The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Luke 17:11-19
The One
Thanksgiving Eve, 22 November 2011
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
This story is unique to Luke’s Gospel account. You can’t
find it in Matthew, Mark, or John. While this teaching is revealed elsewhere in
the New Testament, this narrative presents it in a unique way. We know Jesus
can heal. We know Jews and Samaritans did not get along. Jesus provides us food
for thought as we observe a national day of thanksgiving tomorrow. He wants you
to think about the relationship between faith and giving thanks. He also wants
you to think about the One.
On the way to Jerusalem he [Jesus] was passing along between
Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who
stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have
mercy on us." 14When he saw
them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."
Skin diseases were serious business in ancient Israel.
Leprosy was among the worst, so those so afflicted were all lumped together as
a category and called lepers. The Lord gave Moses specific directions so that
His people would be set apart as holy to the Lord. They also preserved the
people from devastating communicable diseases. After a period of observation, a
person believed to have recovered was to show himself to the priests. They
would certify that the person was now clean, remove the quarantine, and welcome
the person back into the community.
This is a wonderful way to describe our forgiveness in
Christ. Our sinful human nature and the sins we commit ourselves exclude us
from God’s community. Jesus comes to each of us, cleanses away the leprosy of
sin with His blood, and welcomes us home. As with the healing of the paralyzed
man lowered through a roof by his friends, these physical healings show that
Jesus has authority to forgive sins.
14When he saw them he [Jesus] said to them, "Go and show
yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed.
Jesus never does a healing miracle isolated from teaching.
These Ten Lepers recognized Him as a teacher, a rabbi, even a healer. But One
saw something more. Faith saw God Himself. Jesus’ Word directed them to the
priests to keep the law of old. The healing was done to create faith in these
ten.
15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising
God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now
he was a Samaritan.
How many were healed? Ten. How many returned and gave
thanks? One. And he was a Samaritan. We’ve gotten used to Jesus’ story of the
Good Samaritan. It doesn’t have the same impact it once did. In brief, the
Samaritans and Jews were bitter enemies. One helping or even talking to another
was unheard of. The Samaritan returned to give thanks to God. This one man
praised God in Jesus. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, a worshipful position
of humility.
Faith united this Samaritan to Jesus. Everything else in
history and culture separated them. Faith unites us to Jesus. Jesus created
that faith within you through His Word and Holy Baptism. He sustains that faith
through His Word and the Sacrament of the Altar.
Those who do not believe and give thanks are excluded. Many
in our culture consider thto emselves religious or even spiritual, but not
Christian. They want some connection God, but not in Jesus. By His Word and the
Holy Spirit, the Lord would love to create faith in all who hear. But He does
not force Himself upon people. He allows Himself to be rejected. All Ten were
healed. How many respond in faith and thankfulness?
The way of salvation is narrow—as narrow as Jesus’ cross
alone. Yet, salvation is as wide as Jesus’ arms spread out on the cross for
those who have faith in Christ alone. Ethnicity, gender, language, nationality,
and age do not matter! All are equally sinners and all are equally in need of
what Jesus gives: forgiveness, life, and salvation. There is no salvation apart
from Christ. That angers people today, even some who consider themselves
Christians. We should remember the point of that exclusivity: God has provided
a way of salvation, salvation itself as an unearned, undeserved gift in Christ!
17Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the
nine? 18Was
no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
One returned to give thanks. Not ten, five, or even two.
One. He thanked God, specifically located in Christ Jesus. We should give God
thanks that the one returned. We should thank the Lord for those with faith who
do give thanks. That’s important for us to remember as a congregation. I thank
the Lord for you. I thank the Lord that you regularly receive the means of
grace where God has promised to be. We go to church because this is where the
Lord delivers the forgiveness Jesus won on the cross. Thank the Lord for one
another. Show that thankfulness in words, loving actions, and encouragement.
The Lord has gathered to Himself a people with faith in Him. He has gathered
you together in this place around His gifts.
Where are the nine? Elsewhere Jesus speaks of a shepherd who
temporarily leaves the ninety-nine as he searches for the one missing sheep.
That is my call as your pastor, and your call as a baptized Christian. We can
cover a lot more territory and reach many more people if pastor and
congregation work together to reach those who are lost. We are given to share
the healing forgiveness of Jesus with them. He Himself is the Good Shepherd of
Ezekiel 34. He gathers His scattered, hurting people to Himself.
You know who they are. You may know their hurts better than
I do in many cases. Christmas is only a month away from Friday. Invite your
fellow congregation members, your family members, your neighbors, classmates,
and coworkers home for Christmas. Bring someone with you to Bible class for the
first time, or prioritize coming for the first time yourself. The Lord has good
Gifts for you. We dare not anger Him by rejecting His Gifts in Christ.
19And he [Jesus] said to [the Samaritan], "Rise and go your
way; your faith has made you well."
Luther says, “He [Jesus] does not remove the gift of healing
[from the other nine because of their lack of faith]. His is the divine love
that “risks betrayal.” (Quoted in Franzman’s NT Commentary) Jesus allows
Himself to be rejected for the sake of those who believe, those who have faith
and trust in Christ Jesus rather than themselves. He gives daily bread to
everyone, even evil people. We pray that the Lord would lead us to realize that
He is the giver of daily bread and to receive it from the Lord with
thanksgiving.
Jesus is the One we are to think about. We thank God for the
godly example of the Samaritan who, by faith, returned thanks to the Lord for
His healing.
Often, the good gifts the Lord gives us are twisted by the
devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh so that the gifts wrongly become more
important than the Giver, God. A better understanding of the relationship
between God and His Gifts is expressed in this hymn to the Lord: (Caedmon’s
Call “You Created”) “You created nothing That gives me more pleasure than You And
You won't give me something That gives me more pleasure than You.”
This Thanksgiving, thank the Lord for your daily bread,
daily turkey, and almost daily football, but remember Jesus, the One who died
and rose to give you all that you need to support your life, and also the gift
of eternal life. Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
