The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE GRATEFUL SAMARITAN
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE GRATEFUL SAMARITAN
Lesson Plan:
1. The Cry for Help (vs 11-13)
2. The Great Boon Granted (v 14)
3. “Where Are the Nine?” (vs 15-18)
4. “Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole” (v 19)
5. Conclusion
Lesson Setting:
Time: March, A.D. 30, shortly before the crucifixion.
Place: On the border line between Samaria and Galilee, on the way from Ephraim across the
Jordan, and down through Perea to Jericho and Bethany.
Inductive Study of the Lesson:
a. Read the lesson passage, Luke 17:11-19
b. See the Mosaic laws regarding lepers, Leviticus 13, 14
c. Compare with this miracle the healing of the leper described in Mark 1:40-45
d. With the ten
lepers of our lesson compare the four lepers of 2 Kings 7:3
e. For the law requiring lepers to keep at a distance, see Leviticus 13:45, 46
f. Concerning the Samaritans see 2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:1-10; Nehemiah 4:1-23; Matthew 10:5; John
4:9; 8:48; Luke 9:51-56; Acts 8:1-17
Introduction: How to show our gratitude to God – Gratitude is a fundamental duty and virtue. Secker wrote, “A grateful mind is a great mind;” and yet gratitude is within the reach of every one. Cicero calls gratitude “the mother of virtues,” reaching out in so many directions to strengthen and beautify life. Our Lord passed His days on earth blessing all whom He met. His life must have been filled to overflowing with instances of gratitude as well as, perhaps more often, bitter ingratitude of which our lesson gives so striking an example.
Scripture Reading: Luke 17:11-13
1. The Cry for Help
Where were Christ and His disciples at the time of our lesson? – Though some scholars (Farrar, Trench, etc.) think that the event we are to study came after the rejection of Christ by the Samaritan villages (Lk. 9:51-56), most commentators place it after the raising of Lazarus, which had precipitated a crisis. The priests and Pharisees saw that they must take swift measures against Jesus, or He would sweep the city. They were about to seize Him, when Jesus withdrew from Jerusalem and went up into Ephraim with His disciples for a season of rest and closer fellowship with them. It was the lull before the storm. The approach of the Passover drew Him back to the city, whose welcome He knew would be the outstretched arms of a cross.
Instead of going directly southward through the inhospitable Samaritan country, He turned eastward, between (see R.V. margin) “Samaria and Galilee” (v 11), “and followed the road down the ravines, to the fertile meadows of Bethshean or Scythopolis, where a ford or bridge led over the Jordan. The route stretched thence, southwards, to Jericho” (Geikie). “On the frontier He would be likely to meet with a mixed company of lepers, their dreadful malady having broken down the barrier between Jew and Samaritan” (Int. Crit. Com.).
How was the lot of these ten lepers most pitiable? – They were a crowd of beggars without eyebrows, or hair on their faces or heads; without finger nails or toe nails; a hand or foot gone from some, as well as a nose, eyes, tongue and palate, more or less missing in others. “Once declared leprous, the sufferer was soon made to feel the utter heartlessness of Rabbinism. To banish him outside walled towns may have been a necessity, which, perhaps, required to be enforced by the threatened penalty of forty stripes save one. Similarly, it might be a right, even merciful provision, that in the synagogues lepers were to be the first to enter and the last to leave, and that they should occupy a separate compartment” (Edersheim). The leper was to go with his clothes rent, his head bare, and a covering upon his upper lip; and as he went he was to cry, “Unclean, unclean” (Lev. 13:45). “These unfortunate persons were forbidden to approach passers nearer than 100 cubits. They probably stood by the side of the road, as they still do in the East, to ask an alms, and when they saw that it was Jesus they clamored for cure” (Alexander Maclaren).
What was the lepers’ joy? – “The distance prescribed by law obliged them to cry aloud, though it must have been an effort, for one symptom of leprosy is a hoarse whisper” (Maclaren). They cried “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (v 13). The word “Master” used here is not the commonly used word “teacher,” but a word pointing to authority, as in the master of a house. How eager they must have been in their hope of obtaining a cure; how they longed for the removal of their disease. What promises of service they must have been ready and willing to make to be restored to health.
Scripture Reading: Luke 17:14
2. The Great Boon Granted
What answer did Christ make to this piteous appeal? – “There was something in that living death of leprosy (corrupting as it did the very fountains of the life-blood of man, distorting his countenance, rendering loathsome his touch, slowly encrusting and infecting him with a plague- spot of disease far more horrible than death itself) which seems always to have thrilled the Lord’s heart with a keen and instantaneous compassion” (Farrar). And yet “He was not a syllable of sympathy; His tender compassion is carefully covered up. He shuts down, as it were, the lantern-side, and not a ray gets through” (Maclaren).
Jesus bade them “Go shew yourselves unto the priests” (v 14). “Any priest might declare ‘unclean’ or ‘clean,’ provided the applications presented themselves singly, and not in company, for his inspection” (Edersheim). “Each of the ten would go to the priest near his own home. The Samaritan would go to a priest of the temple on Mount Gerizim” (Int. Crit. Com.). Lepers who claimed to be cured must obtain a certificate to that effect from the priests in order to gain admission again into social, business, and religious circles, just as travelers are sometimes required to carry a physician’s certificate of various shots and vaccinations to enter a country.
What was the result of their obedience? – “With no sign of a restoration as yet upon them, they were bidden to do that which implied that they were perfectly restored, to undertake a journey which would prove ridiculous, a labor altogether in vain, unless Christ’s word and promise proved true. In their prompt obedience they declared plainly that some weak beginnings of faith were working in them” (Trench).
v 14 ... “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” Not before they went, not after they went, but “as they went.” Human obedience and divine blessing were thus yoked together, walking together along the same Jerusalem highway. They started off as lepers, but first one and then another felt the stirrings of new health within. Their bodies, which had been foul and ugly, were changing. Can you visualize them as their walk no doubt became faster and faster in the joy and strength of returning health, until at last they were probably running and leaping for joy, approaching the location of the priests.
Illustration: General Lew Wallace, in Ben-Hur, finely describes the way in which healing came from Christ to Ben-Hur’s mother and sister, who were lepers: “There was first in the hearts of the lepers a freshening of the blood; then it flowed faster and stronger, thrilling their wasted bodies with an infinitely sweet sense of painless healing. Each felt the scourge going from her; their strength revived; they were returning to be themselves. Directly, as if to make the purification complete, from body to spirit the quickening ran, exalting them to a very fervor of ecstasy. The power possessing them to this good end was most nearly that of a draught of swift and happy effect; yet it was unlike and superior in that its healing and cleansing were absolute, and not merely a delicious consciousness while in progress, but the planting, growing, and maturing all at once of a recollection so singular and so holy that the simple thought of it should be of itself ever after a formless yet perfect thanksgiving.”
What is the lesson from the lepers’ recovery as they were going to the priests? – Rewards come after service, i.e., wages after work, prizes after winning, etc. But these rewards are external. The best rewards in life are internal and spiritual, i.e., development and enrichment of personality. Internal rewards grow up and develop within only by following the path of duty.
Illustration: “He is a Saviour that begins the alphabet of mercy at A. He does not ask you to get as B, C, D, and promise then to meet you; but He begins at the beginning. The good Samaritan, when he found the man beaten by the thieves, came where he was. That is what Jesus does” (Spurgeon).
How is sin like leprosy? – For the lie he told, Gehazi, was covered with the leprosy of Naaman. For going into the Holy Place to offer incense, which only priests could do, leprosy rose up in King Uzziah’s forehead. Miriam, smitten with leprosy because she rebelled against Moses, whom God had set over the children of Israel. Leprosy is not simply a skin affliction but circulates in the blood. In like manner, sin is not superficial and can, if allowed, infect our spiritual blood, affecting the heart and eventually the soul. At first leprosy may give no sign of its presence; concealing its unsuspected poison for years, while secretly lurking and working in the blood. The later stages of leprosy are a fearful prophecy of the final consequences of the poison of unrepented sin. The lepers’ twisted limb and crumbling stump are but reminders that sinful man can be obliterated by a slow, destroying process more awful than a snake’s fang, i.e., the fearful reality of sin. Standing “afar off,” these sufferers are a vivid illustration of the isolating power of sin, which, if left untouched by refusing the healing love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, will eventually cause the “great gulf” of eternal separation described in the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus.
How is the leprosy of sin healed? – Only by promptly trusting and obeying Jesus Christ as these lepers did. What if those men had conducted themselves in the fashion of some of us today? Proceeding a few steps, they would have stopped for personal examination, determining if the cure had begun; then perhaps a little further, and another stop; going hesitatingly along, focusing selfward and not forward, rightfully forfeiting the very blessing they were after.
Scripture Reading: Luke 17:15-18
3. “Where Are the Nine?”
How did one of the lepers show his gratitude? – It was a glorious day of thanksgiving, but only one saw fit to observe it. “One would have thought that they would have suffered no obstacle to hinder the passionate gratitude which should have prompted them to hasten back at once; to struggle, if need be, even through fire and water, if thereby they could fling themselves with tears of heartfelt acknowledgment at their Saviour’s feet” (Farrar). “The nine might have said, ‘We are doing what the Healer bade us do; to go back to Him would be disobedience.’ But a grateful heart knows that to express its gratitude is the highest duty” (Maclaren). The Master accepted the gratitude as the germ of an infinite obedience. Real love is obedience.
Who were the Samaritans? – “A mixed people, both as regards race and religion. They were Israelites who had been almost overwhelmed by the heathen colonists planted among them by the Assyrians” (Int. Crit. Com.). “The law [i.e., the five books of Moses] was their sole code; for they rejected every other book in the Jewish canon. They now number only a few families, who for the most part live in Nablus, the ancient Shechem. The worship on Mount Gerizim continues, and there is a priesthood, with a high priest” (International Bible Dictionary).
Why is it mentioned that the one grateful leper was a Samaritan? – Partly because one of the purposes of Luke’s Gospel, as of the life of Luke’s companion, Paul, was to show Christ’s outreachings toward the Gentiles. Perhaps Jesus was pained at more than the personal ingratitude of the nine Jewish lepers: the incident foreshadowed the thankless apostasy of the Jews and the adoration of the Gentile Christians. Compare the uniformly high character of the centurions mentioned in the New Testament. We should learn to overcome our prejudices against races that are offensive to us, and persons whom we do not like.
Why did not the others return? – We know from John’s Gospel that the blind man was in danger of persecution because he spoke well of Jesus who had cured him. Perhaps this immediately occurred to the nine lepers. Or perhaps they were afraid that our Lord might have a claim upon them to be His disciples, and that He would begin to press it. Or perhaps, as soon as they felt themselves like other men, they were seized with a wish to go back to their personal affairs, mixing with the world again. Possibly they may have said to themselves, “Time enough for thanks when we have first proved the permanence of the cure.” Perhaps the nine had thought only of His wonderful power. While the poor, despised Samaritan thought also of His deep, compassionate love. True love leads to thankfulness.
What did Christ say when only one leper returned? – “Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger (alien)?” It is as if all these benefits were falling into a deep, silent grave. The literal translation brings out Christ’s sorrow and dismay: “Were not the ten cleansed? but the nine – where?” It was His Father’s honor He was concerned about. He did not say, “There hath not returned to thank Me except this stranger.”
What gratitude does Christ want from us? – He wants our love, answering His own; and that love will inevitably show itself in service. The blessed Jesus left His Father’s throne in heaven; “became man for our salvation;” “endured the cross, despising the shame;” redeemed the race; brought them back to God; opened a way for the cleansing of all the nations, not from leprosy alone, but from every disease of soul as well as body; from death itself. And what about the world’s gratitude? How many of all races living today love Jesus and glorify God? One in ten?
Scripture Reading: Luke 17:19
4. “Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole”
What blessing greater than the cure of his leprosy did the Samaritan obtain? – The healing of his soul. “Not his body alone, but the soul, whose value was so infinitely more precious, just as its diseases are so infinitely more profound, should be healed by his Saviour’s word” (Farrar).
Why did Christ emphasize the man’s faith rather than his gratitude? – Because faith is the higher virtue. This incident illustrates again the principle, repeatedly exemplified in the Gospels, “according to your faith be it unto you.” What the ten believed regarding what Jesus could do for them, he did: for the nine who believed He could heal leprosy, physical healing; for the tenth who was taken through gratitude to a higher faith, a corresponding spiritual blessing.
Did the faith of the nine heal them? – No doubt. And if their faith had brought them back, Jesus would have surely told them so. But they were content to simply be healed. Until love (which is the deeper faith) brings us to the Master’s feet, our faith will never be ready for praise. Probably this man’s faith had caused all ten to cry out to Jesus. Perhaps he was the salt of this little group of outcasts. This Samaritan alone had faith to discern that it was only at the feet of Jesus where his vows to God could be offered. He saw that there was One greater than the temple and One higher than the sons of Aaron. His faith led him to the great High Priest through whom alone our thanksgivings can be offered with acceptance to the Father. Seems likely to assume that a higher blessing was conveyed to him than to the nine.
5. Conclusion
Gratitude in our lives – “No one has a word to say for ingratitude in its native unloveliness, as between man and man. We are more tender towards it in its more common and more serious phase, as between man and God” (Liddon).
Illustration: The famous musician Haydn, sick and weary, was carried for the last time into a hall of music. There he listened to the rendering of his own oratorio, the “Creation.” When the orchestra came to the noted passage in the score which harmoniously says, “Let there be light!” it is said that the whole audience rose up and cheered and cheered. Then Haydn waved his hand toward heaven and exclaimed, “It comes from there! It comes from there!” That great genius of melody had the right thought. He believed that the inspiration with which he wrote his masterpiece was God-given. That God is the fountain of every gift flowing into every life. We teach children to say, “Thank you” for what they receive. Even a baby, before it can speak, utters a ‘ta’ – an expression of gratitude. We are the children of God, and He demands of us that we do not take everything He gives us as a matter of course, but in a spirit of thankfulness. The one service of Christ’s appointment for Christian people is called the Eucharist, which is a Greek word signifying “the giving of thanks.”
A child’s gratitude: A child can never repay the debt owing a father and mother. The child owes them, under Providence, the gift of life itself; as well as all the unseen, unacknowledged tenderness and care through the years of infancy and helplessness, and the larger demands through the years that follow, when education costs and so much more in life has to be worked for and paid. Certainly all this is a parent’s duty, but that does not absolve a child from feeling a debt of gratitude which can never be paid. This is too often forgotten today! In place of a loving and reverent attitude, too many children seem to assume equality with their parents, as if conferring a great benefit upon them by becoming their child, and giving them the opportunity of working for their support and education.
Negative blessings: Negative blessings can be viewed as positive blessings. The plate upon which a photographer takes a portrait, when developed, is called a negative. With that negative he prints his picture, the camera reversing what is true, i.e., black things become white and white things black. In the process of printing from that reversed negative the finished picture shows the reality. Likewise, our negative blessings, i.e., misfortunes, can be made to impress themselves on the heart as something for which to be thankful.
