11 Now it
happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria
and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain
village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they
lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when
He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show
yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were
cleansed. 15 And one
of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice
glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face
at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus
answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But
where are the nine? 18 Were
there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He
said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made
you well.”
Commentary
Vs. 11 “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.”
This is now Jesus’ finial journey towards His destination with the cross. A journey that He willingly takes for us all. And so, it is that as He is journeying to Jerusalem, that He passed through (not around) the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Something the Jews would not do because Samaria was held by them as an “unclean” land. For in ancient times when it was captured by the Assyrian king after he had taken the Jews who dwelt there into captivity, resettled it with foreigners from the other nations that he had conquered. Thus, the very people whom God told them not to intermingle with and serve their idols and gods soon became the proprietors of the land He had given them, because of their ongoing disobedience to Him (2 Kings 17:5-41). Similarly, Galilee from the days of King Solomon until now was generally held as a worthless land (1 Kings 9:10-14), being historically a mixed land of Jews as well as Gentiles. Therefore, the Jews held Judea and Jerusalem as the holy place to live and dwell, their designation then as Jews being drawn from the word Judea. And so, no devout “Jew” would want to pass through the midst of these lands, especially Samaria, while on a religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ once again, as He had regularly down throughout His ministry life, was once again breaking down barriers between man and God, and willingly approaching and reaching out to people held to be unclean and or unapproachable.
Vs. 12-13 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
And so, it was that as Jesus entered a certain village in those regions that there were ten lepers who met Him, who standing afar off cried out to Him saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Clearly then these men had heard about Jesus. For Jesus was not an unknown figure in these regions, for He had both taught, preached too, and healed many in these regions. And so being encountered here by ten lepers shows that they themselves who would’ve all dwelt together, for they were excluded by law from regular community life, were indeed also aware of Jesus and what He could do.
Vs. 14 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so, it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
Upon then hearing their request for mercy Jesus immediately says to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Thus, neither laying on His hands, or commanding their healing, Jesus simply tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. For it would’ve been the priests who would’ve designated them as unclean, for that was one of their duties (see Lev. 13-14). And so, when the priests would’ve seen them, but now healed, for they were healed as they went, they would’ve been utterly astounded by this, and would’ve asked them how this happened to them. The healed lepers then would’ve told them that upon their encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and their request for mercy from Him they were cleansed as they obeyed His Word to them! Now this same mercy and healing is likewise available too every sinner who cries out to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, for you too can likewise be healed and cleansed of all your sins and transgression the moment you repent and believe.
Vs. 15-16 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
Now of the ten lepers healed, only one returned to Jesus, and this one was a Samaritan. Thus, the most unclean and least likely individual in the eyes of the Jews to believe anything about or do anything for God, is the one who returns to glorify God! And so, falling down at the feet of Jesus in great and unmeasurable gratitude he gives Jesus thanks. For it is always the most lost, the most broken, the most unclean sinful men and women before man and God, who when they truly experience the grace and love of God are often the most grateful and later dutiful for Him.
Vs. 17-19 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Upon seeing the Samaritans return and hearing his gratitude, Jesus now asks what happened to the other nine, for there were ten who were healed, and only one was a foreigner (i.e. a Samaritan) the rest were Jews. And yet it is the foreigner who alone returns to Jesus to give God glory! Therefore, Jesus in showing no partially to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime, now says to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” And so it is that the one who is least esteemed in the eyes of Jews, and thus thought of having no real faith, is the one who truly shows that he has faith! And how often does that happen where those who have no real faith In Christ wrongly judge those who do. For that is an ongoing reality played out time and again, where those who are least esteemed in the eyes of man often become the true vessels of the Lord (consider 1 Cor. 1:26-31). Now Jesus finial Word to Him that, “Your faith has made you well.” Is His Word to us all, for to simply believe in Him (apart from any works or deeds done by us) is to be saved by Him, which is the eternal truth declared in the Gospels and throughout the New Testament.
Commentary
Vs. 11 “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.”
This is now Jesus’ finial journey towards His destination with the cross. A journey that He willingly takes for us all. And so, it is that as He is journeying to Jerusalem, that He passed through (not around) the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Something the Jews would not do because Samaria was held by them as an “unclean” land. For in ancient times when it was captured by the Assyrian king after he had taken the Jews who dwelt there into captivity, resettled it with foreigners from the other nations that he had conquered. Thus, the very people whom God told them not to intermingle with and serve their idols and gods soon became the proprietors of the land He had given them, because of their ongoing disobedience to Him (2 Kings 17:5-41). Similarly, Galilee from the days of King Solomon until now was generally held as a worthless land (1 Kings 9:10-14), being historically a mixed land of Jews as well as Gentiles. Therefore, the Jews held Judea and Jerusalem as the holy place to live and dwell, their designation then as Jews being drawn from the word Judea. And so, no devout “Jew” would want to pass through the midst of these lands, especially Samaria, while on a religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ once again, as He had regularly down throughout His ministry life, was once again breaking down barriers between man and God, and willingly approaching and reaching out to people held to be unclean and or unapproachable.
Vs. 12-13 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
And so, it was that as Jesus entered a certain village in those regions that there were ten lepers who met Him, who standing afar off cried out to Him saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Clearly then these men had heard about Jesus. For Jesus was not an unknown figure in these regions, for He had both taught, preached too, and healed many in these regions. And so being encountered here by ten lepers shows that they themselves who would’ve all dwelt together, for they were excluded by law from regular community life, were indeed also aware of Jesus and what He could do.
Vs. 14 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so, it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
Upon then hearing their request for mercy Jesus immediately says to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Thus, neither laying on His hands, or commanding their healing, Jesus simply tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. For it would’ve been the priests who would’ve designated them as unclean, for that was one of their duties (see Lev. 13-14). And so, when the priests would’ve seen them, but now healed, for they were healed as they went, they would’ve been utterly astounded by this, and would’ve asked them how this happened to them. The healed lepers then would’ve told them that upon their encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and their request for mercy from Him they were cleansed as they obeyed His Word to them! Now this same mercy and healing is likewise available too every sinner who cries out to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, for you too can likewise be healed and cleansed of all your sins and transgression the moment you repent and believe.
“For whoever calls upon the Name
of the Lord shall be saved!”
Vs. 15-16 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
Now of the ten lepers healed, only one returned to Jesus, and this one was a Samaritan. Thus, the most unclean and least likely individual in the eyes of the Jews to believe anything about or do anything for God, is the one who returns to glorify God! And so, falling down at the feet of Jesus in great and unmeasurable gratitude he gives Jesus thanks. For it is always the most lost, the most broken, the most unclean sinful men and women before man and God, who when they truly experience the grace and love of God are often the most grateful and later dutiful for Him.
Vs. 17-19 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Upon seeing the Samaritans return and hearing his gratitude, Jesus now asks what happened to the other nine, for there were ten who were healed, and only one was a foreigner (i.e. a Samaritan) the rest were Jews. And yet it is the foreigner who alone returns to Jesus to give God glory! Therefore, Jesus in showing no partially to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime, now says to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” And so it is that the one who is least esteemed in the eyes of Jews, and thus thought of having no real faith, is the one who truly shows that he has faith! And how often does that happen where those who have no real faith In Christ wrongly judge those who do. For that is an ongoing reality played out time and again, where those who are least esteemed in the eyes of man often become the true vessels of the Lord (consider 1 Cor. 1:26-31). Now Jesus finial Word to Him that, “Your faith has made you well.” Is His Word to us all, for to simply believe in Him (apart from any works or deeds done by us) is to be saved by Him, which is the eternal truth declared in the Gospels and throughout the New Testament.
Scripture Quotations
New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson
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