Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19

This passage is often called “The healing of the ten lepers”. It might better be called “The thankful Samaritan”. Clearly the main point of this passage is about thankfulness. But there is a second point from this event that might escape us. It is only half of a verse but it has profound applications for us.

The ten lepers made their request. But Jesus does not heal them at the moment. Nor does the healing occur the moment they appear before the priest. Luke is most specific in verse 14 he wrote that “as they were going they were cleansed”. In the process of going they were being healed. Apparently the healing was completed before they had gone too far, but it was in the going that the cleansing occurred. The going for them was a test of their faith. Was there calling Jesus master and verse 13 merely a religious show? Jesus tested them as if to say “You call me master now let's see if you obey”. Notice Jesus did not promise healing. That would be a logical implication of His command, but that was only an assumption that they made based on His known character, His other miracles and the Old Testament law. But in this moment Jesus is testing them. The healing, the answer to their request did not, and would not have come if they had waited passively. The command to “go” was responded to in act of faith, in their going their expressed faith in obedience which resulted in their healing.

How often have we asked for God to move or work in our lives and then simply waited, done nothing? Perhaps the answer came but the answer required us to respond in faith-filled obedience. It is like asking God for patience to deal with a troublesome person. The answer may not come in an outpouring of patience, but in spending time with the troublesome person. God calls us to first repent of our self centeredness regarding that troublesome person and on the other side of repentance is the blessing of patience. Instead we wait passively doing nothing including not repenting and wonder why the blessing never comes. Imagine that there was an eleventh leper in the story. He says “I'm not moving till I see clearly what God is planning to do”. He would have died there in the same spot, in the same condition, and in the same misery.

Where am I to act? Where do I want to go at this moment? What has the Lord called me to do now? Sometimes there is not a clear link between the big picture objective, the call to action or the Mercy from faith-filled obedience. But our actions, even imperfect actions, get us out of passive idleness. Never forget that the real objective of inactivity, may not be faith filled waiting in the Lord, it may be disobedience.

“Lord, move me from idleness to faith filled actions. AMEN”