In addition to the death toll that occurred during the recent worldwide pandemic, one thing that many found distressing was the fact that the lockdowns separated friends and loved ones from each other. During those early weeks and months many people only saw those that lived in the same house as themselves, or those they encountered on an occasional trip to the supermarket, and then everyone needed to keep 6 feet apart, and people hesitated to even talk to each other. Isolation from others can take a toll on people, with no going to work, school, church, and other events, which is why as soon as some of the restrictions were lifted, people wanted to get together with others. In our Scripture today we read of some people who had a much worse isolation than we had a couple of years ago, and then Jesus stepped in.
As our Gospel passage begins, Jesus and His disciples were heading to Jerusalem, passing through Galilee and Samaria. Outside of one village they encountered ten men who had leprosy, which was a painful and disfiguring disease that had no cure at that time. Fear of contracting leprosy was great which is why those who had the disease were banished from the community, having to spend the rest of their lives living out in the wilderness, all alone, or if lucky, with another leper. They had to call out “Unclean!” if anyone came near. With no means of support, unless the leper had a family who loved them and would leave food and clothing for them at the edge of the village, they would live in rags and hunger. It was a hopeless and lonely existence, as their body rotted away with no medical help.
These ten lepers were fortunate in that they found each other, and at least had some mutual companionship despite their miserable disease. Then one day they heard that Jesus was coming through their area, the prophet who had healed many, including lepers. They must have heard about Him, and how He had even come up to lepers, touching them and bringing healing. So when they saw Jesus passing by, they called out to Him for His mercy (vs. 12-13). Jesus told them to go to the priests in order to be officially declared leprosy-free (vs. 14). Those who had leprosy, if they thought they were free from the disease, were to go to the priest to be declared clean. Jesus told the men to go show themselves to the priests, and it was while they started to go that they were healed. Their healing didn’t come first. It was after they took the first steps of obedience, and then the healing came.
When these ten men saw that they were healed, when they saw their skin clear up, the disfigurements and pain disappear, they all continued on their way, except for one man. He was a Samaritan, an ethnic group that was despised by the Jews, and only he turned back to Jesus to offer Him thanks and praise (vs. 15-16).
Today leprosy is not as common, and there are medical treatments for the disease. However, there is a “leprosy” of the spirit that we see a lot of today, and that is ingratitude, being unthankful and unappreciative. It is a “disease” that is increasing among people. God even told us that as time goes on, more and more people will be unthankful of their blessings (II Timothy 3:1-5). People are both unthankful to God foremost, and also to others, as well.
In both a real and a figurative sense, Jesus gave these men their lives back. They were healed from a terrible disease that brought horrific disfigurements, for which there was no cure in those days. He also gave them back their lives in another real sense, as they could now rejoin their family and friends, and also be a part of society. They could go back to their jobs. No longer would they have to live outside of the community, calling out “unclean” in order to keep everyone far away. There would be no more isolation and loneliness. Yet only one out of the ten thanked Jesus!
Only one out of ten offered God any thanks. Today do we even see 1/10 of the population giving God thanks for all of the blessings He bestows upon us each and every day? What about each one of us? Are you or I like the nine who hurried on to enjoy the benefits of their healing, but would not pause for just a moment to give thanks? Or are we like that one man, that 1/10th, who was grateful enough to pause and give thanks to the Savior. As verse 19 indicates, the Samaritan's gratitude showed that he not only had physical healing, but was spiritually whole, as well.
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