Luke
17:11-19
The Gift or the
Giver
“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?’”
Well, no, it is very obvious they didn’t return.
What is also equally obvious is the reason
they are not there. There are not there
because they are doing – continuing to do – precisely what Jesus told them to
do. All ten were told to go and show
themselves to the priests. The nine are
the ones who obey Jesus’ instructions.
But there is this one who does
return. The story tells us that he was a
Samaritan, a non-Jew. And we cannot
overlook Jesus’ final words in this exchange.
It serves as a bookend to the stories we read last Sunday. Last Sunday the exchange with the disciples
told them not to worry, that even a faith as small as a mustard seed is enough. It is this little bit of faith, active in the
life of this Samaritan, which overcomes his leprosy. This faith, this seemingly small thing tucked
away inside us, makes it possible for us to respond appropriately to gifts of our
gracious and merciful God.
The story begins by noting that
Jesus is passing between the regions of Samaria and Galilee. At the gate of a particular village he is
greeted by 10 lepers. Leprosy was a
dreaded and greatly misunderstood disease.
Most forms of leprosy are neurological, thus non-communicable. But in Jesus' age they didn't understand
this. All they knew were the hideous and
painful effects. No one wanted to do
anything that might put them at risk of catching the disease. A leper could not visit public places; they
could not enter the temple. They were removed
from their families, living in colonies on the outskirts of town. If they did encounter others on the road,
they were to yell out "Unclean" so others could avoid them.
10 individuals, afflicted with this
disease, greet Jesus as he is about to enter the village. But they do not lift up their voices shouting
“Unclean.” Instead they begin to shout,
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." They
seem to know who Jesus is. They must
have heard stories of other healings he had performed. They call him "Master". They realize his ability to heal. This is so evident that they even find it unnecessary
to ask for healing. All they say to him
is "Have mercy upon us.” Surely, if
he is a prophet of God, he would have mercy upon those so cruelly afflicted.
The ten lepers know who Jesus is;
they know his ability to heal. There is
an element of faith, be it as small as a mustard seed, which causes them to
turn to him for help. Further evidence
of their trust in Jesus is the fact that they do as Jesus asks. Let me repeat that - further evidence of their trust in Jesus is
the fact that they do as Jesus asks.
What Jesus asks them to do – what Jesus instructs them to do – is show
themselves to the Priest. Jesus doesn't snap
his fingers and say, “Be cleansed!” He
tells them to "Go and show yourselves to the priests." If, immediately
upon hearing Jesus' voice, the 10 had looked at their sores, they may have
still been there. It is only after they have
begun to do as Jesus asks that the healing occurs. They rush on their way, trusting
that whatever Jesus asks of them they must do.
The gospel writer presents what
happens next as if there really were only one choice: Of course you would return to the one who had
made this healing possible. But think
about it for a moment. They are not
going to the priests because they thought it would be a good idea. They are going because Jesus told them to go. Perhaps all of them thought of returning to
give Jesus thanks. The nine simply
decided to do as Jesus instructed.
The lepers had come to Jesus asking
for mercy. He responded by making them
clean. We have already explored the fact
that they believed in Jesus, otherwise they would not have come to him and
followed his instruction. Why then, are
the nine criticized? What have they done
wrong? They are doing exactly as Jesus instructed.
What if they had turned back? Might it be possible, that he, who told them
to go to the priests, could have been angered by their disobedience? Their refusal to do as he asked may have been
sufficient provocation for him to have reversed their healing. To return might have jeopardized the gift of mercy
just bestowed upon them.
With this in mind, why would anyone
return? What possible reason would
anyone have for reversing their path and going to look for the one who had
provided this wonderful gift?
The only possible reason for
returning would be if we found the gift less important than the giver of the
gift. Only someone who is willing to
risk the gift for the pleasure of offering praise to the giver would have
returned.
Faith has many twists and turns, but
none is more confusing than this one.
How could it be that the Samaritan would risk what he had just received
in order to return to Jesus? How could the
other nine not return, considering how close they had come to God's own
Messiah?
The Greek word used in the last
phrase and translated for us as “made you well” has a double meaning. In normal usage, the word would ordinarily be
rendered "save". The Samaritan
realizes that he has indeed been made well.
That is good, but he also realizes has encountered the one who can truly
"save" him. The other nine had
faith that Jesus could heal them. They
exploited him for this gift. Perhaps
they had no desire for anything more. They
do not return to him because they had already gotten from him all that they
wanted.
So many people come to the Church
because they need to be healed. They
need to be cleansed of their fear of death, of their feelings of
isolation. That's great. That is why the church is here - to provide
the gifts which God so freely bestows upon those who have faith. Glad to be of service. But the heart of the story we tell has little
to do with what we get out of all of this.
At the core of our confessions is an invitation to devote our lives to
the praise of the One who stands ready to give us these gifts. The aim of a Christian is not to get to
heaven; the aim of a Christian is to praise Christ.
In the story, all 10 are
cleansed. All those who cry out to Jesus
are made well. But only one realizes
that the gift, as great as it may be, is nothing in comparison to the giver of
the gift. He does not revel in the gift;
he does not lift it up high so others can see what he has acquired; forgetting
the gift, he turns to the giver, and gives thanks.
AMEN.
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