Luke 17.11-19 CLICK FOR AUDIO

The Infinite Mercy of Christ

Luke 17:11-19

Introduction

My favorite kinds of movies are those that end with an unexpected twist.  You’ve seen enough to know how the typical story line progresses toward its usual and predictable conclusion.  However when it quickly turns from that and follows an unexpected ending it is a movie with a good story, one worth watching.

Here we have a text that has a twist.  Luke writes this account in such a way as to leave his readers making assumptions and most of these assumptions end up being wrong.  His purposeful vagueness at certain specific points leads us to make wrong assumptions.  He uses these wrong assumptions to pull us into the story and to cause us to see some amazing things about Jesus.

Here is an account of ten lepers who are all healed.  Ten are healed physically but one is also saved, healed spiritually as well.  The one who is converted returns to Jesus to give God thanks.  There is a connection between this section and the beginning of Chapter 15…Luke’s purpose for including this account where he does is to show us theologically the distance in which Jesus is willing to go to receive sinners. Continue Reading