By Pastor Michael Quinton
WHERE ARE THE NINE?
LUKE 17:11-19
Jesus encountered ten men with leprosy. A highly contagious, incurable disease which required those contaminated keep their distance from the rest of society. They roamed in bands shouting, “Unclean, unclean!” to warn the public as they approached.
Leprosy is used as a symbol of sin in the Bible. They were defiled and sin defiles us before God.
In verse 13 they saw Jesus and cried out, “Master, have mercy on us!” They did not demand justice or blame God for their condition, they begged for mercy. He could have simply healed them by speaking or touching, but instead, He told them to go to the priest. This was a test of their obedience. Often, God asks us to do simple things to see if we will obey.
They started out to go when one of them realized he had already been healed. He quickly returned to Jesus and fell at His feet praising and thanking Jesus for healing him. The Bible adds, “he was a Samaritan”. Samaritans and Israelites were enemies, yet Jesus healed him.
All of us, in our sins, stand defiled before God. In verse 19, Jesus tells the man, “Arise, go, your FAITH has saved you.”
WHERE ARE THE 9?
- Do we only go to God when we have a problem?
- When God answers, do we praise Him, or do we forget Him until the next problem?
On the outside, all 10 lepers were identical. All had been healed, but only one was grateful.
Only one found forgiveness.
But you say, “I’m not a leper! I don’t need healing.”
Romans 3:23 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death…but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Will you be healed…spiritually?
Michael Quinton is Pastor of Mesquite Baptist Church, 742 W. Pioneer Blvd., Suite A.
Sunday worship is at 10:30. We can also be found on Facebook and our website: mesquitebaptistchurch.com
(All messages in the Church Directory are the opinion of the writer, who submits them as a columnist)
