Summary
In this powerful exploration of Luke 17, we encounter ten desperate men with leprosy who cry out to Jesus for mercy. All ten receive physical healing, yet only one returns to give thanks. This raises the haunting question that echoes through the ages: where are the nine? This isn’t a lesson about polite manners or remembering to say thank you. Rather, it’s a profound revelation about good mercy versus good manners. Leprosy serves as a vivid symbol for sin in our lives, being destructive, desensitizing, and deadly. Just as these men were dead men walking, we too were spiritually dead until Christ intervened. The tragedy isn’t just that nine failed to return, but that they took extraordinary grace and made it ordinary. They received a miracle that restored their entire lives, their families, and their futures, yet they treated it as commonplace. We’re challenged to examine our own hearts: have we become desensitized to grace? Do we believe God owes us His blessings? The truth is stark and beautiful: God doesn’t owe us anything, yet He offers us everything. That’s grace. And grace should never become familiar or common in our lives.
Key Scripture – Read Luke 17:11-19
Understanding the Text
1. What made leprosy such a serious condition in biblical times?
- How does leprosy serve as a picture of sin (destructive, desensitizing, deadly)?
- Why is this comparison important for understanding the gravity of what Jesus did?
2. What did it require for the ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priests before they were healed?
- How does this demonstrate faith?
- What does “acting as if it is so, even when it’s not so, because God said so” look like in your life?
3. Why do you think only one returned to give thanks?
- What might the other nine have been thinking or doing?
- How is their response similar to how we sometimes respond to God’s grace?
Personal Reflection
4. Andy said, “We are prone to take God’s grace for granted and make what is uncommon, common.” When have you found yourself taking God’s grace for granted?
5. How does understanding that “God doesn’t owe you anything, but offers you everything” change your perspective on your relationship with Him?
6. Jesus doesn’t just deserve praise—He expects it. How does this challenge or encourage you?
Application from Deuteronomy 6
The sermon identified three ways to avoid taking God’s grace for granted:
7. “Don’t forget where you came from” (Deuteronomy 6:12)
- Share your “Egypt”—where were you before Christ rescued you?
- How does remembering your past help you appreciate God’s grace today?
- How might forgetting where you came from lead to judgment of others?
8. “Don’t forsake the fear of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:13)
- What does a healthy “fear of the Lord” look like in daily life?
- How is this different from being scared of God?
- Where in your life do you need to cultivate more reverence and awe of God?
9. “Don’t follow other gods” (Deuteronomy 6:14-15)
- What are the “other gods” that compete for your attention and worship today?
- Have you ever used God’s grace as an excuse to sin? What happened?
- How can we guard our hearts against chasing after things other than God?
Deeper Dive
10. The one leper who returned was a Samaritan—an outsider. What does this detail teach us about who receives and responds to God’s grace?
11. Jesus said to the one who returned, “Your faith has saved you” (eternal salvation), while the others received only external cleansing. What’s the difference between wanting Jesus to solve our problems versus wanting Jesus Himself?
Scripture Reference
- Luke 17:11-19 – Primary text: The healing of the ten lepers
- Leviticus (general reference) – Levitical law regarding priests confirming healing from skin diseases
- James (general reference) – “Faith without works is dead.”
- Revelation 4 – Vision of the throne room; the four creatures saying “Holy, holy, holy”
- Revelation 4:8 (implied) – “Day and night they never stop saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, who is, and who is to come'”
- Deuteronomy 6:10-15 – Warning about forgetting God after entering the Promised Land
- Proverbs (general reference) – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
- Job (general reference) – God’s description of Job as fearing the Lord