Have Mercy on Us

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened with the story of 10 lepers healed by Jesus in Luke 17, and worked through what it means that only one of them, a Samaritan outsider, came back to give thanks. The sermon traced the theme of mercy through Luke's gospel and pressed on the difference between being healed and being saved. Luke places this passage while Jesus is traveling toward Jerusalem, passing through the...

Read together

1. Luke 17:11-19 the primary text of the sermon, the ten lepers receiving healing
2. Leviticus 13-14 defining the various skin conditions covered under the term leprosy and the priest's role in diagnosis
3. Luke 9:51 Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem and the cross
4. John 1:3 nothing was made that was not made through Jesus, and all belongs to him
5. Colossians 1 Jesus upholds all things by the word of his power
6. Luke 5 the untouchable leper healed by Jesus touching him
7. Luke 4 Jesus' sermon declaring he is here to set the captive free and heal the physically burdened
8. Luke 10 the story of the good Samaritan and the question of who is my neighbor
9. Lamentations 3 the benediction: through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, his compassions fail not, great is your faithfulness

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray talked about the lepers having to announce 'I am unclean' to anyone who came near them, and how eventually they just started grouping together with people like themselves. Where in your own life have you found it easier to stay with familiar people rather than reach out to those who are different from you?
2. All ten lepers called out to Jesus for mercy and all ten were healed as they went, but only one came back. What do you think it looks like in everyday life to receive something good from God and just keep walking, versus stopping to come back and give thanks?
3. Pastor Ray made a point that the one who returned was a Samaritan, an outsider, and that Jesus said this was for the benefit of the disciples watching. What prejudices or assumptions might God be asking us to lay down in how we think about who the gospel is for?
4. Pastor Ray drew a distinction between mercy and grace, saying mercy is not getting the bad you do deserve, and grace is getting the good you do not deserve. How does recognizing that distinction change the way you approach God when you are struggling?
5. The word translated 'made you well' in verse 19 is the same Greek root as the word for salvation, and Pastor Ray described it as being rescued from the penalty and power of sin into God's provision of safety. How does it sit with you to think of your ongoing daily life, not just the moment you were saved, as something God is actively keeping you safe within?