Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

- Luke 17:11-19

Yesterday, we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.' "

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"   We're reminded again that Jesus has "set His face to go to Jerusalem."    When we first read this, in chapter 9, Jesus and the disciples traveled through a village of Samaritans, but none of them received Him, because He was headed to Jerusalem.  Here, He passes through Samaria and Galilee, and the story is different.  On this journey, a group of lepers appeal to Him, as do so many others who need His help, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  My study bible tells us that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  It not only brought tremendous physical suffering to people, it also meant total banishment and isolation from society.  In Scripture, it also serves as symbol of our sin.

So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  In order to be re-admitted into the community, it was necessary to receive a certificate from a priest.  Jesus is following the Law (as we have just read Him speak about in chapter 16).  Cyril of Alexandria has commented on Jesus' command to a leper to show himself to the priest in Matthew chapter 5, that this also was to show the priests by a tangible miracle that He's superior to Moses.  Christ's healing is immediate and by His own authority -- Moses sought mercy from above for Miriam to be healed of leprosy, and her healing came only after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  My study bible tells us that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, but only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.   Therefore, says my study bible, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson thereby is that worship is a number one priority.

There is a sort of formula present in this reading that will be repeated later on, in chapter 18, as Jesus prepares to pass through Jericho.  He walking on His way to Jerusalem, and passing through towns there are those who shout to Him, "have mercy on me!"   Jesus concludes this reading and the one in chapter 18 (with a blind man) with similar words, to the effect that, "your faith has made you well."   And of course these stories are related in the other synoptic gospels.  And it's interesting that both places where this happens "on the road" are places of poor spiritual repute, as we could put it.  The Samaritans don't really worship properly, according to the Jews, even though they have a lot in common.  They're enemies.  Jericho is also a place of poor spiritual repute, known as a place of sin.  But the power of faith is clearly at work anywhere in this world, even in the least likely of places.  And that is the powerful notion we must take away from today's reading, by observing exactly what's happening here.  The healing of the Samaritan leper becomes spectacular not just because he's one of ten, but because he's the one who comes back and glorifies God, and he's the one to whom Jesus says, "Your faith has made you well."   In yesterday's reading, Jesus promised His disciples, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  But the understanding here is that the mulberry tree is symbolic of the works of evil in the world (as silkworms feed on its leaves, worms giving an image associated with hell); therefore the power of faith works even against the evil in this world, even amidst the places we'd least likely expect it.   Faith, thereby, in a theme continued from yesterday's reading, is a formidable weapon of power.  It is the weapon of power for the presence of the Kingdom in this world.  Our worship, in all its forms, thereby becomes a powerful tool.  True faith, in the heart, as expressed in communion with and gratitude to God, becomes a basis for real revolution, the kind that transforms oneself and one's environment, the only kind that truly reaches down inside to all that there is of what it means to be a human being.  And that is where (and how) we need the most help. So often we think of the physical and external as the place where we need things, we need help.  But if these lepers don't have their lives "straight," then even with this miraculous, extraordinary healing their joy won't be complete, and they won't have peace.  Many people feel that a lot of money is going to take care of their troubles, whatever they may be, but a good psychologist or spiritual director will tell you that there are plenty of miserable people with a lot of money.  To be really healed, we need what will touch us at the deepest core of what it is to be a person, a human being.  For that, we need relationship with another Person, and One who became incarnate as human being out of unmeasurable love for us, for the world.  We need a relationship with this Person who can help us and direct us, who is beyond us, and knows us better than we know ourselves.  The Scriptures give us repeated images, throughout both Old and New Testaments, of faithful people who are in the midst of deeply sinful places, who simply through their faith save others as well.  The power of faith is something that works through all things the world may give to us, all places we may find ourselves.  The 23rd Psalm declares, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."   Let us remember the power of faith, and strengthen it and grow in it in all the ways we can:  worship, prayer, and faith practices designed to keep us in this place we need to be.  It's a powerful weapon, and we have mighty help.  We have His love.