“There is no story in all the gospels which so poignantly shows man’s ingratitude.”
Our gospel story this evening is, according to the section heading in the pew bibles, about Jesus cleansing ten men who had leprosy. But that’s not necessarily what this story is about, it simply happens to be the context in which the events of this story unfold.
One day, Jesus is traveling along the border between Galilee and Samaria. He’s on his way to Jerusalem, and according to Luke’s gospel this will be his very last trip to Jerusalem. So anyway, he’s passing by the border of Samaria, when ten men approach him. The text says that these men had leprosy, so, according to tradition, they didn’t come too near to Jesus.
The Book of Leviticus states that any person afflicted with leprosy must live alone, apart from the rest of the community of Israel. They must wear torn clothing, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their faces, and cry out to any who comes near, “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN!” Scripture doesn’t actually state how far off they must stand, but tradition holds that if the wind is blowing from the leper’s position in the direction of healthy people, then the leper should stand at least 50 yards away, as a courtesy to the healthy people, so as to not put them at risk of becoming unclean.
Wow, could they possibly think of any more ways to alienate these people? I just don’t think they feel unwanted enough.
Now, the irony of leprosy, is that it was never actually fatal, in and of itself, and it is only contagious after close, prolonged contact. Apparently as much as 95% of people have a natural immunity to the disease. They don’t even call it leprosy any longer, its’ Hansen’s Disease.
However, in biblical times, there was no greater sign of being cast out of God’s presence than that of leprosy. In a culture that had very strict rules about ritual cleanliness as a prerequisite to come before God’s presence, lepers were, by definition, excluded. They were a stain on Israelite society, an embarrassment to God’s chosen people.
So here is Jesus, confronted with these ten men who obviously bear this despised mark of God’s disfavor upon themselves. “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” they cry out to him. Well, that’s certainly unexpected. What will Jesus do? What should any self-respecting Jewish rabbi do in that situation? Duh!! He healed them.
“Go, show yourselves to the priests,” the text says, and as they went they were cleansed.
What a miracle that was! I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes, or sandals, or whatever it was that they wore. These are simply social outcasts, these are national outcasts. They have no part in Hebrew society. No one even considered treatment for their condition, and there are many ways to treat leprosy. They were in exile in their own land, unloved, unwanted, cursed by God...and that probably doesn’t even do justice to the way they felt about themselves. I believe that there is very little in our society today that could compare to the horrors of living with leprosy in Israel in biblical times.
But to be suddenly healed of all that, to have it taken away simply by a word of kindness. These men had obviously heard of Jesus, they must have known of his reputation for healing, or else they wouldn’t have called out to him that way. But did they know what to expect? Did they, could they, truly expect anything to happen? One of them, I think, did.
All ten of the lepers were cleansed, but only one returned. He praised God in a loud voice and threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. What a gift they had been given - yet the only one who returned to express his thanks wasn’t even a Jew.
“So often,” says William Barclay, “once a man has got what he wants, he never comes back.”
“Were not all cleansed?” asked Jesus, “Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except for this foreigner?” Jews and Samaritans didn’t even like each other, but the Jews of that crowd expressed no gratitude, no joy in the unbelievably tremendous gift that they had just been handed.
You know what’s funny, I was watching a baseball game one day, and this guy hit a home run, and they showed him making the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven. Obviously he was thanking God, and I thought, Oh, isn’t that neat that they’re showing this on television. But then it kind of hit me, that if that same man had struck out instead, I wonder if he would have said, “God...” (you can figure out the rest of that on your own).
We pray to God, asking him for help when we have some need, but how often do we thank God for the everyday blessings that we enjoy? And what do you suppose happens to us, over time, when we habitually forget to thank and praise God every day for His many gifts to us.
So what are you thankful for?
There is a liturgical prayer, called the General Prayer of Thanksgiving. It’s a clever title, I know, but it is a prayer for all seasons, a prayer that encompasses all of life; it’s a prayer that should always be on our lips, and close to our hearts, so let us pray:
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, your unworthy servants, give you most humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness to us and to all people.
We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
Give us, we pray, such a sense of all your mercies, that, with truly thankful hearts, we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, forever and ever. Amen.
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