Saturday, October 13, 2007

Reflections on the 10th Leper


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."

This is the Gospel of the Lord
Thanks be to God.

============

Only the foreigner came back -- at least that's what the text leads us to believe. If there were others among the ten who were healed who were foreigners -- Samaritans -- twice-unclean to the Temple Authorities because of their disease AND their DNA -- would the Scripture record have told us that?

Don't know.

DO know that I never thought about that part of this story that rolls around every three years. That I've preached it more than once and Bible-studied it more than that and never noticed ... until today ... that it was only the foreigner who came back to Jesus -- disobeying his instructions to "go to the priests." And -- in the interest of full disclosure -- it wouldn't have occurred to me tonight (because I am NOT preaching tomorrow and I do not HAVE to mull these texts!) except that Michael Hopkins brought it up over a dinner of red wine and red meat over looking the Genesee River this evening at the end of a VERY long day in Rochester NY.

"Only the 'foreigner' came back," he mused. "What was that about?"

"Why are you the only one who came back?" Jesus asked. "Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

Looks that way, Lord. Looks like the only one who came back to thank GOD was the one who wasn't going to be welcome in the Temple anyway. The one who wasn't going to be tempted into confusing God with Organized Religion because the religion of his day had gotten organized enough to keep him out. Maybe it happened via a Communique issued after a meeting in Dar es Jerusalem. Maybe it was a resolution emanating from the every-ten-year-meeting of the High Priests at Capernaum Palace. Maybe the House of High Priests got together and issued a "pastoral letter."

Whatever.

The Samaritan got the message: what happens in the Temple stays in the Temple ... and it isn't for the likes of me.

And so, rather than messing with the priests, he went to the source. He came back to the One who made him whole because he was broken; make him well because he was ill; make him one with the One who created him in love because ... well, because that's what God does: whether the priests (or primates!) like it or not.

And he fell at Jesus feet and he said, "Thank you."

And maybe -- if I were preaching tomorrow -- all I would say is "May we be given the grace to go and do likewise. Amen."
.

11 comments:

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

If this is what you do when you're bored no wonder you kick butt when you focus.

Brava, my dear.

Anonymous said...

Ms Russell,

The Samaritans were not Jewish. A Samaritan would not have been welcomed, either ethnically or religiously, in the temple. So, he could not probably show himself to the priests, as you said.

However, what you are missing is that Jesus used the Samaritans as the foils for the Jews in his parables and his dealings with the Jews. He was telling the Jews that even these people who you shun, who you hate, are more charitable than you, are more attuned to this Gospel I am preaching.

Replace Christian for Jew, and Muslim for Samaritan, and reread this passage and the story of the Good Samaritan. That's one take on this.

Another aspect is that, while nine of the lepers were arguing over at the temple with the priests about who Jesus was and whether they were really lepers, the Samaritan knew who he, the Samaritan, was, and KNEW who Jesus was, and went to Him to worship him. He knew the healing power of Jesus firsthand.

May God's be with you today.

RonF said...

Looks like the only one who came back to thank GOD was the one who wasn't going to be welcome in the Temple anyway.

Seems to me you are making the assumption that Jesus didn't know what he was talking about when he sent the Samaritan to the temple. Somehow I doubt that.

You're also making the assumption that the Samaritan never eventually went to the temple. That's not necessarily true, either.

I don't know if you are right that the Samaritan would not have been welcome to worship at the temple. But under Roman rule, the priests running the temple had civil authority over the local community as well as religious authority. Being a leper put a number of constraints on one's civil rights as well as one's religous rights. It seems quite reasonable to me that the Samaritan would have been received at the temple in order for the priests to perform their civil function in certifying the Samaritan clean so that he could re-assert his civil rights.

Anonymous said...

In typical fashion, the GLBT lobby finds its cause in any scripture. It takes twisting, but eventually it fits.

Another view: there were these folks who stayed at the church looking for support and affirmation from the priests. They all were affirmed and then went on looking for more. The one who went back and humbled himself found the blessing.

SUSAN RUSSELL said...

"anonymous" -- and the way the text speaks to you is all it has to say?

How nice for you!

RonF said...

This last Sunday the Bishop visited our parish to confirm 11 candidates. He preached from this text. He noted that all 10 lepers were cleansed. However, only the one that returned was noted as recognizing God as the source of his cleansing and praised God for it. And only that one was described as having been not just cleansed, but saved.

To our Bishop, the central fact of this story was the gratitude shown by the Samaritan. We who think of ourselves as God's people tend to take God's grace for granted. The fact that it was a Samaritan was to note that even a foreigner can recognize and be grateful for the grace of God. All 10 were healed, but it took a foreigner to show us that gratitude for God's grace is necessary to be saved.

Anonymous said...

I read this gospel at its simplest level-someone,who had no "covenant" right to anything from God was healed of his leprosy and realized that it was God who set him free. He came back to thank God-Jesus for the gift that he was given. The "conclusion" for me is that nobody is beyond the love of God...nobody. Thanks be to God!

Anonymous said...

You were in Rochester, eating at the Dinosaur with Rev. Hopkins and I didn't know it. Rats.

I was singing with the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus at a "Solidarity Sunday" Mass for the congregation of Spiritus Christi. This American Catholic church of over 1,000 sets aside a Sunday every year to re-committ themselves to religious and civil justice for GLBT people, including the many GLBT congregants. We sang 3 songs, 2 of which were commissioned for the occasion. A lesbian member of the congregation gave the homily and her reflection on the paraple of the 10th leper was very similar to your thoughts here. It recieved an ovation from the congregation.

GLBT people see ourselves as the oppressed outcasts that Jesus came to save, rescue and hold up to the condemnatory, legalistic, religious authorities. Others replying here don't like the idea that we see ourselves that way. It means they must question whether they are condemnatory, legalistic, religious authorities Jesus had harsh critisism for. In gay culture we have a saying, "If the ruby slipper fits, wear it."

The beauty of scripture is that it speaks to all of us where we are. GLBT people are not exceptions to that.

joeomar said...

This reminds me of FAITH and my grandma. Grandma taught me when I was a little tot (a little boy, little girl, gay or straight), God loves everyone. Grandma said to see God in everyone and everything. We know God loves us, just the way we are. To bad so sad many Christians want to say who is in, who is out etc.
I am now 53 and grandma has been gone for 9 years (I was blessed to have this great woman, who taught me about God, Faith, Hope and Love. Grandma's spirit lives within me.
Mucho Blessings to all!
Joe

RonF said...

GLBT people see ourselves as the oppressed outcasts that Jesus came to save, rescue and hold up to the condemnatory, legalistic, religious authorities. Others replying here don't like the idea that we see ourselves that way. It means they must question whether they are condemnatory, legalistic, religious authorities Jesus had harsh critisism for. In gay culture we have a saying, "If the ruby slipper fits, wear it."

The orthodox see themselves as the oppressed group that Jesus came to speak to and gave the mission of spreading his Gospel against the evils in the world. Others speaking here don't like that. It means they must question if they have listened to false prophets that Jesus warned us about and are trying to go in the broad door instead of the narrow one. If the shoe fits, wear it.

See. Other people can write snarky comments as well. There's a reason why wit and wisdom are two separate words - they're two separate things.

Anonymous said...

Well, I don't think this gospel reading has anything to do with gayness and love or hate.

It has to do with recognizing that you (me, all of us) are in need of the healing power of Jesus. Through that personal encounter with Jesus, we will be saved.

I'm conservative (gasp), but I truly try not to hate those who disagree with me.

At times I don't agree, at times I scratch my head in wonder, at times I wish that there wasn't so much turmoil among those who call themselves Christians, but hate? Nah.

I want to be the tenth leper just as much as I want others to be the tenth leper. He was the one who was healed AND saved. Who wouldn't want that for themselves and everyone else?