Cleansing the Lepers - Luke 17: 11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Commentary

Today's gospel reading seems surprisingly straight forward and clear. Ten lepers call out to Jesus as he is on his way to Jerusalem. They ask for mercy. He tells them to go show themselves to the priests, and as they are on their way to do that, he heals them. One of them, when he realizes that he is healed, turns back praising God in a loud voice. He falls at Jesus' feet and thanks him. In terms of the action, that's it. The whole story. Ten lepers are healed as a result of having asked for mercy, and having proceeded to go and show themselves to the priests as told. Only one gives thanks, and he is a Samaritan.

I have to confess I was having a hard time figuring out exactly what this reading was telling us. I had to go to a commentary to get my mind slowed down enough to see how much is really going on here. This little story is a great lesson for us in how to successfully petition God.

To start with, the lepers ASK. Specifically they ask for mercy. Note that they do NOT ask to be healed of their leprosy. They live their lives day to day asking for the mercy of those around them. So perhaps this is just following the well known pattern they are accustomed to. It is clear that they know who they are talking to, yet they do not ask to be healed. Perhaps they do not quite have the faith to ask for that. Perhaps they know that God will provide more than we know to ask for, so they keep it open ended. Either way, it works. If their faith wasn't quite there yet, Jesus works with them anyway. He engages with them and tells them to go and show themselves to the priests.

The priests are important in this story because they were the only ones who could declare a person healed of leprosy. Apparently such a thing had not happened in over 700 years. So the priests were likely to be skeptical. Yet the lepers start out to find the priests. There is no point making the trip if the lepers are not in fact healed, so apparently at this point they have found the faith. And, as we know will happen, they are then healed.

But the story doesn't stop there. They have asked, and they have had faith. But only the returning Samaritan closes the loop with thanks and praise. I am not sure the fact that the returning leper is a Samaritan is all that important. The important point is the question, “Were not ten made clean?” and the follow on, “But the other nine, where are they?”. Its the 1 in 10 odds we are given of responding with thanks and praise that I suggest we need to pay attention to. It brings up that familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. Oh yeah. I just went right on with my life there didn't I. No celebration, no joy, no thanks to God. Just move on. Next problem please. It is too easy to live life as a problem to be overcome, when what God intends is that it be an opportunity to be in partnership with him. God is patiently waiting for that joy and thanksgiving.

Amen