85. The Prayer of the Samaritan Leper
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Jesus, Master, have pity on us!
Luke 17:13J
ESUSentered the village surrounded by his disciples. Luke does
not tell us what kind of village it was, nor whether the Lord was
expecting anything unusual to happen there. We know only that ten
lepers met him and stood a ways from him.
Judaic law required lepers to stand at a distance and cry out “Un-
clean!” as a warning that their disease was extremely contagious. But
not one of these lepers gave the required warning. Instead they
brought their needs to Jesus, pleading, “Jesus, Master, have pity on
us.”
Why would these men have asked for the Lord’s sympathy? The
disease of leprosy numbs the nerve endings so that the sufferer is not
able to respond to the warnings his own body gives. In other words,