“Thanksgiving to God” (Luke 17:11-19)

Luke 17:11-19

Listen to Sermon

Pastor Tom Johnson, November 23, 2017

Old Testament law prevents lepers from even entering the city gate. To have leprosy is to be an outcast—unclean—and only welcome back into the community if your skin is somehow healed. Even worse, you cannot enter the Temple in Jerusalem until a priest does a thorough body scan. You think TSA and airport security is bad? In those days, a priest had to officially verify that a person is “clean” in order to worship at the temple. And no one would go to the Temple to be healed—they went to the Temple to verify their healing. So when the ten lepers run across Jesus on the road, they cry out from a distance. Lepers had to keep their distance. And from a distance, Jesus tells them to turn in faith toward the temple in Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests. He challenges them to believe that when they get there, their healing will be realized and verified. And as they go, they are cleansed. But one of them turns back—a Samaritan. Nine Israelites go on to verify their healing to the priests and enter the Temple in thanksgiving.

James Tissot - The Healing of Ten Lepers 

But the Samaritan turns back. When he reaches Jesus, he falls on his face. He gives thanks and praise to God. Here is the funny thing: his turning back is actually contrary to Jesus’ instruction. The reality is that he has no choice. The Samaritan cannot show himself to the priest. He is no longer a leper but he is still a Samaritan. He can show that his leprosy is gone. But he cannot change his ethnicity. He cannot get rid of his Samaritan heritage, appearance, and accent. The priest will still not let him into the Temple. The Samaritan has no choice but to turn back to Jesus. His actions speak louder than Peter’s words when he says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

To whom does the atheist give thanks? They are living out the sheer improbability of their own existence. To whom does the agnostic give thanks? Well, they are not certain. And to whom the superstitious? I suppose their lucky stars…knock on wood. The Samaritan cannot go to the Temple and give thanks and praise to God. His only option is to go to the source of his healing. And so he falls at the feet of this Jesus. And he give thanks to God. Jesus asks where the others healed of leprosy are. Ironically, it is these ethnically clean children of the promise of Abraham who are missing out of the full blessing. They have gone away from the eternal Son of God to a building made of stone and wood served by mortal priests.

The Samaritan has come to a greater Temple. He has come to the Temple of the Body of Jesus—the place where YHWH dwells in the flesh. This Temple is not just a place where healing is verified—this is the place where healing is delivered. And this is not just a place where Israelites are welcome—but all humanity from every tribe, nation, tongue, and people. The Samaritan falls on his face at the feet of Jesus. He is bowing before the Lord of lords and King of kings.

He is giving thanks to God at the feet of Jesus—and that is the greatest place to give thanks. These are the feet of whom and through whom heaven and earth were made—the eternal Word who became flesh. These are the same feet that will be nailed to the cross—where the violence and sin of the world strike him on the heel. These are the same feet that will stand triumphantly over the grave—where death, the devil, and our sin are trampled over in victory. These are the same feet that will come back and take us to a new and eternal Kingdom—when at the feet and at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. There will need no need for temple, sun, or moon there—Jesus will be our Temple and eternal Light forever. And so we direct our thanksgiving to the God who created us, redeems us, and sanctifies us—who gives us everything we need for our bodies and life.

We give thanks for all the material things that we enjoy—our health, our lives, our families, friends, our houses and homes, employment, church, and school—and for the privilege and joy of a personal relationship with the true and living God. We come alongside this Samaritan healed of his leprosy to the feet of Jesus—discoveringA just how deep and wide His blessings are—praising him for all we have. We come knowing that he has cleansed us—not of mere spot and blemish on our skin but the stain and burden of sin on our souls. As Scripture says, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). “Though our sins are like scarlet we are now as clean as the fleshly fallen snow” (Isaiah 1:18). We are not just accepted at those feet. We are also healed of our shame and our sin. And we have the assurance of eternal life with him. Thanks be to God.