Surprised By Healing
Luke 17:11-19
St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
March 23, 2025
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes
How many of you need healing? Some of us are in need of physical healing. Healing comes in a variety of forms. Some of us experience “dis-comfort” and others “dis-ease.” There is much need for mental health in our society. Mental illness is huge, anxiety and restlessness are common in our day. We need emotional healing. Other of us need relational healing.
Now, how many of us are in need of healing?
We’re looking at encounters Christ had in his journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. We see a critical moment in Luke 9:51. There is a pivot, the bible story takes a new turn. Jesus says, “It is time to take off, I must turn my face towards Jerusalem.”
There are 24 chapters in the gospel of Luke and 30% of these chapters relate to Jesus’ passion. The gospel of John dedicates 43% of the book to talk about Jesus’ journey to the cross.
We’re on the fourth week of Lent, a time of reflection, to let go of habits that weigh us down, to focus on the word.
We’ll look at a familiar story and I invite us to ask God to give us new perspectives regarding his word. It is the story of the Prodigal Son. Two ideas: 1) The healer sees our pain and 2) The healer is better than the healing.
Luke 17:11-17 tell us that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and he traveled along he bord between Samaria and Galilee, a route the Jewish would avoid so they would not encounter the Samaritans. The Jewish were at odds with the Samaritans. They view Samaritans socially, ethnically unfit. They called them half-breeds, an uncommitted people.
As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
The lepers were a diverse group of people, they lived in a certain spot and they were bound by one thing: they were united in their pain.
Some of us have attended AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) meeting, this is group united by their addiction. We are drawn together because we’re sinners and we need grace and we come together to celebrate God’s goodness and His power.
The word “leprosy” appears 40 times in the Bible. Leprosy is still common in some places in Asia and Africa. It is a skin disease known as Hanson’s disease. It is incurable, if not treated. It can be contagious if you’re in close contact with someone who has this disease.
People with leprosy lose their extremities; they would be losing their nose, ears, fingers, toes.
Because it was incurable, people saw this as the debilitating nature of sin in a person’s life.
It is interesting that people often think: If you are doing well, then you’re doing good, and if you are not well, then you have not done good.
In chapter 9, even the disciples say to Jesus as they look at someone with infirmities: “Who sinned, him or his parents?” as if to say, “Somebody is blamed for this.”
Lepers were ostracized; they were removed from the family of God. (Leviticus 12,13)
Who might we consider as lepers today? Who are the individuals who we may be included to exclude.
For some of us it is the LGBTQ community or individuals with addictions, or people who don’t dress, talk, or act like us.
Our scripture is clear: We are called to be radically devoted to holiness in our lives. We come to faith in Jesus and turn everything to him, devoted to becoming like Jesus. When word does not match up, we alight to the word of God.
Additionally, we called to be radically committed to hospitality, welcoming. Jesus says, “Come to me…”
In Luke 5, Jesus heals and touches a leper, a big faux paus of the day.
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to inquire if Jesus was the son of God. Jesus said to the disciples tell him, “The blind see, the lepers are healed…”
I. The Healer Sees Our Pain
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
There was a detailed ritual. The leper, upon being diagnosed clean, he was to present himself to the priest. The priest had to birds. One was killed and he would sprinkle the blood on a bowl of pure spring water. The blood would mix in the water. Then the priest would take a leaf of hyssop and pour some of the water and blood over the leper and the live bird. Then the live bird would fly, be set free and so was the leper.
What a beautiful picture of Christ and his passion for people. Our sin triggers Christ’s love for us.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed Psalm. 34:18
David knows this after his lament he said:
My sacrifice, O God, is[a] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17
II. The Healer is Better than the Healing
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Luke 17:11-19
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:11-19
Have you ever wondered, “Why did only one person came back to Christ to thank him?” Because that individual who came back to give thanks and praise to Christ acknowledge that the healer is better than the healer.
Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Whether we experience healing or not, our healer is more important, prominent than our healing for He is with us, he is all powerful, and his wisdom is infinite.
The gospel group, Mercy Me, has a song titled: “Even If.”
They say sometimes you win some
Sometimes you lose some
And right now, right now I'm losing bad
I've stood on this stage night after night
Reminding the broken it'll be alright
But right now, oh right now I just can't
It's easy to sing
When there's nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I'm held to the flame
Like I am right now
I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Well good thing
A little faith is all I have, right now
But God, when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Oh give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul
I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
You've been faithful, You've been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may
'Cause I know You're able
I know You can
I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
David confessed, “The Lord is my Shepherd and I have all that I need.”
The Healer sees our pain and the Healer is better than the healing. Praise be to the Lord.