“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.” (Luke 17:11-19)
I heard this passage preached the day and one word stood out to me out of these verses, the word “stranger.”
In current culture, when we see or hear or use the word “stranger” we use it meaning a person or thing that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted.
Here in this context, the word “stranger” means foreigner.
The reason why this is significant is that we see that this man was a Samaritan. The Samaritans were a people that the Jews despised. They didn’t like them, they thought little of them, and they would even travel around Samaria instead of going through it.
Jesus pointed out to the Jews who were listening to Him, that this stranger, this foreigner, this Samaritan, was the only one who turned around and thanked Jesus for healing his leperosy.
As I read this, I wonder if this Samaritan man was the only foreigner in the group that got healed. Were the other nine all Jews? If you think about it, Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest. The Jews would have gone straight there because that is their custom, but the Samaritan, he was probably wondering if he should or not because he was a stranger in their land. We see what the Samaritan did, he stopped and turned around, glorified God and gave thanks. He realized that it was the Son of God who had healed him.
To Jesus, I’m not just a stranger.
Jesus saw the group of lepers. He knew where they were from. He healed all ten of them without asking any questions. He healed all ten of them without looking at their race. He healed all ten of them without judging them by their background or past. Jesus saw ten men who needed healing. He didn’t see any strangers in that group.
When Jesus looked at me, He didn’t see a stranger. He saw me and He saved me.
When He looks at you, He doesn’t see a stranger. He sees you and wants to save you. Jesus wants to help you.
I’m not just a stranger to Jesus.
You are not just a stranger to Jesus.
Run to Him. Thank Him. Praise Him. Fall at His feet and glorify Him.
Jesus knows each one of us by name. He wants to save us. He wants to heal us. He wants to help us.
I’m so thankful that I am not a stranger to Jesus!
Counted Faithful 