Welcome to Day 13 of Journey to the Cross, my 40-day devotional for this season of Lent. Today we look at going beyond Main Street to the sideroads, backroads, and alleyways. Our passage of study today is Luke 17:11-19.

“While traveling to Jerusalem, he passed between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And he told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Luke 17:11-19

Navigating through an unfamiliar town can result in some unexpected detours. Sometimes that works out well. You can find some great, hole-in-the-wall restaurants this way. But many times it means you take a few wrong turns and end up in a rough part of town. Once while living in Fort Worth, my family ended up at the Ridgmar Mall. I don’t remember exactly what happened to end up bringing us there, but the mall was largely empty. Most of the stores had left. The mall was in the Western Hills-Ridglea area. That is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Fort Worth, despite the police working tirelessly to lower crime in the area. Violent crime in Western Hills is 139% above the national average. We were oblivious to this at the time and enjoyed our time in the mall. But as we were not familiar with the area, we watched our surroundings and children carefully. It only occurred to me later how dangerous the area might have been.

Most of us try to avoid places like that. Whenever you go to a city, you go where it is brightly lit, and usually highly advertised. The touristy places. We don’t normally go to the backroads, the alleyways, and the sideroads. We usually go where the attractions are, not where the people are. But as Jesus journeyed to the cross, he often traveled through some of the roughest parts of town – on purpose!

In Luke 17, He walked through a leper community. The individuals who lived there had infectious skin diseases and were social outcasts because of their condition. Jesus did not avoid these easily avoidable people. He did not neglect those who were easily neglected and frequently neglected by the community around them. He went to them to bring mercy to them. He cleansed them of their diseases and sent them on their way to live normal lives. Yet only one of them, strikingly the one noted to be a Samaritan, the outcast of the outcasts, only he returned to Jesus and worshiped Him.

Still today Jesus brings mercy to all, even those we generally avoid and neglect. Jesus’s love extends beyond Main Street into every dark alley and every dead-end part of town. No person and no community is too broken for Jesus’s healing. The love, mercy, and grace of Jesus doesn’t pass by anyone, leave anyone out, or even overlook anyone.

Today as you pray, say something like: “Merciful Jesus, I easily avoid and neglect certain people, but you never do. Use me to show your love and mercy to them. Thank you for seeing me and saving me, even when I was disgusting in my sin. Thank you for cleansing me and making me whole.”

Thank you for joining me for Day 13. Come back tomorrow as we talk about stepping out in faith.