Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 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 thing 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!"  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.  My study Bible comments that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  This illness brought tremendous physical suffering, as well as complete banishment and isolation from society.  It is also considered to be a symbol of our sin.  Jesus tells these lepers, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  This is because, in accordance with the Law, a certificate was necessary to rejoice community.  But, according to St. Cyril of Alexandria, another reason that Jesus gives this command is so that the priests will be convinced by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but these lepers are healed immediately and with Christ's own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and even so she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

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."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"  My study Bible comments 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.  Thus, it says, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for our faith is that worship is the number one priority.

 

In a recent reading, Jesus gave two parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes, after they complained because He received and ate with tax collectors and sinners (see this reading from a week ago).  At that time, He began His response to them with two parables, both of which had a theme of seeking out that which was lost.  These are the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.  In the parable of the Lost Sheep, a shepherd leave his flock of ninety-nine to seek the one that is still missing.  In the parable of the Lost Coin, a woman has a bridal necklace of ten coins, and she works tirelessly and diligently until she finds the one coin that was lost.  He ended that parable by saying that the woman called her friends and neighbors together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!"  He finished the parable by teaching, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  Here in today's story, Jesus must travel through  Samaria (a Gentile region) and Galilee, His home region which consists of mixed populations, both Gentile and Jew.   We're told that He entered a certain village, but it's not made clear where.  We just know that  there were ten lepers, standing afar off (as they were required to be separate from community), who -- knowing who Jesus was -- called to Him from afar, referring to Him by name and calling Him Master, pleaded with Him to have mercy on them.  We note that the ten lepers are distanced from the community, in accordance with Jewish Law, and that Jesus also tells them to show themselves to the priests.  But only one of them, we're told, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at [Jesus'] feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  This is now, in a strange sense, the inverse of the parables Jesus taught to the Pharisees and scribes.  Whereas those parables of the Lost Coin and the Lost Sheep were given to express God's tremendous love in seeking out that which was lost, and so seeking a fullness or completion in God's creation, this story of the ten lepers is a very human one, and it describes the very human or worldly response to God and the good things of God for which we're meant to be grateful.  This story follows upon Jesus' teaching to the disciples that, when a disciple has done what is asked, in fulfilling the commands of Christ, we're to say, "We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do."  This notion of "unprofitable," as we discussed in yesterday's commentary, is meant to express the idea that as faithful human beings, we cannot possibly repay the grace of God.  We simply do not have any resources equal in substance or quality to what we've been given.  This story in today's reading illustrates that reality.  How can any human being possibly repay God for the gift of healing -- and from a disease symbolic of sin, thereby akin to being forgiven and released from sin, so to speak?  We don't have any kind of substance or capacity that is like that, with which to repay God.  So it is simply our gratitude that is appropriate to the gift of God's mercy, to grace, and to give glory to God.  To be healed of leprosy is an incredible reprieve from terrible suffering, but where are those others who failed to give any sign of gratitude to God?  This lack of gratitude gives us a sense of what is today called entitlement.  One thing is clear from this story:  it is the outsider, the stranger, the foreigner here who has come back to give glory to God and to give thanks to Christ for his healing.  Moreover, Christ tells him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Let's consider those words, "Your faith has made you well."  This seems to indicate the others are without faith, and given Christ's repeated teaching to others to "sin no more," their ailments possibly will return.  At any rate, given Jesus' response, we can perceive that the fullness of healing, or of any gracious action of God, is not complete without our gratitude and giving of thanks and glory to God.  This is what we should take with us from today's reading, and grasp that as Jesus directly says that it is this man's faith that has made him well, we need to live the fullness of our faith in turn.  The fullness of our faith, in accordance with Christ's remarks today, isn't complete without giving thanks, without giving glory to God.  As we are approaching a holiday season (at least in the West where I live) of official occasion to give thanks, let us take this very seriously.  For perhaps it is true that we cannot live good lives of faith without it.  Modern medicine often tells us that gratitude is a key antidote to depression and other ailments, both mental and physical.  Perhaps this tie with our faith provides the true key to that outcome, as this foreigner becomes the icon of faith.

 

 

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour

 

 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.  Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"

 

- Mark 15:33–39 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was brought to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"   Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

 

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  The sixth hour is noon, the ninth hour is about three o'clock in the afternoon.  See Zechariah 14:6-7, Amos 8:9.

 

 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Jesus is praying Psalm 22, which foretells even the details of the Crucifixion.  Without the rest of the psalm, Jesus' cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" could be misinterpreted to be a cry of despair.  Since Christ took on our nature, my study Bible says, Jesus experiences our alienation from God in His humanity, knowing our suffering and distress, but He does not despair.  He speaks these words in the name of humanity, completely identifying with us in our condition, for in His divinity, He is never forsaken by the Father.  

Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  It's interesting as always to note that the Gospels report people misunderstanding Christ; in this case mis-hearing Him and giving a false interpretation to the words they think He says. 

And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.   My study Bible notes that Christ's death was voluntary to the very end, for even on the Cross, His life could not be taken from Him against His will.  It explains that Christ accepts death on the Cross neither to receive the Father's punishment on our behalf, nor to satisfy the Father's need for blood-justice (as if God would demand such things), but so that by entering death as the divine Son of God, He can destroy this last enemy, which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).   Whatever divinity touches is healed:  Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature, He accepts our weakness in order to make us strong, He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin, He suffers in order to transfigure suffering, and He enters death in order to destroy death.  He will be the first human soul not to be taken to Hades; instead His soul is freely given into the hands of God -- therefore Christ frees all of humanity from death's grip.  In transforming every aspect of human nature, we are reconciled to God and thus healed.

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  My study Bible explains that the veil which separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a symbol of the separation between God and man.  It says that Christ's death opens the way into the presence of God for all people, therefore giving access to that which is most holy of all:  God.  In many Orthodox Churches, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during liturgical services in order to emphasize that this communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith.  

So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"  According to my study Bible, the centurion, who is a Gentile, realizes that Jesus has dominion over nature, and therefore acknowledges Him as the Son of God.  Tradition knows this soldier as St. Longinos.

What does it mean to be transformed, to be healed by Christ?  My study Bible speaks of this healing by transformation by saying:  Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature, He accepts our weakness in order to make us strong, He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin, He suffers in order to transfigure suffering, and He enters death in order to destroy death.  We can experience this sanctification through prayer, and throughout our lives, by taking each struggle and each difficulty to Christ, by seeking God's way for our lives and our choices in this way.  After a lengthy period of such experience, I can say that I believe I have been changed through this process -- that is, led through repentance, or "change of mind," which the Greek word for repentance literally means.  My beliefs and patterns of thinking are completely different from what they were decades ago.  And as life has baffled my expectations in numerous ways, and so frequently that I don't often feel I can see the forest for the trees, this prayer life has led me through the puzzling experiences of life, giving me strength to cope with disappointments, and hope for unforeseen difficulties that my own limited experience had not supplied me with knowledge sufficient to address.  In suffering from such setbacks and baffling outcomes, and the disappointments and heartache encountered therein, I was given meaning to suffering through the practice of forgiveness and of seeking God's way to respond to hurtful people and circumstances.  This is transformation indeed, and a way through darkness, through difficult and limited paths and options for response.  Christ has brought me through problems I did not know how to address, and which conventional response -- or giving in to passions like despair or anger or outrage or envy -- would have resulted in an even worse problem for myself, and an inner nature marred by sin on top of sin.  It has been for me a prayer life fully of salvation, and I can put no other solution or responsible suggestion for the source of salvation in all of the above circumstances except the faith and love of Christ (and by extension, the Father and the Spirit, and all the saints, who always accompany Christ).  It is this consistent love which has never failed, has not condemned but helped, shown me the way, taught me how to live in my still-limited fashion, given me knowledge and a small amount of wisdom, and always corrected in an environment which surrounded me with deep love.  There is no getting around it nor escaping this love, this explanation for survival through very difficult circumstances for which, of myself alone, I could not imagine a way through, and that is my testimony.  As for the final enemy, which is death, I certainly cannot say I have experienced that yet (!), but in effect, if we look carefully at our lives, I can say with many others that I have been through crucifixions of a sort, that reminded me I needed to learn some things, and that I needed to change some things about myself or about the circumstances of my life and relationships with others -- and that once again, it was only the way of the Cross that could provide me with that hope and that outcome, and His way and truth and life to follow.  This is my testimony of my experience of salvation, which I consider to be ongoing, for faith is a journey -- but it is our Lord who provides the road (which is the literal meaning of the word for "the way" in Greek -- ὁδὸς/odos).  We are all on a road somewhere, and sometimes we may feel ourselves being crucified, but He has led the way, and asks us to take up our own crosses.  With Him, we may hope in Resurrection in all things and all ways, for this is truly our salvation -- even when we, too, may experience darkness in broad daylight.

 

Certainly this was a righteous Man!

 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

 

- Luke 23:44–56

 

On Saturday, we read that there were also two others, criminals, led with Jesus to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.   These are natural indicators of a strange, upside-down, evil time, in which incomprehensible violence is done to what is essentially good.  The sixth hour is noon, a time when the sun is highest and brightest in the sky, and casts no shadows but those immediately under objects, but there is darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (3:00 PM), throughout what is normally the brightest period of the day.  My study Bible reminds us that the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a symbol of the separation between God and man.  Christ's death opened the way, it says, into the presence of God for all people, and giving access to that which is most holy of all:  God.  In many Orthodox churches, there is a curtain drawn between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during liturgical services, in order to emphasize that communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith.

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  My study Bible comments that Jesus does not have His life taken from Him, but He will voluntarily commit it to the Father.  Christ's soul was the first human soul not to be taken to Hades, my study Bible explains.  Instead, it was freely given into the hands of God.  Therefore, Christ frees all of humanity from death's grip.  His death reconciles humankind to God, not by satisfying the Father's need for blood-justice as some might teach, but by causing every aspect of our corrupt human nature to be transformed -- for whatever is touched by divinity is healed.  Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature; He accepts our weakness in order to make us strong; He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin; He suffers in order to transfigure suffering; and He enters death in order to destroy it (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  Jesus voluntarily enters death as the divine Son of God, and thereby can destroy the last enemy, which is death itself.

 

So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria regarding the conversion of the centurion.  St. Cyril writes:  "Observe that no sooner had Christ endured the Passion on the Cross for our sakes than He began to win many unto knowledge of the truth."  Let us all note the faithfulness of His acquaintances, and specifically of the women mentioned who followed Him from Galilee.

Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.   My study Bible remarks that if the apostles had buried Christ, doubters could claim His body was simply hidden away.  But Joseph, being both a council member, and a good and just man, refutes any possibility that Christ's body was deceptively hidden by the apostles.  It notes that the spiritual significance of a tomb where no one had ever lain before is that Christ died a death unlike any person who had ever died:  a death without corruption, and one leading to victory over the grave itself. 

 

That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  My study Bible says that Christ's rest in the tomb fulfills the image of His birth in a cave (Luke 2:7), and also reveals the ultimate purpose of His coming.  The faith of the women, while stronger than that of the hiding disciples, is still imperfect in the sense that they prepared for the corruption of Christ's body.  Regarding the Sabbath:  My study Bible writes that, as God rested from the work of creation on the original Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3), so now Christ rests from the work of the new creation on the Sabbath.  Therefore Christ gives the Sabbath its ultimate meaning, and fulfills the Law even in death.  An Orthodox hymn for Holy Saturday Matins declares, "This is the most blessed Sabbath on which Christ sleeps in order to rise on the third day."

Often we think of Christ on the Cross, alone, surrounded by enemies and those who hate Him, mock Him, even spit on Him (Matthew 26:67-38, 27:30).  But the text tells us that there are those who did not desert Him, there are those who mourn, even those who come to faith, such as the centurion who declares, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  The text tells us that the whole crowd came together and saw what had been done, and beat their breasts in a sign of grief, even repentance at the sinfulness of what has just taken place.  St. Cyril of Alexandria suggests that we make careful note that immediately after Christ endured His Passion, He began already to win many to the knowledge of the truth.  He suggests that those who beat their chests could not dare do anything more openly against their rulers, and reminds us that Christ said, "When I have been lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself" (John 7:32).  And then there are those who are Jesus' acquaintances, and the women who've followed Him from Galilee, who watch from a distance.  St. Ephrem the Syrian writes that this is in fulfillment of Scripture:  "My neighbors stood far off" (Psalm 38:11).  But it is these women from Galilee who will come to the tomb to tend to His body.  Finally, we also read of the heroic bravery of Joseph of Arimathea.  This is a wealthy man, for such a tomb would have been extremely costly.  Moreover, he was notably a council member, whom the text tells us was a good and just man, also awaiting the kingdom of God.  It is so very important that we understand that there is no black and white underscoring of groups of people in this story.  The ultimate blame for the evil that has happened goes to spiritual forces of evil, to Satan, who works through the passions (such as envy and greed) of human beings, through our weaknesses, through our temptations.  But although the leaders have instigated this horrific death, we cannot say of the entire council that it is evil, as notably Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are believers and faithful to Christ; here Joseph takes great courage to go openly to Pilate and ask for Christ's body, placing His body in a tomb never before used by anyone.  Some in the crowd beat their breasts in grief, just as the women of Jerusalem who wept while Christ was being led to the place of crucifixion.  There is nothing in the story of the Gospels that condemns one group or another -- however we want to name those groups -- as all bad, for each person has their own choice to make, and the Gospel gives us individuals of every stripe who boldly love Christ, including even the centurion at the Cross who declares Him to be a righteous Man, and will himself become known as a saint of the Church.  It is most important that we understand these things that are given to us in the Gospels, because any lesser observation is wrong, and the foundation of terrible error.  There is a quotation about good and evil found in The Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn:  "Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts."   Jesus speaks throughout the Gospels of the reality of the human heart:  our weaknesses and temptations, the passions we jealously guard, and our willingness to let these things go in order to live holy lives.  These individuals and every exception to every group tell us of the importance that we understand this struggle in the heart as our real calling, our true spiritual battle.  When we misplace that focus, all manner of error and tragedy can happen.  Although the religious leadership of the Jews would persecute the early Christians (and the man who would become St. Paul chief among persecutors), let us recall that every follower of Christ in the Gospels (with the possible exception of the centurion) was a Jew.  This is what we are taught and what we hold to our hearts, as we also grow in our faith --  as will the apostles, the early Church, and all the women in the text who've remained loyal to Him since the beginning in Galilee.