Faith That Sees

KEY VERSES:

• Luke 17:11–19
• Leviticus 13
• Leviticus 14
• Jeremiah 29:11–13
• Proverbs 3:6
• Matthew 5:45

HIGHLIGHTS:

• A. The setup: distance, pain, and a long shot (Luke 17:11–13)
  • Jesus is traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee (Luke 17:11).
  • Ten men with leprosy meet Him, but have to keep their distance because they’re considered “unclean” (Leviticus 13–14).
  • Leprosy means:
    • Cut off from family, friends, and normal life.
    • Forced to shout “unclean” everywhere they go, which eventually sinks into how they see themselves.
    • They feel far from people and far from God.
  • Still, they call out: “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” (Luke 17:13)
  • Big idea: Faith that sees starts by calling out to Jesus instead of pretending we can fix ourselves.
• B. Obedience before results (Luke 17:14)
  • Jesus doesn’t walk over, touch them, or give a big speech.
  • From a distance He simply says, “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14).
  • That’s what the Law required when someone was healed (Leviticus 13–14), but they’re not healed yet.
  • They have every reason to think, “Are you serious? Nothing has changed.”
  • But they go anyway—and as they went, they were cleansed (Luke 17:14).
  • Big idea: Most of the time, healing and change come while we’re walking in obedience, not before.
• C. One comes back: seeing Jesus for who He is (Luke 17:15–16)
  • All ten are healed physically, but only one stops.
  • He sees he’s healed, turns around, comes back to Jesus, and praises God in a loud voice (Luke 17:15).
  • He throws himself at Jesus’ feet and thanks Him—and he’s a Samaritan, the last guy anyone expected to “get it” (Luke 17:16).
  • Jesus asks, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17)
  • Key difference: The nine saw Jesus as a healer who helped them; the one saw Jesus as Lord who deserved worship.
  • “Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6).
• D. Faith that responds in worship, not just relief
  • The Samaritan doesn’t rush to get his “old life” back first.
  • Reuniting with family, being cleared by the priest, getting his future back—those can wait.
  • He prioritizes Jesus over the blessings.
  • Big idea: Faith that sees doesn’t just say “thanks for the miracle,” it bows down in worship.
• E. Two kinds of “healed”: clean vs. whole (Luke 17:17–19)
  • All ten were “cleansed” physically (Luke 17:14) – their skin disease was gone.
  • But to the one who returned, Jesus says, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19).
  • That phrase points to something deeper—salvation, restoration, wholeness, not just a better body.
  • You can experience God’s help in your life and still feel empty inside if you never actually come to Him.
  • God doesn’t just want to fix your situation; He wants to heal your heart and make you whole (Matthew 5:45).
• F. What “faith that sees” looks like today
  • It calls out to Jesus honestly, not pretending to have it all together.
  • It obeys before the outcome is visible.
  • It comes back to Jesus with gratitude instead of just moving on with life.
  • It worships Jesus for who He is, not only for what He can do.
  • It lets Him deal with the inside stuff, not just the outside problems.
  • “You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you… you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11–13).

TALK ABOUT IT:

• Where in your life do you feel “at a distance” right now—far from people, far from God, or far from where you hoped you’d be?
• What’s one area where you’ve been waiting for God to act before you obey, instead of obeying while you wait?
• When have you seen God “heal you on the way”—changing you or your situation slowly as you kept walking with Him?
• If you’re honest, do you relate more to the nine who moved on with their lives or the one who came back to say thank you? Why?
• What does it practically look like for you to see Jesus for who He is, not just for what He can do for you?
• Is there a place where you’ve experienced God’s help, but still feel empty on the inside? What might it mean to let Him make you whole there?
• How could you build simple habits of gratitude and worship into your week so that you “come back” to Jesus regularly, not just in emergencies?

APPLY IT:

• Call out instead of powering through. When you feel stuck, anxious, or “unclean” on the inside, actually say, “Jesus, I need your help,” instead of just trying harder.
• Take the next step of obedience even if you don’t see change yet. Apologize, forgive, show up, serve, give, or have the hard conversation before everything feels fixed.
• Notice where God has already moved. Pause and identify “as they went” moments in your life where God has been healing or helping you over time.
• Come back and say thank you. Make a short gratitude list this week of things God has done, and actually thank Him for each one.
• Shift from “what can I get?” to “who is He?” In prayer, spend some time just telling God who He is (good, faithful, patient) instead of only asking for things.
• Practice worship in the middle of the mess. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect—worship through the stress, the uncertainty, and the in-between.
• Let Jesus into the deeper stuff. Ask Him not only to fix your circumstances, but to deal with the fear, shame, or loneliness underneath.
• Make obedience a rhythm, not a one-off. Keep walking—day after day—in the direction you sense God is leading, and trust that He’s working as you go.