St. Luke 17:11-19 Dearly beloved,
“If we have died with Jesus, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him....”(2 Timothy 2:11-12). Jesus is the one to come....the one whom all the Old Testament prophesied. It is his coming that the prophets were waiting for. People in St. Luke’s gospel were waiting: people like Simeon and Anna. The virgin Mary waited and marveled at the words of the angel Gabriel. “Could the time have finally arrived?”, they thought. The Pharisees and the Scribes, however, would wait for signs. Even when signs were given, they were still unbelieving, an eternal judgment waiting in the balance for them, as a result. Why did the people wait and seek this Messiah? Why were they looking for the coming of the Christ? Because of such prophecies as Isaiah recorded: “You will say in that day, ‘I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, for though thou wast angry with me, thy anger turned away, and thou didst comfort me”(Isaiah 12:1). The ten lepers in St. Luke’s gospel are just one example of recipients of Christ’s incarnation and presence. These ten men were outcasts because of the dreadful disease. They were made to go live outside the city and they had to stay away from people. They were basically left to their fate. Either they would heal, or the leprosy would overtake them and they would die. No one to care for them, they were to simply wait. Jesus journeys and they encounter him. They cry out for help. Jesus simply says, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” This simple response doesn’t sound much like a healing, but they went. As they journeyed to the priest, they were healed. The priest examined them, gave them the green light to reenter civilized life and one would think that this is how the story would end. Nine of them were pleased and carried on with their lives. Two things take place in this account. The first thing that is happening is Jesus, in time, in history, heals ten men. Many things have a deeper meaning. These men were lost in sin. Leprosy in the Bible was symbolic for sin. Left to the world, they were unloved and they were left to either live or die, and no one much cared what their fate might be. Along comes the eternal Lord in the flesh and at a command, he heals them of their sin. This is, after all, why Jesus has come--to forgive sins. This is, by Christ’s own words in a different account--that of the healing of the paralytic--the point of His coming. The sad reality to all of this, however, is that nine of the healed lepers go back to their lives and give no place in their lives to fall down on their knees at the feet of Jesus to adore him. This is the stark reality of missions. Jesus Himself found a ten percent conversion rate. Even among modern day mission paradigms, Jesus would not have been considered a success. Why? Because the world has a hold on people. It is too easy to be consumed and preoccupied by the things of the world. Things we can see, touch, enjoy....these things tend to grab our attention. St. Paul’s words to Timothy hold great sway for the church, as a result. “If we have died with Jesus, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him....” But then St. Paul continues by saying, “if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself”(2 Timothy 2:13). What Paul writes applies to the ten lepers and to all men. It is no doubt the case that at the door to the heavenly banquet, those nine lepers will ask Jesus if he doesn’t remember them, as those men who cried out to him. But where were they.....where did they go? What grabbed their hearts and minds and voices more.....the eternal God who came to save us from the eternal pit, or the world with its delicacies. Jesus will respond to those nine.....”I never knew you.” There are two sides to this gospel. One side places before us the reminder that the everyday things of the world can get a firm hold on us. We can unknowingly worship the wrong things and we can be swept away by them. The other side of the gospel is our Lord’s promise to the faithful. St. Paul tells Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel.....”(2 Timothy 2:8). It is this one leper, a Samaritan no less, who comes to “remember Jesus Christ.” Remembrance is not a cerebral pondering or casual recollection. To remember Jesus Christ means to do what the one leper does and to do it for the rest of your life. “Faith” is worship and devotion. The posture of the church is to gather around Jesus, to fall down on your knees and gaze at the mysterious blessing that is found in the presence of our Lord. Jesus is in your midst as the one who saves. We are sinners, walking around waiting for help, and Lo and behold! Here comes Jesus speaking the word that heals us of our spiritual leprosy. Jesus speaks a word into your ears that says you are healed of your disease of sin. Your response? To fall on your knees with reverence and thanksgiving and look upon Him in the cup and in the bread and behold his body and blood. The altar of the Lord is where you live. The Samaritan leper lives at the altar. His return to Jesus is, in effect, to say, “You are my God and my Lord and I shall be your servant forevermore.” This is your gift. Jesus descends from heaven and enters the bread and the cup and says not “go show yourself to the priest” but “go show yourself to the heavenly Father.” It is the heavenly Father who looks at you and sees the white robe of Christ’s righteousness upon you. Sins forgiven you exist as Christ’s child wrapped up in His love, His forgiveness, and His life. Your sins are forgiven, and Jesus proclaims to you, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
