Luke 17: 11-19

As ugly and painful as leprosy is, we live in a condition that is much worse. We live in the condition of sin (Romans 3:23). In a way, the story of the ten lepers is a picture of our sin disease and Jesus’ restoration of us. The ten men knew without a doubt that they had a terrible problem. They were physically sick, and their sickness caused them to be separated from all those who were “clean.” They could do nothing to help themselves. They recognized the power and authority of Jesus to heal them of their illness. They submitted themselves to Him by calling Him Master. They called out to Him for cleansing. By faith, they received His saving gift. They did not earn it. They simply received it and were healed. Their bodies were made new, fresh, clean, and whole. And, they were able to return to the presence of those who were clean. However, only one man returned to thank Jesus. This man had a completely correct response and clearly, Jesus was pleased with his expression of thanks. He grieved at the absence of the other nine and He asked “…but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17b) The Bible tells us that we are just like these ten diseased men. We are spiritually sick. We were each born with a sin nature, and not one of us is without sin. The awesome news is, the Bible also tells us that there is ONE way for us to be made new. Each of us must recognize he is a sinner (Roman 3:9). Our sin separates us from God, because He is perfect (Isaiah 59:2). We can do nothing to help ourselves. There is no amount of good things we can do to undo the sins we have committed (Isaiah 64:6a). We must each recognize the power and authority of Jesus to take away our sins (John 1:29). We must submit ourselves to Him by confessing He is Lord (Romans 10:9). By faith, we must trust that when Jesus died on the cross, His blood fulfilled God’s requirement for the forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:7). We cannot earn this free gift (Ephesians 2:8). When we believe this, we are a new creation. Our old nature is gone; we have a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are then reconciled to God because our sins are forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:18). We will one day enter heaven to live with God forever (John 6:40). And like the one leper who returned, we should be filled with gratitude for all that the Savior did for us when we were spiritual lepers before Him. PRAISE THE LORD!