Luke 17:11-19
11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
We know we are supposed to reach out and take Jesus to the world. John Wesley said that we are changed when we serve others. This Gospel passage shows us how an "outsider" can show things that we can't see for ourselves. When we are around something all the time, we tend to not appreciate it. Bringing "outsiders" into our church can enlighten us to things that we take for granted or just ignore. This Samaritan man shows us how important outsiders are to God, to us and to the church. We can learn from those that aren't familiar... and should. How can we do this in our own lives every day?
