Luke 17:11-19 "An Uncommon Grace"

Luke 17:11-19

"And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

The Grace of God is not what men imagine it to be; it is uncommon because none of us deserve it, and uncommon because it is not left up to man. When we read of the healing of the ten lepers, we see an example of this uncommon Grace, a Grace that moves according to His purpose and according to His way, not man’s.

The LORD Jesus Christ “passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee” (v.11). Even this: “it came to pass” (v.11), according to what God had ordained. As He went to Jerusalem, the place where He would lay down His life, He deliberately walked the path of His sheep. He must needs go this way—not geographically, but graciously. He passed through those despised places where men commonly avoided, because His uncommon Grace is revealed not where people expect, but among those written off in their own minds and in the minds of others.

As He entered into a certain village, ten men that were lepers stood afar off. They lifted up their voices and cried, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (v.13). Mercy is God withholding from sinners what they deserve. Anything this side of hell is mercy. But Grace is more—it is God dealing with our sin in a just way so that He can be gracious unto sinners such as He has purposed to save in Christ. Grace is not a heap we stumble upon; it is not in us, but all in the LORD Jesus Christ. And here, as they went, they were cleansed.

But uncommon Grace is seen in the one who returned. “He was a Samaritan” (v.16), a stranger, outside the commonwealth of Israel, one who was written off by religion. Yet to him the LORD said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole,” (v.19). The first evidence of uncommon Grace is not in the cleanness of the flesh, but in the turning of the heart to give glory to God. In saying, "Thy faith hath made thee whole," it means the Object of his faith Who is the LORD Jesus, made him whole.

This path through Samaria reminds us of John 4, where “he must needs go through Samaria,” (John 4:4). He did not have to go through Samaria geographically, because the Jews would circumvent Samaria, following a path on the other side of the Jordan River. He went because His sheep were there. Such is His purpose. The Jews despised Samaria, and would bypass the territory completely. But Christ identified with those of His sheep from Samaria, and was even mocked by being called a Samaritan, a term of derision. Yet He, the Good Samaritan, numbered among transgressors though He was no transgressor, poured oil and wine into the wounds of His own.

This uncommon Grace also appears in Luke 4, where He read from Isaiah: “to preach the gospel to the poor… to heal the brokenhearted… to set at liberty them that are bruised… to preach the acceptable year of the LORD” (Luke 4:18–19). He brought forth gracious words, yet they did not see themselves as poor, captive, or blind. They loved their idea of a 'jesus', but not this One Who saves unconditionally the worst of sinners. When He declared, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21), they wondered, but their wonder was not the effect of grace. For He reminded them that in the days of Elias, “unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta… unto a woman that was a widow” (Luke 4:26). And again: “many lepers were in Israel… and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:27).

Uncommon Grace passes by many and falls upon those whom men would never choose. Their hearts were revealed in wrath, for religion is only a façade until men are confronted with Christ as He is. And yet Christ walked straight into the midst of Samaria and the midst of Galilee because He came to pay the debt of those given to Him by the Father before the foundation of the world, to bring liberty and Jubilee through His death (Isaiah 61:1). He fulfilled the acceptable year of the LORD. The One Who sustains all things by the Word of His Power, the great “I AM,” walked this path for the sake of a stranger who would fall at His feet and give Him thanks.

Such is uncommon Grace. Not common. Not natural. Not deserved. All of Him, none of us.