Posts
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 you 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!" Leprosy was one of the most dreaded disease of Christ's time; it meant total isolation from the community (we note that these ten leprous men stood afar off). It's clear they recognize something about Christ; their prayer, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" makes that clear.
So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." As in an earlier healing of leprosy in Luke's Gospel (Luke 5:12-15), Jesus sends these men to the priests. It was required by Mosaic Law to receive a certificate from a priest in order to re-enter into the society and religious community. But this also would have the effect of making the priests aware of Christ's healing power and authority, which was greater than that of Moses himself. (See Numbers 12:10-15.)
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." My study bible says that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God. Thus, many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16). For the faithful, worship is the number one priority; it is the recognition of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Jesus repeats here what He has said to others, "Your faith has made you well."
Studies on gratitude show its positive effect in our lives. This thoughtful article published by Harvard Medical School interprets data from such studies to include the interpersonal meanings and connections that form as part of a state of gratitude, including exercises in which someone is specifically thanked, and the effects of doing so on one's own sense of well-being. We often hear that to have "an attitude of gratitude" is a good thing, but it's also true that we can choose to be generally grateful for possessions such as material things we have, as well as, for example, good health, or for coming through a difficult situation relatively well, without necessarily thinking about the source of those good things. But the Harvard article explains that having a thankful attitude toward the source of those things for which we're grateful is at least as important as the gratitude itself in determining our own sense of well-being. To quote the article regarding one such exercise, "When their week's assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month." In our reading for today, Jesus teaches the one leper who came back to Him with gratitude for his healing that "your faith has made you well." In this context, we may connect faith with the state of gratitude. It is one thing to cultivate a personal list of things we're grateful for, but it's another to focus on the object of gratitude, the one to whom we're grateful. As the Harvard Medical School article indicates, to do the latter is to truly reap the possible benefits of gratitude, and those include a better sense of interpersonal relationships. I would suggest that through faith, the leper's relationship to God was bolstered exponentially through one act of gratitude, thus, as Christ indicated, impacting the quality of his entire life. To view Jesus' words, "Go your way, your faith has made you well," in this light is to come to terms with the great gifts possible through a life of faith. Of course, "gratitude" is rooted in the word for "grace," a recognition of blessings from God. To really understand gratitude, we have to know true righteousness, or right-relatedness. Gratitude, when we practice it properly in recognizing the source of grace -- God as well as other human beings (and, one supposes, other beloved creatures!) -- becomes an exercise in cultivating "right relationships." Our own place in the universe, in our own world, our community, becomes enhanced and set down in a proper place. Our understanding of our own basic reality becomes more full. Let us remember that it's not simply the having that gives us real happiness and benefits, but rather the recognition of those from whom our good things come. In this way we enhance our own lives by recognizing the sources of the good we have. One may even find quite often in this perspective that even nominally "bad" experiences can become sources for gratitude, and that gifts flow in an abundance not usually recognized. May our faith truly make us well, as Christ said.
So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." As in an earlier healing of leprosy in Luke's Gospel (Luke 5:12-15), Jesus sends these men to the priests. It was required by Mosaic Law to receive a certificate from a priest in order to re-enter into the society and religious community. But this also would have the effect of making the priests aware of Christ's healing power and authority, which was greater than that of Moses himself. (See Numbers 12:10-15.)
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." My study bible says that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God. Thus, many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16). For the faithful, worship is the number one priority; it is the recognition of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Jesus repeats here what He has said to others, "Your faith has made you well."
Studies on gratitude show its positive effect in our lives. This thoughtful article published by Harvard Medical School interprets data from such studies to include the interpersonal meanings and connections that form as part of a state of gratitude, including exercises in which someone is specifically thanked, and the effects of doing so on one's own sense of well-being. We often hear that to have "an attitude of gratitude" is a good thing, but it's also true that we can choose to be generally grateful for possessions such as material things we have, as well as, for example, good health, or for coming through a difficult situation relatively well, without necessarily thinking about the source of those good things. But the Harvard article explains that having a thankful attitude toward the source of those things for which we're grateful is at least as important as the gratitude itself in determining our own sense of well-being. To quote the article regarding one such exercise, "When their week's assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month." In our reading for today, Jesus teaches the one leper who came back to Him with gratitude for his healing that "your faith has made you well." In this context, we may connect faith with the state of gratitude. It is one thing to cultivate a personal list of things we're grateful for, but it's another to focus on the object of gratitude, the one to whom we're grateful. As the Harvard Medical School article indicates, to do the latter is to truly reap the possible benefits of gratitude, and those include a better sense of interpersonal relationships. I would suggest that through faith, the leper's relationship to God was bolstered exponentially through one act of gratitude, thus, as Christ indicated, impacting the quality of his entire life. To view Jesus' words, "Go your way, your faith has made you well," in this light is to come to terms with the great gifts possible through a life of faith. Of course, "gratitude" is rooted in the word for "grace," a recognition of blessings from God. To really understand gratitude, we have to know true righteousness, or right-relatedness. Gratitude, when we practice it properly in recognizing the source of grace -- God as well as other human beings (and, one supposes, other beloved creatures!) -- becomes an exercise in cultivating "right relationships." Our own place in the universe, in our own world, our community, becomes enhanced and set down in a proper place. Our understanding of our own basic reality becomes more full. Let us remember that it's not simply the having that gives us real happiness and benefits, but rather the recognition of those from whom our good things come. In this way we enhance our own lives by recognizing the sources of the good we have. One may even find quite often in this perspective that even nominally "bad" experiences can become sources for gratitude, and that gifts flow in an abundance not usually recognized. May our faith truly make us well, as Christ said.
No comments:
Post a Comment