Today’s Gospel:  Luke 17:11-19

REFLECTION
Lepers were obliged by law to keep at a safe distance from other people; the risk of contagion was thought to be exceptionally great and therefore as Leviticus 13:46 commanded, the lepers were required to dwell alone, far from where healthy people lived. In today’s Gospel, there exists the possibility that Christ deliberately took the unexpected road in order to meet these unfortunate sufferers. These men therefore placed themselves in a place where their cries would attract His attention. Their shouts brought an instant response, but the text is worthy of careful examination. It must be stressed that the Lord did not cleanse them immediately. Faith without works is dead. We are not told these men had any faith in the Lordship of Christ; they had merely heard He was capable of healing the sick, and as drowning men clutching at a straw, they cried for mercy. There can be no doubt that the Savior desired to help them, but always He had the amazing gift of bringing the best out of men. His command “Go and shew yourselves unto the priests” was perfectly in keeping with the commands outlined in the law. However, under the Mosaic order it would have been quite stupid for any leper to go to the priest - as long as he remained a leper. To present himself as the continuing victim of the dread disease would only have elicited fierce condemnation; even priests were capable of becoming lepers. When a man had reason to believe his leprosy had vanished, he had grounds upon which to ask for a ceremonial pronouncement that he was fit to rejoin his fellowmen, but until his petition was substantiated by actual fact, his journey to the priest was only a waste of time. Let it be noted clearly that although Christ told these men to report to the priest, they remained lepers. Thus they were faced with a problem. Reason said, “It is useless to do as He suggested.” Faith replied, “Since He commanded us to go, He surely had a reason for issuing the command. Therefore let us go in simple dependence upon His word.” “And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed.” It is well to remember that hearing the Gospel never saved anybody. Faith must be followed by commitment; because a man believes, he acts, and as faith is thereby translated into intelligent response, the healing power of God does what needs to be done in the leper’s life.

Now, about the one leper (a Samaritan) who went back to Jesus.

The sentence “he pistis sou sesoken se” in the original Gospel has attracted the attention of theologians in every phase of church history. The word translated “has cured” conveys the idea of being made safe and sound, but it would appear to be almost impossible to exhaust the meaning of that aspect of this remarkable incident. It is obvious that the returning Samaritan received a greater blessing than his companions. The ten were cleansed, but this man was made safe and sound - he was made whole. Does that mean the disease was not only banished from his body - does it also imply that any member of the body which had suffered damage was restored to normal appearance and health? If hands had become deformed; if fingers had disappeared, were they suddenly and miraculously restored? We cannot tell. Does the text imply that the gratitude which brought the Samaritan to the feet of Jesus bore its own fruit and received its own reward in that physical cleansing was followed by spiritual enlightenment? Was the man made whole both in body and soul? Several Bible scholars think this is the only logical interpretation of the text. It is however thought-provoking that whereas the nine longed to claim their place in society, this Samaritan returned to express his thanks. Alas, for so many of us in modern times, gratitude has become a forgotten art.

Today’s Reading:  Titus 3:1-7

PRAYER
Lord, cleanse me of any disease that afflicts me, whether these be physical, emotional or spiritual.  And then let me express my thanks to you for all time.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen.