Thoughts for the Day

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 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?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The story of the ten lepers only occurs in Luke's Gospel, and is much more than a miraculous event, for it is about faith, thankfulness, and God's grace, from which we can all learn. Travelling from the north of the country to Jerusalem in the south, Jesus comes across ten lepers. They are social outcasts afflicted with a terrible disease, driven out of society, and allowed to rot as their bodies are slowly ravaged by their sickness. The lepers stand at a distance from Jesus and appeal for his help, and as a result are instantly healed. Jesus doesn't ask for some kind of confession of their sin (despite the belief at the time that they had been inflicted with leprosy as a result of sin), he simply commands them to show themselves to the priests and be ritually cleansed, as ordained by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 14.1-32).

But now we come to the core of the story. Only one leper turns back to thank Jesus and give glory to God. Luke, the great supporter of outcasts notes it was a Samaritan, a man who was already an outcast from mainstream Jewish society, because of long held differences between the two groups. In their newfound freedom the other nine lepers do not even acknowledge the source of their healing, but dash off to complete the tasks assigned them by the Law.

Today, in the light of this piece of scripture, we can say:

• that even a weak and hesitant cry to God from afar will receive an answer.
• that we need to acknowledge God's grace in our life - to fail to thank God for His blessings is to reject Him.
• that in healing an outsider Jesus challenges our cultural prejudices - God works across the whole of His world.

Lord Jesus Christ,
may we continue to cry to You for help,
even when our faith is weak and hesitant.
So may we grow stronger and come closer
to receive Your mercies.
Help us to to acknowledge the many blessings
You give to us each day,
and to thank You for Your unmerited generosity
to us Your children.
Amen.