There are countless times when people have lost things, and have searched diligently without success. The natural question in such a time as this is “Where are they?”, and sometimes an answer never comes. In 1587, 117 English settlers landed on Roanoke Island off the coast of what is now North Carolina. Governor John White sailed across the Atlantic to pick up more supplies and planned to return in three months, but became stranded in England and was not able to return for three years. When he finally arrived back, the colonists he had left behind had all vanished, along with their houses, weapons, and other belongings. They were never found again.
“Words from Above” in the Bible tell us in Luke 17 that Jesus met ten lepers as He passed through a village in Samaria and Galilee. These ten lepers stood off in the distance, as all lepers were required to do because of their disease, which was usually terminal, incurable, and highly contagious. They cried out for help from Jesus, asking Him to have mercy on them as their only hope. As was so often true of Jesus, He came to their assistance, and He did so by instructing them to present themselves to the priests in the city of Jerusalem. Amazingly, as they followed the instructions of Jesus, they were all immediately cured.
One, and only one, of the ten lepers, when he realized he was healed, turned back to Jesus and glorified God in a loud voice. He fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus and gave Him thanks. It is pointed out in Luke 17 that this grateful leper was a Samaritan, and this is significant because the Samaritans were mostly despised by the people of Israel at the time. Jesus then asked an important question of the audience who had gathered, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” He pointed that that only the Samaritan had returned to give glory to God, a man who was considered to be a stranger. Jesus instructed him to go on his way, pointing out that it was his faith that had made him whole.
We live in a nation of people who are greatly blessed today, but many are like the nine who failed to return to give thanks and express gratitiude to God for their blessings. Like the Roanoke colonists who vanished, we must ask the same question asked by Jesus of the nine lepers, “Where are they?” One day Jesus will ask the same question when the people of this earth stand before Him to give an account of themselves to God.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
