Luke 17:11 On his way to Yerushalayim, Yeshua passed along the border country between Shomron and the Galil. 12 As he entered one of the villages, ten men afflicted with tzara‘at met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out, “Yeshua! Rabbi! Have pity on us!” 14 On seeing them, he said, “Go and let the cohanim examine you!” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, as soon as he noticed that he had been healed, returned shouting praises to God, 16 and fell on his face at Yeshua’s feet to thank him. Now he was from Shomron. 17 Yeshua said, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found coming back to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And to the man from Shomron he said, “Get up, you may go; your trust has saved you.”
Yeshua’s days of walking the countryside are coming to a close. He’s now making His way to Jerusalem one last time. Knowing what was coming in a few short weeks did not deter Him from keeping with His mission of serving those in need.
He happens upon a village where 10 men come out and beg for mercy. We’ve seen tzara’at (leprosy-ish) before and we saw that it is generally connected to a slanderous tongue. Seems this small area had an epidemic of people trash talking others.
Kind of makes sense along borders, though.
What happens along borders?
Practically, there isn’t much difference in how people live their lives on each side. Sure, they may have different allegiances but their day-to-day is not all that different. Their environment is very similar and some of their behaviors are the same, as well. We claim to be different but in so many ways we aren’t.
In our present day, borders are clearly marked. You either are in Canada or the United States. But what about communities that straddle these lines?
Here’s a community in the pacific northwest that sits on either side of the border:
Same community but different local and national politicians. The rules on the left are not quite the same as the ones on the right. Practically speaking, there is no difference in the people in this region. If that border was removed you’d never know there was a difference between the two.
The politics in one country that oppose the politics of the other can create a breeding ground of annoyance depending on how it sways with time. The residents there can begin to grow to despise one another because of these political (or cultural) differences. It doesn’t take long to turn to hatred and slander. Which leads to tzara’at.
Make sense? If not, just think about that family member of yours that you disagree with. Or are at odds with. Or simply hate.
The man from Samaria is referred to as a “foreigner” here in the CJB. The word behind it is G241 ἀλλογενής (allogenēs) and is used only once in the entire New Testament. But what does it really mean?
It’s a combination of two words: G243 ἄλλος (allos) which means “different”, and G1085 γένος (genos) which means “kin”. Together, this word means “different kin”.
He’s the cousin that everyone hopes never shows up to the family reunion. It’s embarrassing they are your kin but you have no choice but to claim them. You know what I’m talking about, right?
How many of the “different kin” do most people have? It’s rarely a majority. And if it is, you are likely the one that is “different”. This isn’t always bad, either.
Under normal conditions, though, it seems it’s always that one crazy uncle or cousin. Or maybe a brother or sister. Numerically, what does that translate to? Probably 1 in 10?
Think long and hard about that troublesome family member.
Are they worthy of healing? Well, yes. But it does make you think a little before getting to that “yes”, huh?
Why is it that family can become so repulsive? Abuse, selfishness, arrogance, judgment, pride? Sure, but what is their problem?
While we don’t have hard evidence in our story, I would still venture a guess the 9 that never returned are from Galilee and not Samaria. With all of the magic that was happening in and around Galilee, it’s likely people were getting accustomed to healing, expecting it even. What was special is now the usual. What was holy is now common. We saw this before with the woe to those good folks in Bethsaida.
The language here leaves us with the loose impression that the “accepted” family members took what they got and went on their way. Happy, but likely prepared to gossip here pretty soon. Old habits die hard when you’re selfish.
The “rejected” member, however, not only was happy but also repentant. He was incredibly grateful and came back to face the One that set him free.
Notice what Yeshua said upon his return:
“Get up, you may go; your trust has saved you.”
This shows us the whole point of healing: Salvation.
The other 9 got healed but then they went on about their lives -- unlikely to change. Yeshua didn’t reverse their healing that we can tell but He didn’t need to. It wouldn’t be long until they were back in the same spot again.
Sounds a bit like our lives, huh?
What has Abba done for you lately? If you’re like most people, not enough.
Despite your best efforts, you can never fully get over the hump called life. No matter what happens, good or bad, we always are in need of more. This is a poverty mentality and it drives most of us here on the earth today.
“No sir, not me! I DO NOT have a poverty spirit!”
Maybe. But your money and lifestyle are very poor indicators of your spiritual state. Actually, reverse that…maybe it is an excellent indicator.
I was reading a book recently and the commentary between a father and son went something like this:
The father took his son on a drive and drove past a home that was nice and somewhat large. The driveway was full of the latest high-end vehicles, motorcycles, a boat, and a giant motorhome parked in the back. It seemed they had everything. Phones, gaming consoles, giant TVs (you know, those things that are necessary for us to live).
The father asked his son if the people that lived in that house were rich or poor. The young boy said he thought they were rich. The father then explained that the man that lived there works with him and he’s about to lose everything because the company is laying off his entire division. He’s absorbed so much debt that he can’t afford to keep up with the payments without this very high paying job.
He then explained to his son that just because it seems this man is rich, his debt has him always on the edge of losing it all. Spending more than he has created a delicate edge upon which he always had to walk.
They then drove down the street.
Looking upon a man at a fruit stand along the road, the father asked his son if the man was rich or poor. The son assumed he was poor because of the type of work he was doing. The father then told the boy a story about a man in a similar position.
15 years prior, a man immigrated from Vietnam with his wife and children. He had an idea for a business but no one would lend him money because of his current status. He decided to buckle down for 5 years and work a fruit stand with his wife and save every penny they could. Within that 5 years, he then had enough to start his business which he then built into a multi-million dollar company.
The lesson was that being rich and poor is never decided based on what people have or where they are in life. How much money never matters. It’s what is done with the money they have that determines whether or not they are in poverty.
The point of this story (for our purposes) is that what you choose to show people is not a good indicator of your gratitude. Getting healing then running off to do what you want is not going to stick.
This is why we keep needing to be healed. We judge, then get judged. Once we get set free from the effects of that judgment, guess what we do. Yep, we judge again. And the cycle continues.
We always need more. Because our poverty forces it. There is no fullness in our lives because we never took the time to go back and lock eyes with the One that set you free.
How do we know when someone has failed to return gratitude to the Master? Simple, they are still in bondage.
Unless, of course, you blame all of your troubles on the devil and others, then all bets are off. No need to take responsibility if the problem is everyone else, right?
Don’t you remember? It’s that horrible family member that’s guilty, not you. You deserve to be healed because of your self-righteousness and, once you get it, you’ll go home and brag to everyone there that the Healer thought so much of you that He gave you healing because you are His special child. Not necessarily wrong, but 100% wrong.
Hello! You are that weird family member. At least you are if you exercise love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control -- towards that sibling you hate or cousin you avoid.
Healing is for salvation. Therefore, pray for healing for all of those that hurt or annoy you. And don’t demand they come to you with gratitude, but to the One that deserves it. Pray for healing right now. For you and them.
Then, as soon as they notice that they have been healed, they will return shouting praises to God, and fall on their face at Yeshua’s feet to thank Him.
Then, as soon as YOU notice that YOU have been healed, return shouting praises to God, and fall on YOUR face at Yeshua’s feet to thank Him.