainly a lifestyle itself which are inconsistent with God’s character. It is the cause of man feeling sad, pitiful, unsound, incomplete, and dead. Fallen men and a lot of the so called believers who go to church on Sundays, carry this disease called sin, and still do not know it. The issues to consider include: “What is sin? How can I overcome it? How can I continue to remain free of the power of sin and death?” 

Think about the ten men with leprosy living along the border between Samaria and Galilee. (11-12). How are leprosy and sin similar in character? 

** The Bible has the information handy. For example, Lev 13:1-46 describe some of its character, as the following words or expressions indicate: swelling, sore, more than skin deep, infectious, spread, [causes to come out] raw flesh, chronic, [covers one’s] whole body, put the infected person in isolation for seven days, itch, infection, he remains unclean, and “He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”

Sin has every one of the above characteristics.

Put yourself in the shoes of a man with leprosy. What do the ten lepers remind you of?

** It reminds me of my fallen condition as a sinner, for without exception sin always makes one feel miserable, making me to malfunction.

Verses 11-13 describe the efforts the men with leprosy made to overcome their problem. What practical applications can we draw from their example?

** 1) They grabbed the moment of Jesus passing by. Think about the writer of a song entitled, “Pass Me not O gentle Savior.” 

2) They positioned themselves in a strategic point. We can do that by coming to a seat of prayer, in private or in public, with the determination to seek Jesus’ help.

3) They rallied together using all the strength that was still fading, to call out for Jesus’ help in a loud voice. 

4) They had the right prayer topic, hitting the right button, that is, God’s merciful character saying, ‘Jesus, master, have pity on us.’ 

Verse 14a describes what Jesus did for these men. What do you think Jesus might have meant by “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”? (Leviticus 14:1-32)

** It meant, ‘Already you have been made clean’, so please go and secure a health certificate. At the same time it was the challenge for them to walk with faith in the Lord. 

Verse 14b says that it was “as they went they were cleansed.”’ What does their example teach us about overcoming the power of sin? 

** The expression “as they went” means “you must mean business in believing”, for the act of their “going” is demonstrative of their faith. By faith they changed their position, that is, journeying to the temple in Jerusalem! 

Consider what one of the men (a Samaritan) did after experiencing the miracle. Jesus’ question, “Where are the other nine?” indicates that it is not enough for one to get healed of a disease and go away. Why?  

** Sin came into this world for man becoming unthankful to God for what the Lord has provided him with. Giving thanks to God and praising God’s name (from the bottom of one’s heart) for all the blessings from God is the key to maintaining God’s blessings, and not losing them. 

What can we learn from Jesus who said, “…your faith has made you well”? 

** Jesus said like this to admonish him that he should continue to live by faith in Him. Figuratively speaking, getting healed of a disease is like getting a bucket of fish, whereas learning faith in the Lord and living by faith is like owning all the fish in the entire Pacific Ocean. 

Consider the remedy to sin and the mechanics of how God chose to forgive men of their sins and heal them of the consequences of sin, as described in Lev 14:1-32. There we see the details of the regulations for cleansing as shown in the words or expressions like: two birds, seven times he shall sprinkle, two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, guilt offering, sin offering, the blood of the built offering, make atonement for him before the Lord, take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, two doves or two young pigeons, slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of the blood, and what the whole verse 32 says. These all point to Jesus Christ who is our ultimate sin and guilt offering. 

The end

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