I can not read the story of Jesus' healing of the ten lepers and one returning to praise God without reflecting upon God's people gathering for worship. Although Luke probably did not intend his readers to identify with those ten lepers in a village somewhere along the road to Jerusalem between Samaria and Galilee, nevertheless their story is also our story. How many times have we, like them, cried out to God for help in desperate, depressing and even apparently hopeless situations?
People have been known to make flagrantly valiant vows under duress. As the sound of loved ones within the village rose to greet the ears but not the touch of those ten lepers, I wonder what sort of pledges they might have made to God. Did they make any promises which began with "if only I could be free from this leprosy...?" But the sun had continued to rise and set as it always had and nothing had changed.
Then one day Jesus' travels caused their lives to intersect with his. From a proper distance, the lepers had stood in their misery crying out to Jesus, "Jesus, Master, be merciful to us."
To the ten lepers, Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priest. Although their bodies were still covered with leprosy and hence there was no physical reason for appearing before a priest, in faith they obeyed by starting to walk down the path. As they went, they were cleansed. Realizing what had happened, one of the ten with his heart pounding in thankfulness and gratitude to God returned praising God with reckless abandon.
This scene of joy is cut by the penetrating questions of Jesus. "Were not all ten healed? Where are the nine?" It appears Jesus provides us with an insight into how God views worship. The power of God had healed ten men who had been crying out for mercy and help. But only one returned to offer thanks and praise.
Through Jesus, God's love and power has released us from something far worse than leprosy. Before we entered into Christ's community, was not their cry also our cry? Although we may not have had physical leprosy, did we not also need to be rescued? Were we not also afflicted with a horrible existence which in our case was characterized by the guilt, pain and even the emptiness which comes from the progressive destruction of sin? Whether our life was dominated by a destructive compulsive behavior which we wish would just go away or our memory was stained with lies, selfish ambition, anger, or other manifestations of serving evil, were we not in need of a cure? If this were not bad enough, it was further depressing to realize that our sinfulness ostracized us from the grand celebration in God's kingdom.
And yet, although God's grace has rescued us, sometimes some people are consistently "too busy," "don't feel like it" or "have something more important to do" than to return with joy in their hearts to worship God for what God has done in their lives. When God's people are gathering to worship, I wonder if our Lord does not ask, "Were they not all cleansed and released from sin? Where are the rest?"
Barry Newton, Copyright © 2001
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