“As Jesus
journeyed toward Jerusalem, he passed through the borderlands of Samaria and
Galilee. As Jesus entered a village, ten
lepers approached, but made sure to keep a safe distance. They cried out, ‘Jesus, Master, show us some
mercy!’ Jesus saw them and said, ‘Go and
let the priests examine you.’ So, they
went and were made clean along the way.
But one of them, once he realized that he was healed, turned around and
began to shout out praises to God. He
flung himself at the feet of Jesus and said, ‘Thank you so much!’ This one was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Weren’t there ten
cleansed? Where are the other nine? Can you believe that only this foreigner has
paused to give God the glory?’ So, Jesus
said to the Samaritan, ‘Stand up and begin the rest of your life. Through faith you’ve been made well.’”
For the last eight and half chapters of Luke’s gospel, Jesus
has had his eyes firmly fixed on Jerusalem and the new exodus that he will
accomplish there. But as he presses on
towards his destiny, his eyes are also open to what his Father may have in
store for him along the way. Moving
through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee, he couldn’t find himself more
on the margins of mainstream Jewish society if he tried. And as he enters this little village, ten men
who are very much on the fridge of community life, cry out to this one they
recognize as their master, hoping that he might grant them mercy - hoping that
they might be healed. Jesus sees them
and their plight, and in keeping with Mosaic orthodoxy, he commands the lepers
to go and show themselves to the priest so that once their healing is
confirmed, they can be restored back into the life of their community. Only at this point, they’ve yet to be
healed. But, in faith, the ten obey
Jesus and set out to find one of the local priests. As they go, they are healed.
No doubt,
once the nine Jewish lepers realize they’ve been healed, they speed up their
pace to get to the priest and begin their lives anew. They have places to go, people to see, things
to do, and lives to relive. They’ve been
isolated from their friends and family for so long. Jesus’ gift of cleansing will enable them to
be outsiders no more. These nine Jewish
lepers have acted in faith. They’re
obeying Jesus’ and Moses’ command.
They’re doing the right thing and undoubtedly, they’ll soon be reunited
with their family and friends. They are
cleansed and this is a good thing. But
nevertheless, they’ve missed out on an opportunity. And as so often is the case, a stronger faith
is found through an unexpected person.
Despite the
stereotypes and judgments hurled at the Samaritans, only this foreigner takes
the time to pause, to lift up his eyes and his voice in worship to God the
Father, and to fall at the feet of his Master and Savior in gratitude. We can learn so much at unexpected times, in
unexpected places, and through unexpected people. Time and time again, the strongest form of faith
is found on the margins rather than in the mainstream.
Like the ten
lepers in this story, we often cry out to Jesus, asking him to show us mercy
and to cleanse us and heal us. This is a
good thing. We should be quick to do so. And like the lepers, we can be sure that
Jesus sees us and hears our cries. Like
the nine, we might be quick to get on with our lives, including obeying God and
doing the right thing. Our days are
filled with work and responsibility.
We’re busy providing for our families and meeting urgent needs. We’re bustling here and there – to and fro –
doing good things – doing the right things – doing even religious things. But, if we’re not careful, like the Jewish
lepers, we might fail to pause and offer God our worship and our praise. If we’re too busy living life, even doing
good things for God, we might fail to take the time to thank God’s Son for his
deliverance. We might find ourselves
missing the forest for the trees. As the
Westminster Catechism reminds us, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy
him forever.” The means are important,
but we must never lose sight of the end.
We should spend at least as much time praising and thanking God for what
he’s already done in our lives, as the time we spend in asking him to do the
things that he’s not yet done. God calls
us to be faithful. But as the apostle
Paul consistently tells us, God’s will for our lives is that we might also be
thankful. And one of the primary
motivations for mission is to bring worship to God where it’s presently
lacking.
So, let’s
keep this story in the forefront of our minds.
Let’s lookout along the borderlands of our world for those lessons we
might learn in unexpected places through unexpected people. And in the midst of living life and obeying
God, let’s be sure to occasionally pause and take time to praise God for who he
is and to thank him for what he’s already done.
We have much for which to be thankful and our God is forever worthy of
our praise.
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