Boundaries Broken



Luke 17:11–19
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

At the beginning of this passage we are alerted for the third time that (also see Luke 9:51 and 13:22) that Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem. Because we stand on this side of history we are aware of the fact that this trip to Jerusalem will end in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. His feet are firmly on the path of His Passion. Here we find Him on the border between Samaria and His home in Galilee.

First we have to be taken by the fact that these lepers do not ask for healing, but instead for mercy. They are asking for salvation. Back in Luke 5:12-16 we find Jesus dealing with another leper who asks for healing, thus we have a place for comparison.

Jesus’ command, “Arise, journey,” could be understood as an invitation for the cleansed leper to rise and journey with him to Jerusalem. There the leper might see the basis for his cleansing: the atonement, where Christ shows God’s ultimate mercy by cleansing all humankind from the leprosy of sin that plagues the fallen creation. This is Lukan vocabulary for God’s gracious visitation of release for those who are in bondage to sin, death, sickness, and demon possession. The lepers begged for mercy as they saw Jesus approach their city; mercy wrought their salvation, salvation that comes through faith.
Just, A. A., Jr. (1997). Luke 9:51–24:53 (p. 652). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

This story gives us so much insight into the global ministry of Jesus. It appears as though this group of lepers is made up of 9 Jews and 1 Samaritan. Jesus’ command is that they all go and show themselves to the priests who would have confirmed their healing and their re-entry into community life. Thus all of them knew that they had been healed. But only one bothers to return to Jesus and give worship to the One who was able and willing to heal them. We cannot lose sight of the fact that this cleansed leper returns to worship Jesus. In that moment the leper acknowledges that Jesus is Lord. He is God and worthy of worship and praise. This fact is lost on the other 9 lepers; or at least they don’t bother to give praise to the One who healed them. Jesus Himself points out that the “foreigner” is the one who recognizes Him as Savior.

Just as Jesus crossed the boundary separating clean from unclean when he touched the leper, so too Jesus’ cleansing of the Samaritan and His reception of the Samaritan’s worship show that another OT boundary has been crossed. Jesus brings a new kind of holiness. It is not a holiness based on circumcision, dietary laws, or the Jerusalem temple with its priests and sacrifices. Rather, it is a holiness based on His own person as the sinless Son of God and on His sacrifice as the perfect, unblemished Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. The holiness of Jesus, given to all who will be baptized in His name, will transcend all ethnic and cultural boundaries as it purifies the people of God’s new covenant in Christ. The cleansed Samaritan points toward the multitudes of foreigners who will be incorporated into the church in Acts and beyond.
Just, A. A., Jr. (1997). Luke 9:51–24:53 (pp. 653–654). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

For reasons I cannot even begin to understand, my heart and mind go to those within the Muslim community who today are accepting Jesus as the Lord of their lives. Those of us inside of Christianity might consider them the “Samaritans” of our day, but as we can see, Jesus reaches out them as well. And that call from the Lord is bearing fruit as Muslims by the thousands are even today receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He is still the One who can heal all wounds and bridge the gaps that divide us.

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