The Mercy of Jesus

In this short and moving account, Jesus shows amazing mercy in miraculously healing ten lepers. To be a leper in that day was about as miserable of a life as one could imagine, resulting in physical, emotional, and spiritual breakdown. In their state of desperation, they cry out to Jesus for mercy from a distance. His power is such that only the word is needed and they are cleansed as they make their way to the priests, who could declare them clean and sanction their return to community. The story then takes a shocking and headline grabbing turn - while nine go their way, one man returns, praising God with a loud voice and falling at Jesus’ feet. The remarkable note is that he was a Samaritan - a religious outsider at enmity with the Jews.

It is not that the Samaritans had right theology - they didn’t - but the man’s humility that caused him to worship Jesus and see him for who he was. While all the others got the gift of God, the Samaritan got God himself. Jesus declares that his faith has made him well, which in greek is literally “saved.” This is what the story is all about - the true nature of salvation.