Church without Borders

Church without Borders

Words of Faith 11-2-18

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2018

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Luke 17:11-19

    Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. [12] As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance [13] and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

    [14] When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

    [15] One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. [16] He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him and he was a Samaritan.

    [17] Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? [18] Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" [19] Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

       As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, he did a great deal of teaching.  But today we see a dramatic healing found only in Luke's Gospel.  You may recall that Jesus had said there would be no more signs except the sign of Jonah.  So what was the purpose of this healing?  Here we see the way that some were drawn to him and found healing, but we also see a picture of what it is to live out the teaching of Jesus.

       You have probably heard this passage preached on the topic of thanksgiving or gratitude.  That message is important.  Who could not be struck by the image of ten who were healed but only one returned?  We can sense the disappointment of Jesus in the nine who did not return.  It causes us to go back and try to be more grateful people, especially toward God.  But there is much more here.

     What we have here is a powerful image of what it means to be the church on the way.  What does the church look like when it is responding to the call of God and on the way toward its destiny?  What does the church look like when it is on the way to the Kingdom of God?

      First, it is a church without borders.  "Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee" (17:11).  The Greek literally means that Jesus traveled in between Samaria and Galilee on the border.   This was not a place that either Jew or Samaritan would find comfortable. 

      This border was not a political border like we see today with a fence or control station.  It was more a religious and ethnic border.  The Jewish people looked down on the Samaritan people because they were of mixed race since the conquest of this area by the Assyrians in 720 BC.  The Samaritans had the same Bible and worshiped the same God, but had a different Temple and therefore each hated the other. (It is too bad that the stories of Jesus are not contemporary or relevant!)

       Jews in Galilee traveled with some effort to go around the area of Samaria and would typically stay as far as possible from this ancient border.  We have already seen that Jesus was not afraid to go into Samaritan areas.  Jesus seemed to intentionally place Himself between the broken and fractured parts of this world.  Jesus was not afraid to come near the borders, go close to the edges or press the boundaries. 

       Why was Jesus walking along this border?   It could not have been a mistake.  Jesus knew that there were hurting people along this border.  There were ten people caught in between the two cultures, but bound together by their misery and disease. God wanted to cleanse these ten lepers.  This meeting was not a mistake.

        Be sure to understand clearly.  Jesus pushed the human boundaries, not the divine ones.  Jesus questioned the human rules, but not the divine ones.  Jesus stretched the social boundaries, but not the one's made by God. 

      When you are on the way to becoming what God wants you to be, he very likely will call you to stretch some boundaries.  He will lead you to get out of your comfort zones and talk to some people that are different from you.

      The church on the way presses the boundaries.  A church that stays within social boundaries is not the church on the way.  A church that simply reflects the barriers and prejudices of the culture is not the church on the way, and does not reflect the Kingdom of God at all.  The church on the way places itself right at the schisms and fractures of society.

      The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth— For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer" (2 Cor. 5:14-16). 

      We do not view people and places from a worldly view.  Paul goes on to declare that we are ambassadors for Christ, who are about the business of reconciling people to God.  The church on the way is not afraid of the borders because we are called to this ministry of reconciliation.  We are called to come between peoples who are estranged from one another.   We are ambassadors for Christ through whom He makes His appeal.

      Lord, lead me to the places that You need me.  Take be beyond the comfort zones.  Take me to the fractured places where You want to minister Your healing love.  In Jesus' name.