Tiffs striking incident happened during our Lord’s last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. The record of it is preserved in the third Gospel only (Luke 17:1-19). Ten lepers met the Saviour at His entrance into a village, and with one accord cried to Him for mercy. The fame of His deeds of power had spread from Dan to Beersheba; hence the readiness with which these victims of disease appealed to Him. Remarkably, one of them was a Samaritan, the rest being Jews. Under ordinary circumstances the nine would have spurned the company of the tenth (“for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”); but the stress of a common disease had put them all on one level, and they apparently felt it. The greatest leveler of all is sin, of which leprosy is in Scripture the expressive type. High and low, rich and poor, religious and irreligious, are all in the same position before God in this respect; “there is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). What matters is that some owe 50 pence and some 500 if all alike have nothing wherewith to pay? (Luke 7:41-42).
In answer to the cry of the lepers the Saviour said: “Go, show yourselves unto the priests.” Why did He act thus? Why did He not put out His hand and touch them, and so give them instantaneous healing, as with the leper of Luke 5:13? The reason appears to be that He would test them as to their confidence in His word. Their response was perfect. With no change whatever in their condition they turned their steps in the direction of the temple to offer their two birds (Lev. 14:1-4), being confident that healing would be experienced on the road, as it really happened. “As they went they were cleansed.” Let these poor fellows read us a lesson to-day. Confidence in the divine word (for us the Scriptures) is the deepest need of our time. Higher criticism, and the “opposition of science falsely so-called” are destroying faith in the Word of God. Multitudes are weltering in unbelief, to their deadly peril. Yet blessing for us, as for the ten lepers, is only found in the way of faith; and “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17)
A remarkable thing happened as soon as the little band became conscious that they were healed. The Samaritan broke away from his companions (who continued their journey towards the temple), and returned to Jesus, falling at His feet, and glorifying God with a loud voice. In his eyes sanctuaries, ceremonies, and priests were the veriest trivialities compared with the Son of God. The nine might occupy themselves with the religious formalities of Jerusalem, but he could only be happy at the Saviour’s feet. The Lord commended him for it in the words: “Were there not ten cleansed; but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” If the Lord could so speak in a land where the religious ceremonies of the people were of divine institution, what would He say to-day when the ceremonies in which men pride themselves are derived partly from Judaism and partly from Paganism, all of them in defiance of the teaching of the New Testament epistles? There is nothing so spiritually barren as ceremonial religion; there is nothing that so satisfies and delights the heart as living contact with the person of the Son of God. To Him, not to religious centers, our allegiance is due; for has He not purged our sins by His blood, and does He not live now on our behalf in the glory above? Let others impoverish themselves with mere religion if they will, but let us find our all in Christ Himself.