The Ten Lepers and Their Spiritual Leprosy (Luke 17:11-19 and Leviticus 13)

In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus cleansed ten lepers of their physical leprosy. Only one of them returned and ended up being cleansed of his spiritual leprosy. https://youtu.be/13bpSzKhUjk In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus cleansed ten lepers of physical leprosy. One of them returned and ended up being cleansed of his spiritual leprosy. Table of contentsUnderstanding LeprosyLeprosy's Physical EffectsLeprosy's Spiritual EffectsLeprosy's Mental EffectsLeprosy's Emotional EffectsWhy Lepers (Sadly) Weren't PitiedWho Might Lepers Approach?Cleansed Leprosy in the Old TestamentMiriam's CleansingNaaman's CleansingThe Ritual for Cleansed Lepers in Leviticus 14Cleansing Physical Leprosy Identified the Messiah’s ComingGreater than Moses and ElishaJesus Noticed the Ten Lepers Thanklessness and ThankfulnessLook Past the Ten Lepers' Physical Leprosy to Their Spiritual LeprosyLeprosy Is a Picture of SinA Beautiful Picture of Cleansing Spiritual LeprosyJesus Wants to Cleanse Our Spiritual LeprosyThe Greatest Cleansing Any of the Ten Lepers Received Leprosy and its variants are mentioned 68 times in the Bible. The number of references alone makes it worth understanding. Regarding the account of the ten lepers in Luke 11:17-19, understanding leprosy helps us better understand: The lepers’ desperation when they came to Jesus How dramatic and wonderful it was for Jesus to heal them How thankful they should have been when Jesus healed them Understanding Leprosy Leprosy's Physical Effects Leprosy began as small, red spots on the skin. Before long the spots grew and turned white, with a shiny or scaly appearance. Then the spots would become dirty sores and ulcers because of the poor blood supply. The sores and ulcers would spread until they covered the body. Lepers would lose feeling in affected areas, and without pain as a warning system they’d experience other injuries: They might twist an ankle but continue walking, worsening the tearing of the ligaments. If they were cooking with a fire, they wouldn’t know if they got too close and burn themselves. Because they were forced to live away from civilization in unsanitary environments, they might not notice – and I’m not kidding – if rodents were chewing on them while they slept. The body would start to fall apart: Hair would fall out. Fingernails and toenails would become loose and fall off. The joints of fingers and toes would rot until the fingers and toes themselves fell off. Gums would shrink until teeth fell out. The disease would affect the larynx, producing a grating quality in the leper’s voice. The skin around the eyes and ears would begin to bunch, with deep furrows between the swellings, so the face started to look like that of a lion. Leprosy would eat away at the victim’s face until their nose, palate, and even their eyes would rot away. Since lepers had parts of their bodies rotting, they put off a terrible odor, and these are only the physical consequences. There were spiritual, mental, and emotional consequences as well. Leprosy's Spiritual Effects Spiritually, because lepers were unclean, they were removed from the religious life of the nation. Say goodbye to ever being able to corporately worship the Lord again. Leprosy's Mental Effects Mentally, leprosy was terrible because there was no cure. Lepers had to live with the reality that their condition would only get worse. As terrible as this week was, the next week would be even worse and the week after that even worse. Leprosy's Emotional Effects Emotionally, leprosy was terrible because it meant the end of human relationships. Unless you want to risk your spouse, parents, children, siblings, or friends contracting leprosy you stay away from them. All suffering is helped by the love and support of family and friends, but lepers couldn’t even experience that. Imagine for a moment, you can never kiss your spouse again, hug your children or parents again. Because lepers were like living dead people who could have no more relationships with others, there would be funerals for them while they were alive.86 Lepers became complete outcasts, shunned by the rest of society. The only relationships they had were with other lepers, but even this was painful, because the relationships served as constant reminders of the fate that awaited them: they had to watch other lepers rot away knowing the same would happen to them. Why Lepers (Sadly) Weren't Pitied You could read this and think, “Everyone must have felt terrible for lepers." No, and let me explain why: Luke 13:1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Jesus was told Pilate murdered some Jews. If you were told this, how would you respond? Wouldn’t you say something like, "This is terrible. I’m so sorry to hear this. What a horrible tragedy." Jesus knew the people were thinking the Galileans who were murdered were worse sinners than everyone else. So, He says, "Instead of worrying about the Galileans’ sins, they should be worried about their own sins and repent." Apparently, there was a tower that fell and tragically killed eighteen people. Again, Jesus knew the thinking of the day would be that the people who were crushed by the tower must’ve been worse sinners than everyone else, so again He called everyone to repent. Think about the man born blind: As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him (John 9:1-3). For this man to be born blind, someone must have sinned, whether him or his parents. Jesus said his blindness was not the result of anyone’s sin. The point is, if the thinking of the day is people’s suffering is caused by their sin, people would think lepers must have been terrible sinners. So, no, people did not have pity on lepers. Who Might Lepers Approach? If lepers ever approached anyone, it was viewed as a selfish act, because they were risking infecting others. But interestingly, lepers did seem comfortable approaching one Person: Luke 17:11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. They wanted to be healed, but Jesus had entered a village. They knew they couldn’t follow, so they stood at a distance. If nobody else had mercy on them, they thought Jesus would. And He did. Notice Jesus didn’t cleanse the lepers immediately, which I'm sure they wanted. They obeyed Jesus, headed to the priests, and were cleansed as they went. When the lepers showed themselves to the priests, they would be pronounced clean and then they could be restored to the religious and social life of the nation. Cleansed Leprosy in the Old Testament There were only two instances in the Old Testament of leprosy being cleansed. Miriam's Cleansing The first instance is when Moses’s brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam, attacked Moses's leadership. God gave Miriam leprosy, but Moses interceded for her. Numbers 12:15 says, "So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again." It never says Miriam was cleansed, but the fact that she was brought back into the camp means she must’ve been cleansed. But there’s no record of the ritual being performed. Naaman's Cleansing The other instance is with Naaman in 2 Kings 5. It looks like he headed back to Syria after he was cleansed. It’s highly unlikely that the commander of the Syrian Army, Israel’s enemies, would’ve walked into the temple in Jerusalem and expected the Jewish priests to perform the ritual for him. Plus, he wouldn’t have even known about the ritual unless Elisha told him to have it done, and there’s no record of that. The Ritual for Cleansed Lepers in Leviticus 14 Leviticus 14 describes a ritual the priests were supposed to perform after lepers had been cleansed. But this wasn’t a ritual TO cleanse lepers. This was a ritual performed AFTER lepers were cleansed. But because leprosy was incurable, Miriam and Naaman are the only recorded instances of leprosy being cleansed, and there’s no record of the ritual ever being performed, Leviticus 14 must have been one of the most untouched chapters in the Old Testament. But eight times in Leviticus 14:4-19 it says, "him who is to be cleansed." God clearly expected people to be cleansed of leprosy, otherwise why have a ritual to be performed when lepers were cleansed? But because leprosy was incurable why have a ritual for something that can’t happen? Cleansing Physical Leprosy Identified the Messiah’s Coming When John the Baptist was in prison, it would have been discouraging, but he could be greatly encouraged by the prophecies about the Messiah setting captives free: Isaiah 42:7 says, "[The Messiah will] bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." Psalm 146:7 says, "The Lord sets the prisoners free." Not long ago, Jesus stood up in the synagogue and read from the prop