Where Are the Nine?

In this history we read of ten lepers. It is difficult to conceive any condition more miserable than that of men who were afflicted with this leprosy. They were cast out from society and cut off from all communion with their fellow-beings. The destroying power of the disease affected every member of the body, the blood was contaminated, the voice was hoarse, and there was no cure. This disease ended in death. The leper had to go bareheaded, with rent clothing and covered mouth, and when seeing anyone, though afar off, he had to cry, “Depart, unclean, unclean!”

These ten wretched ones raised their voices to the Savior and called loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” They appear to have been truly sensible of their wretchedness. They were outcasts (Leviticus 13:46).

They stood afar off, but they did not stand idly by, doing nothing. They all lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

These ten lepers had much in common:

- they all called him Jesus, which was an outward acknowledgement that He is the Savior and Preserver;

- they called Him Master, One who is esteemed highly and is above others in wisdom, and to whom one will subject himself willingly;

- they revealed faith in His power, His ability to help them;

- they begged for mercy, which excludes all merit or worthiness; that was their only hope and expectation;

- they left the manner of their deliverance entirely up to Him, without stipulating anything;

- they prayed unitedly, “Have mercy upon us”; they seemed to have love and to have compassion;

- they all, in perfect obedience to Jesus’ command, went without uttering a single word of objection and showed faith in the almighty power of Jesus to cleanse them.

We would almost ask: What more could be desired? But of all the ten lepers whom Christ healed, there was only one who turned back and gave Him thanks. The Lord Jesus said: “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”

These nine lepers, although outwardly obedient, did not show true gratitude toward their Benefactor. They had no love or high esteem for Christ. They considered Him to be a wonder-working prophet, whose commandments they now wanted to obey, but they were blind to His glorious power and undeserved mercy.

They showed no true gratitude. “No one returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

The Lord has also given us many blessings and many undeserved benefits in the past season. He provided with daily bread. He gave us also His precious Word which speaks of His unspeakable Gift. But have we ever come into the dust before Him as an undeserving sinner? “Who am I, Lord, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?”

Have we ever returned to give glory to God? Or are we like the nine, who ended in the benefits and forgot the Benefactor? How unthankful we are to a good-doing God, who daily loadeth us with His benefits. If you are a complete stranger to this place before God in the dust, in humiliation, then:

- your uncircumcised heart has never actually bowed before the high God and Judge because of your hell-worthiness. You have never accepted the punishment of your iniquity: your mouth has never been stopped and you have never become condemnable before God.

- you have never learned to know the spiritual power of the law, and for that reason all your exercises are concerning only outward sins.

- you still miss the true love for the virtues and attributes of God and for Christ, above yourself and all other creatures.

In all your exercises you were, and still are, truly concerned only about yourself, concerned for yourself and for your own happiness, and you cling to duties. Then you do not live unto God, but unto yourself, and you do not belong to Christ. How poor and wretched are you then! May then the Lord open your eyes and bring you yet as a miserable creature to His feet, crying for mercy.

The Samaritan showed great saving faith. He was the only one who returned. Perhaps he was tried and tested by the reasoning of the nine lepers. They could have brought such objections as that he should be obedient to Jesus’ command first to show himself to the priest and offer the sacrifice according to the law; that this would be the required gratitude to God; that if he did not do so, he should expect to be again punished with leprosy, as a public despiser of the law. How many objections may arise to keep God’s people away from that precious place at Jesus’ feet!

But, nevertheless, he came. His faith had made him whole. This was more than the cleansing of his leprosy. It saved him; not only his body, but also his soul was healed. That was the greatest miracle.

The one who turned back to Jesus glorified God with a loud voice. He loudly acknowledged the Lord, that all might know the miracle that was wrought and join in giving glory to Christ.

Gratitude is a rare thing; it is found in but a few. Unthankfulness cleaves to most persons. True gratitude is a gift of Him who is the praying, but also the thanking High Priest for a guilty and unworthy people.

The whole need not the Physician, Christ, but those who are sick and sensible of their sickness. And when they perceive that their diseases are healed and their sins are forgiven, then they call upon their souls, and all within them, to bless the Lord, who has done this for them.

The Samaritan fell down at His feet. For, being cleansed, he might draw nigh unto Jesus, which he did with the most profound respect to Him and reverence of Him. A Samaritan, a stranger, a vile sinner came and acknowledged the grace of Christ that had cleansed him. That is a true thanksgiving day, when He becomes so great, so worthy, so unspeakably precious, and we become so small, so undeserving.

His faith had made him whole. This means that Christ, as the Object of faith, had saved him, that he might receive both corporal and spiritual salvation. The Lord is honored.

Many speak so easily of thanking and praising God. Also the Pharisee in the temple thanked Him, but without a truly broken and contrite heart.

The truly grateful one:

- is humbled; this is such a great wonder of grace to him that he sinks away under it. For he knows he is a stranger. Then he says, “Why me?”

- has sincere love for Christ, and, with the Samaritan, he cannot stay away from Him. He has a fervent yearning, in spite of all his shortcomings, to live for Him and to His honor.

- glorifies the Father in the gift of His Son. He learns to know that the Father’s love is revealed in that gift, so that he might live through Him.

- desires to show true gratitude to the Lord and ascribes everything to the sovereignty of God’s love and grace and to the rich favor of His good pleasure.

Such a true believer, who is really humbled under God’s faithfulness and care for one who has forfeited everything, needs to be kept continually, that he may not rely upon anything of or in himself, not even on the grace glorified in him. Such a faith looks away from self and expects it from Him alone. This faith was crowned in the life of the leper, the Samaritan. He was saved. But such a dependent, humble life will also be crowned with an eternal thanksgiving. Then all such strangers will give honor to Him who had manifested His undeserved goodness, and they will praise Him for all His mercy.

They remain lepers in themselves, sinners who are needy and poor. But He preserved and cleansed them. Then He will be honored.

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