The reputation of Jesus had grown.
And so when ten people afflicted with leprosy heard that Jesus was coming by,
and thought that he might just be able to heal them, they were certainly
desperate enough to approach him. But not too close mind you, because the law
prohibited “lepers” from leaving their places of isolation and interacting with
the rest of society. But is there also here, in keeping their distance, an
understanding acknowledgement that Jesus could still heal them even across this
gap. Even if artificial barriers of separation are erected because of the fear
or distrust of others, this would not interfere with Jesus offering a ministry.
In these new testament times, many
skin diseases were grouped together under the term leprosy, the common factor
being a disfiguring of the skin. So this probably would have ranged from
‘Hanson’s disease’ through to eczema and psoriasis. Not properly understood,
all these conditions were thought to be highly contagious. Because of this, and
how the various sufferers would have appeared, these so-called “lepers” were
generally feared, despised and marginalised – forced to live outside of
mainstream society in remote and desolate places (often enduring horrible
conditions). Thus they were deprived of their family, friends, community
support and place of religious worship. Once outcast, these people were
basically left to their own devices, and also commanded to yell out “Unclean,
unclean!” if any uninfected person accidently came across their path.
Yet it seems even outcast “lepers”
had heard about Jesus’ outreaching ministry. So these “ten” sufferers called
out and threw themselves on Jesus’ mercy. Jesus responded to their desperation,
hopefulness, courage, trust, maybe even their audacity, by sending them off to
the priests. Only a priest could declare a person cleansed from leprosy and
allow them to re-enter normal community life. So when the “ten” heard Jesus say
this, they would have known that Jesus had agreed to heal them.
And this is exactly what happened.
They all showed that they firmly believed in Jesus’ power to help ... as each
of them turned to visit their priest, and yes, they were made clean. This
indeed was a compassionate and definitive act of physical healing by Jesus;
and, as we shall see, it was also designed to alert them and us to an even
greater level of healing.
Nine of the them went on their way
– but we read that “one” of them, when he looked all over his body and found
that he was completely healed, turned back, singing out praises to God. This
“one”, out of the “ten”, realises that what has happened to him deserves a
personal heartfelt response! So this “one” very publically dropped at Jesus’
feet in worship and thanked him profusely. This “one”, out of the “ten”,
obviously had given more thought to the significance of what had just happened
... how miraculous and wonderful it was ... and how great must be the One
responsible! [In this way, this healed Samaritan is very like the forgiven
“woman of the city” featured in Luke 7 in his response to Jesus’ goodness.]
It’s when we slow down and take
time to think about the significance of the things that happen to us in life,
and where God might have fitted in there, that we can start to gain greater
perspective and thereby grow our faith. And in turn this leads us into
attitudes of great thankfulness. This “one” thankful former “leper” had made
the firm discovery that Jesus had come from God to bring a ministry of
transformation, and that he, himself, this day, had personally benefitted.
And what a surprise!!! This man
was a “Samaritan” (a “foreigner”). To those present, and also to the first
century hearers and readers of this Gospel narrative, this Samaritan would have
been seen as the most unlikely to have returned and responded in this way. This
remains a lesson to us, to never restrict the possibilities of who will respond
positively to the message of Jesus.
If he was the only Samaritan in
the group of “ten” as is likely, then he would have been travelling alone back
towards the location of his own Samaritan priest, when it occurred to him that
there was something else he should be doing. In his thankfulness and worship
that day, this Samaritan showed that he was anticipating even more blessing.
Jesus has judged that the return
of the Samaritan to give thanks shows that he has found true faith in who Jesus
is. And as such, this encounter means that this “one” has not only been made
“clean”, as in physically well (from his particular skin condition), but also
made “well”, as in spiritually well. Through this person’s humility, openness,
thankfulness and faith, he has now received everything that Jesus had to give
him (far beyond the limits of the physical). This man has now been “saved”, and
thus was now fully alive! It was clearly his gratitude that most eloquently and
sincerely expressed his faith.
Unfortunately, the other “nine”
missed their opportunity. Spiritual healing, salvation and full freedom was
also available to them, but they missed out. Why? Were they simply satisfied
just with physical healing? Were the other “nine” so preoccupied with physical
things that they missed entirely the spiritual significance? A shame really,
because they had come so far, just to fall a little short, with a big cost.
This is a lesson in keeping our
minds attuned to all of what Jesus wants to do for us, and not just be content
with enough to satisfy immediate needs. There are other challenges up ahead,
and we will need to not just be made clean, but to also be made well. So we
don’t want to be holding out on God, or accepting some level of mediocrity,
when there is total freedom to be experienced.
Part of this freedom, as a
disciple of Jesus, is the sort of attitudes we take forward into everyday life.
We can easily deduce from this passage that thankfulness is a very positive
attitude for us to have and express. This would not only be thankfulness to
Jesus, but also to all those who make helpful contributions to our lives. And
then further, the spirit of thankfulness, as it develops within us, can be used
as a missional tool, to show others around us some evidence for the existence
of God. We are thanking you, even though we don’t know you that well, simply
because we are so thankful to God, and this has become a habit for us.
Being thankful allows us to
acknowledge the blessings that we have, and in so doing, alerts us to those who
lack many of the benefits we enjoy, and thus activates us to do whatever we can
to address these needs. Thankfulness indeed opens us up more to the heart of God
(who deeply loves the lost and hurting).
Here are some attitudes of
thankfulness that run against the normal tide:
Ø
You can be thankful
for lawns that need mowing and windows that need cleaning, because this means
you have a home in which to live
Ø
You can be thankful
for a pile of laundry to wash, because it means that you have clothes to wear
Ø
You can be thankful
for having dishes to clear up, because this means you have had food to eat
Ø
You can be thankful
for the taxes you pay, because this means that you are employed
Ø
You can be thankful
for the trials and challenges you find in life, because these give you the
opportunity of growing in your faith
Ø
You can be thankful
for your tired mind and aching muscles at the end of the day, because this
means you have had a purpose for the day
Ø
You can be thankful
for your husband or wife hogging the covers on wintery nights, because he or
she is with you and not out with someone else
Ø
You can even be
thankful for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it
means you are alive!
So in conclusion, let us always
remember to journey down the path of discovery, and thus explore all the depths
of God; to push the boundaries of our faith, and not just be satisfied with
mediocrity. We can then rightly expect mighty things to happen both in and
around us. We can have the eyes that see God working around every corner,
opening pathways for people to discover his presence and cry out: “Jesus, have
mercy on us”!
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