Safety in Numbers, Return to the Flock.

Luke 17:11-19 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 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. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Keywords: Samaritan, priest, and faith.

Samaritan: Samaritans are born from the Assyrian capture of Israel’s Northern Tribes.[1] In 1 Kings 20:1-13, Ben-Hadad fought against Ahab in Samaria, which confirms that Samaria was originally an Israelite location. In 2 Kings 17:7-40 explains Israel was taken into exile to Assyria. The Samaritans became a racial mixture of Israelites and various other ancient Near Eastern people.[2] They were despised by the full-blooded Jews. Although some Jews were left behind, they became known as Samaritans.

Priest: The book of Numbers explains that priest are from the bloodline of Aaron. Aaron is the older brother of Moses. The Priests were of the upper Jewish society.[3] The Priests were representatives of the people before God.[4]

Faith: Faith is the trustful human response to God’s self-revelation through His words and actions. Hebrew has two words referring to faith; aman and yare. Aman refers to reliability, stability, and firmness. Yare is best defined as to fear.[5] The Greek word for faith is pistis. It is normally translated as I believe or I trust. The New Testament defines faith as a personal trustful response to God’s self-revelation.[6] It is a choice given by God to put faith in his words and actions. As a believer in Christ, Christians are given faith. Faith is a spiritual gift.[7]

The Mosiac Law forbade individuals with any skin illnesses from communing with family, and friends or attending assemblies. The priest could determine that an individual was healed from such illnesses. The individuals that approached Jesus would be forced to yell a warning for all approaching, “Unclean, unclean” to prevent others from acquiring the disease. Individuals would not discriminate against one another because they were all abolished to the outside of society. This is a lonely place to find oneself.

What about you? Do you feel abandoned by society? Are you figuratively yelling “unclean” as others approach? Jesus is the answer to all your sorrows. Call on Jesus, at any time, day or night, never too busy to forgive our transgressions and make our relationship right with the Father.

Bibliography

Constable, Thomas L. “2 Kings.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, 537-588. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1984.

Garland, David E. Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011.

Parks, D. Mark. “Faith.” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 547-550. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

Scott, Jr., J. Julius. Jewish Background of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1995.

[1] J. Julius Scott, Jr. Jewish Background of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1995), 60.

[2] Thomas L. Constable, “2 Kings,” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1984), 572. [3] David E. Garland, Luke, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 452-454. [4] Scott, Jr., Jewish Background, 67. [5] D. Mark Parks, “Faith”, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 547. [6] Ibid., 549. [7] Ibid., 550.