Sermon - Trinity XIV - Luke 17:11-19

For a moment this morning, I’d like us to consider what the life of one of the ten lepers from our Gospel lesson might have been like. Just to make it a little more relatable, let’s give one of them a name, maybe a good Hebrew name like Jacob. Jacob was a regular down to earth loveable guy. He was born and raised in the village. He had a good job, working alongside his brothers and cousins, and lived in the same neighborhood as the rest of his siblings. After some time he found a wife and was married, he loved her very much. They had children who were just beginning to get to that age where they were having lots of fun as a family. 

Jacob had a good life. A few bumps and bruises along the way, but overall it was a life filled with joy. He had a good job, with a great boss. Jacob was never gonna be rich, but he found that didn’t matter considering the wife and children he had, he felt like the richest man on earth. He had a good life.

But one day his upper arm started to itch and he noticed a rash. Jacob didn’t think much of it, figuring it would just go away. But a few days passed by and it didn’t go away, it was itchy and ugly, but he could still hide it under his shirt, hoping it would get better. A few more day pass by and the rash became impossible to hide, and by this point he didn’t want to hide it, he knew what it was, and he didn’t want to risk passing it on to his pregnant wife and children.

Jacob moved to the leper colony just outside of town. He left everything and everyone behind; never again would he kiss his wife, comfort his crying kids, or hold his new baby. He was a leper, he was unclean, an outcast from society. So when he heard that Jesus the miracle worker was in the area, Jacob and nine other lepers approached Jesus at a distance and lifted up their voices, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 

As they left, lo and behold, miracle of miracles, the leprosy was gone! The impossible had happened! Cured! So Jacob gladly showed himself to the priest so that he could prove he was healed and return home. Then he ran with such vigor and excitement back to his house, scooping up his kids as he ran in the door, hugging his wife, crying tears of joy that he had received his life and family back. He had returned to his family.

Meanwhile, a few miles away outside of town, stood Jesus. At His feet one of the ten lepers fell down and glorified Him, worshiping Jesus as God, hugging and kissing Jesus’ feet, showering Him with tears of joy. Jesus asks, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” Where’s Jacob? Jesus said to the man who worshipped Him “Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you.”

From this parable, we learn that the Word of God brings healing and life, but only through faith in this Word do we receive true healing and true life. Indeed the Words of God do bring forth healing and life, “they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.” Like the 4th petition explains in the catechism, “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people.” We could just as well say that God healed the leprosy of all ten lepers, even the unthankful nine, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize our healing and forgiveness like the one leper and receive it with thanksgiving. 

How did the story of Jacob the leper end? Did it have a happy ending? Not at all! Sure his leprosy was cured and he got his old life back and was reunited with his family, but he was lacking the most important part: faith! Sure Jesus healed the guy, but God also gives daily bread to everyone regardless of their faith! Jacob may have been healed in his body, but He wasn’t saved because He didn’t have faith.

Dear Christians, the Word of God is a powerful thing and it does give you life. With a Word God created the universe and all things in it. With a Word God healed the lepers. With a Word God declared you righteous. With a Word God still sustains you to this day. Of this Word Solomon says, “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” 

Whether you believe it or not, God is going to take care of you. His love overflows for all people and as such He even graciously cares for those who curse Him. Therefore, you have no reason to doubt God’s love for you when you experience a tragedy. These ten lepers weren’t sick because God didn’t love them, nor were they healed because God loved them more than others. God loves all people, even the wicked, and desires that all would be saved; even and especially you. What matters then is that you receive God’s blessings with faith. 

So many people treat God like some sort of cosmic vending machine. When they need something they cry out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” but after they get what they want, they have nothing more to do with Him. They take the gift and walk away, only returning when they want something else.

Therefore, let us learn from this Samaritan who was healed of his leprosy and return to the Lord our God with faith in His Word. For God has indeed healed you and given you life. In the first article of the Creed, God has given you all good blessings in this life. But there’s more to it than just that. In the second article of the Creed, God heals you by redeeming you back from sin, death, and the devil with His own precious blood. In the third article, God sanctifies you and gives you a new holy life today, sustenance in the faith, and the promise of a new life in heaven as well. God has most certainly cleansed you of all of your filth and iniquity, so don’t delay, but return to Him with faith! 

What do I mean by this? What does it mean to return to God in faith? I mean you have to go to where He is, confessing Him as the only true God! That’s what you’re doing here this morning. The same Jesus who has saved you is here present in His Word and His Sacrament. The same body and blood of Jesus the Samaritan worshipped, we worship here today when Christ enters into our midst in His body and blood at this altar. It is by faith alone that we return back to Jesus after He’s saved us so that we would receive this salvation.

It’s actually very simple. Returning to Jesus after we’ve been healed is no more than going to where He promises to be. He promises to be present in His word, so return to the Lord your God and open the scripture in your homes. He promises to be present in the sacrament of the altar, so as often as you have available to you, return to the Lord your God and eat His body and drink His blood in this sanctuary. 

God desires that all would return to Him after He heals them. Returning to Jesus is more important than doing what Jacob the leper did when he went back to his wife and kids. As great as family is, faith in them will not save you; only faith in Jesus saves, so return to Him before you turn to your family. Family can very easily become an idol that we would rather worship than God. 

So the short of it is, you need to return to Jesus where He promises to be. You need to read the Bible in your homes and you need to attend the Divine Service in your church. That is very practically what it means to return to God. Returning to God isn’t optional. Faith isn’t just an optional part of being a Christian. Faith is fundamental to who you are now. 

I know it might seem as if I’m preaching to the choir on this, since all of you are here in the Divine Service today. You have all returned to the Lord your God out of faith in Him and joy in the abundant life He’s given to you. But the temptation to not return to God is present in all of us. It’s actually a common belief even among regular church goers that returning to Jesus by studying the scriptures at home and coming to church on Sunday morning is optional.

Well I’m here to tell you faith isn’t optional. Returning to Jesus isn’t optional. The Bible and church isn’t optional. If you treat it like it’s optional, and don’t return to Jesus, then He wonders, “where are you? I’ve healed you, I’ve given you life, I want you to be with me. Where are you?” Without faith you will not be saved. I won’t judge you if you’re not here in church or you never read your Bible or if you don’t have faith or you never want communion, but be aware Jesus will judge you, and He knows your heart.

See the story of the ten lepers is the story of all of us Christians. The reason I tried to describe Jacob the Leper as relatable and familiar is so that you’d see he’s no different than any one of us. All of us have a terrible disease that will separate us from our loved ones, it’s called sin and death, and it’s way worse than leprosy. Every one of us wants the cure, we cry out for mercy, and God gladly offers it. Today my daughter is baptized into Jesus. Her disease of sin would separate her from her loved ones and even God. But through Christ Jesus she’s made well, she’s saved. The same is true for all of us. Through baptism we are saved and the Holy Spirit imparts faith to our hearts. So now in that faith which God has given to us, let us return to Jesus, the One who heals and saves! Let us fall at His feet at this altar! Let us lift up our voices and give praise to God! Let us rend our hearts and not our garments! Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and He relents over disaster. Return to the Lord your God.