Trinity 14 September 10, 2023
Luke 17:11-19
Oh…Mercy Me!
v.13 [They] lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
Dear friends in Christ, we have before us this morning a beautiful account of the merciful heart of our God in action. Our God who looks upon us—sinners all—unclean, filthy, dirty souls—people who by their sinful nature relish in the works of the flesh as St. Paul states in our epistle (Gal. 5): "sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these"—people who deserve nothing but His wrath—and instead, our Lord opens His mouth and utters words of mercy, healing, forgiveness, and life.
Indeed, the ten leprous men in our Gospel text serve as a golden example of the merciful heart of Jesus at work. Their malady served to separate them from friends and family—even from the worship life of the church. They were forced to live apart from others (so as not to infect them), and so scratched out a meager existence living off the charity of those around them. Their life is bleak—dark—and full of despair—as they await their inevitable death, while slowly their very flesh rots off their bodies.
Beloved, on account of our sin, we are in an even more perilous situation than these ten men. Left to our own devices our sinful flesh would rule over us and lead us to practice open rebellion against God and His good Word, as Paul mentioned above. This sin has separated us from our loving God and further separates us from one another as we sin against each other daily in thought, word, and deed. The source of our sin is the very depths of our heart—the corruption of our being—having been passed down from our first parents, Adam and Eve, all the way to us. We are the walking dead, much like the lepers in our text. Apart from Christ, all people will end up in misery and death.
Yet, where Christ walks, hope remains! These ten desperate men, having somehow managed to hear of Jesus, learn that He is traveling nearby and go to meet Him. They cannot get too close, and so they cry out from a distance, with voices raw and scratchy, not much more than a loud whisper, due to the nature of their affliction, and they utter a most pitiable cry, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" And our Lord and Saviour looks upon them not with disgust—nor anger or disdain—but with love and mercy. "When He saw them He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went they were cleansed."
The Living Word of God made flesh speaks, and men are healed. Not immediately, this time. Not with a brilliant flash of light and a puff of smoke. But, "as they went they were cleansed." Following Jesus' word to go and show themselves to the priest, they walk away. At first nothing happens, and they wonder if they have been duped by some trickster, false healer. But, soon, as they go, their skin changes from its former rottenness, to a restored and cleansed state. This happens not just to one or two, but to all ten! Their joy and excitement must have been profound. Perhaps, they picked up the pace and began, not to walk, but run, to the priests to receive the pronouncement that they have been cured and can return back to their families.
However, at this point, one of the ten begins to slow—even as his companions continue on, running, joking, and laughing—this one slows and stops. He turns around and begins to run in the opposite direction! He runs back to Jesus! He runs back to Jesus and with his newly healed voice he is singing praises to God for this great miracle. He falls "on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks." And what makes this even more extraordinary, is that this man was no Jew–no faithful child of Abraham. Rather, he was a Samaritan—a traditional enemy of the Jews. A man whose community struggled with false worship and false gods and so was ridiculed by the Jewish community. Yet it is this man, and not the other nine, who turns back to give thanks to Jesus. A foreigner worships Jesus and receives an even greater miracle from the lips of our Lord than the healing of his flesh—"Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you."
I know some English translations read "your faith has made you well." But the Greek word here more accurately means "to save." His faith and trust in Jesus has done much more than just cleanse him of his leprosy, but has saved him from sin, death, and hell. This saving work of Jesus is for all people, too. Not just those inside our small fellowship of faith, but for everyone outside these walls, the whole world over. For the Christ came to save all people—you and me included—but not only you and me. Jesus' blood cleanses all people from sin—just as all ten were cleansed—so the blood of Jesus has been poured out for all people—no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they believe. However, only those who have faith in Jesus are truly saved. Only those who worship and trust in the one true God—as did the Samaritan—as do you and I and other Christians—are truly saved. For it is by faith that you are saved—and faith in Christ alone.
This Jesus speaks to you in mercy every time we gather for worship. He has spoken His absolution to you—rooted and grounded in your Baptism into His triune name—He has forgiven you all your sin. For this same Jesus went to the cross to pay for your sin and death with His own suffering and death. Our text this morning takes place as Jesus is on His final journey to Jerusalem where He will suffer and die for the sins of the whole world. Note, once again, Christ came to suffer and die for all people! Yet, it is only those who cling to Him in faith who will be saved.
You have been granted such faith through your Baptism, by His grace and mercy. The Holy Spirit continues to strengthen your faith each time you open His Word and trust in His promises. Your faith is nourished and sustained each week as you come before the altar and have placed into your mouths simple bread and wine that is Christ's own body and blood—given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of all your sin. Though you still struggle against the works of the flesh at work in you, yet you now enjoy the fruit of the Spirit who has been given to you. You receive and bear fruit in keeping with your faith (Gal. 5): "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…[for] those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
Indeed, Jesus' crucifixion is your crucifixion. You live now by faith in the Son of God who shed His blood for you and cleansed you of all sin. You cannot help now but to bear fruit in keeping with repentance—for the Spirit of Jesus lives in you and you in Him. What joy! What peace! What steadfast love and faithfulness! Is it any wonder that we, the church, continue to sing that same cry uttered by those ten leprous men 2000 years ago? Kyrie Eleison! Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! And He does—for Jesus' sake. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Luke 17:11-19
Oh…Mercy Me!
v.13 [They] lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
Dear friends in Christ, we have before us this morning a beautiful account of the merciful heart of our God in action. Our God who looks upon us—sinners all—unclean, filthy, dirty souls—people who by their sinful nature relish in the works of the flesh as St. Paul states in our epistle (Gal. 5): "sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these"—people who deserve nothing but His wrath—and instead, our Lord opens His mouth and utters words of mercy, healing, forgiveness, and life.
Indeed, the ten leprous men in our Gospel text serve as a golden example of the merciful heart of Jesus at work. Their malady served to separate them from friends and family—even from the worship life of the church. They were forced to live apart from others (so as not to infect them), and so scratched out a meager existence living off the charity of those around them. Their life is bleak—dark—and full of despair—as they await their inevitable death, while slowly their very flesh rots off their bodies.
Beloved, on account of our sin, we are in an even more perilous situation than these ten men. Left to our own devices our sinful flesh would rule over us and lead us to practice open rebellion against God and His good Word, as Paul mentioned above. This sin has separated us from our loving God and further separates us from one another as we sin against each other daily in thought, word, and deed. The source of our sin is the very depths of our heart—the corruption of our being—having been passed down from our first parents, Adam and Eve, all the way to us. We are the walking dead, much like the lepers in our text. Apart from Christ, all people will end up in misery and death.
Yet, where Christ walks, hope remains! These ten desperate men, having somehow managed to hear of Jesus, learn that He is traveling nearby and go to meet Him. They cannot get too close, and so they cry out from a distance, with voices raw and scratchy, not much more than a loud whisper, due to the nature of their affliction, and they utter a most pitiable cry, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" And our Lord and Saviour looks upon them not with disgust—nor anger or disdain—but with love and mercy. "When He saw them He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went they were cleansed."
The Living Word of God made flesh speaks, and men are healed. Not immediately, this time. Not with a brilliant flash of light and a puff of smoke. But, "as they went they were cleansed." Following Jesus' word to go and show themselves to the priest, they walk away. At first nothing happens, and they wonder if they have been duped by some trickster, false healer. But, soon, as they go, their skin changes from its former rottenness, to a restored and cleansed state. This happens not just to one or two, but to all ten! Their joy and excitement must have been profound. Perhaps, they picked up the pace and began, not to walk, but run, to the priests to receive the pronouncement that they have been cured and can return back to their families.
However, at this point, one of the ten begins to slow—even as his companions continue on, running, joking, and laughing—this one slows and stops. He turns around and begins to run in the opposite direction! He runs back to Jesus! He runs back to Jesus and with his newly healed voice he is singing praises to God for this great miracle. He falls "on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks." And what makes this even more extraordinary, is that this man was no Jew–no faithful child of Abraham. Rather, he was a Samaritan—a traditional enemy of the Jews. A man whose community struggled with false worship and false gods and so was ridiculed by the Jewish community. Yet it is this man, and not the other nine, who turns back to give thanks to Jesus. A foreigner worships Jesus and receives an even greater miracle from the lips of our Lord than the healing of his flesh—"Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you."
I know some English translations read "your faith has made you well." But the Greek word here more accurately means "to save." His faith and trust in Jesus has done much more than just cleanse him of his leprosy, but has saved him from sin, death, and hell. This saving work of Jesus is for all people, too. Not just those inside our small fellowship of faith, but for everyone outside these walls, the whole world over. For the Christ came to save all people—you and me included—but not only you and me. Jesus' blood cleanses all people from sin—just as all ten were cleansed—so the blood of Jesus has been poured out for all people—no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they believe. However, only those who have faith in Jesus are truly saved. Only those who worship and trust in the one true God—as did the Samaritan—as do you and I and other Christians—are truly saved. For it is by faith that you are saved—and faith in Christ alone.
This Jesus speaks to you in mercy every time we gather for worship. He has spoken His absolution to you—rooted and grounded in your Baptism into His triune name—He has forgiven you all your sin. For this same Jesus went to the cross to pay for your sin and death with His own suffering and death. Our text this morning takes place as Jesus is on His final journey to Jerusalem where He will suffer and die for the sins of the whole world. Note, once again, Christ came to suffer and die for all people! Yet, it is only those who cling to Him in faith who will be saved.
You have been granted such faith through your Baptism, by His grace and mercy. The Holy Spirit continues to strengthen your faith each time you open His Word and trust in His promises. Your faith is nourished and sustained each week as you come before the altar and have placed into your mouths simple bread and wine that is Christ's own body and blood—given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of all your sin. Though you still struggle against the works of the flesh at work in you, yet you now enjoy the fruit of the Spirit who has been given to you. You receive and bear fruit in keeping with your faith (Gal. 5): "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…[for] those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
Indeed, Jesus' crucifixion is your crucifixion. You live now by faith in the Son of God who shed His blood for you and cleansed you of all sin. You cannot help now but to bear fruit in keeping with repentance—for the Spirit of Jesus lives in you and you in Him. What joy! What peace! What steadfast love and faithfulness! Is it any wonder that we, the church, continue to sing that same cry uttered by those ten leprous men 2000 years ago? Kyrie Eleison! Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! And He does—for Jesus' sake. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.