Luke 17:11-14 11And it happened when he was going to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he was entering a certain village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met him 13and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14When he saw them he said to them, “Going show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened as they went they were made clean.
The scene changes from the teaching episode in chapters 15 and 16. Typically, if the location is significant in the Gospels, the evangelist points it out, such as in this case. Luke reminds the readers once again that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, which represented the sacrifice he would make on the cross. This is the third mention of heading to Jerusalem (9:51; 13:22). Jesus was heading south from Galilee, where he spent a significant part of his ministry. Samaria was on the way on the western part of the Jordan River rift. Jesus could have bypassed Samaria, like many Jews did, but he chose to go near it and likely through it, though the reference to along between is difficult to interpret. There was always someone who needed his healing. The mention of Samaria would raise a flag in the minds of biased Jews since they looked down upon the Samaritans.
Like in many other occasions, Jesus came to a village. Word had likely spread of his coming. Ten lepers saw him coming and cried for mercy. According to Leviticus 13:38–46 and Numbers 5:2–4, lepers had to live removed from normal life. These lepers may have lived on the outskirts of the village. Life would have been very difficult for them without the ability to work and live among the people of the village. Leprosy could mean various types of skin diseases.
There are three noteworthy items about the ten lepers’ cry to Jesus. First, they knew his name, the Savior and healer. They saw hope in Jesus. They may have heard of his healing power by the rumors that had spread. They were desperate, and Jesus was their only hope. Second, they recognized him as Master (epistata), which is a word that only the disciples use in Luke. This could mean that these lepers already had faith in Jesus and were followers even though they were distant from him and may have never even seen him in person. Third, they asked for mercy (eleēson). This word can have different nuances but includes compassion and concern. Jesus had something they needed. In what way they were asking for mercy is not indicated, but it is assumed they wanted to be healed and believed Jesus could do something about it.
The phrase when he saw clues the reader in that Jesus did respond with compassion. He did not pass them by or ignore them like most people did. He stopped and gave them his attention. He came to bring healing to people like them. His directions were simple and assume something miraculous would take place. According to Leviticus 14:1–32, lepers had to show themselves to a priest in order to be back in society. The last sentence in verse 3 describes the miracle with the passive verb made clean. Leprosy was considered impure, so the reverse was to be made pure. The physical healing was obvious. The next verses explore the spiritual healing that took place. Jesus answers with compassion the cries of those who come in faith asking for mercy.
For older posts, click here.