Trinity 14 (10 Lepers)

Introduction

Thanking people can be awkward. Deacon Aaron, my Ordination

The Text

The shape of Lukes Gospel

There is a specific geography of both elevation and Ethnicity in the Gospel of Luke. First off the first Half of Jesus ministry includes travel that takes Jesus up in elevation until the transfiguration at which point he sets his sights on Jerusalem and he descents to Jerusalem traveling down hill as he approaches his death. So we are on the descent towards Jerusalem and we are in Samaria and Galilee. This means that Jesus is going to be in an area of transition where he will transition away from working with more Gentile or non-Jewish populations and begin to work with specifically Jewish population, and in this Parable we have a mixed crowd. Ill say more on that in a moment.

The Characters. We of course have 3 Major Characters. We have Jesus, we have the Leper who came back and we have the 9 who did not. I know they are 9 Characters not one but its easier to think in terms of them being one Character instead of dividing them

They stood far off the text says. And if you grew up in Sunday School you might already know they stand far off bc lepers need to (Talk about LEPERS)

But they Yell both for distance and for desperation. The life of a leper is not easy and of this man of Galilee can help them as the rumor mill says he can they might be healed.

Jesus gives a command…In the OT if your Leprosy was healed you could re-enter society. But you could not just say I am healed…the disease was too dangerous. So the chief priests had to sign off. Jesus does not spit and make mud or tough them or any of the things he did with other…he just issues a command…show the chief priest…

Here is where a little more context helps with the narrative of the Story. They are north of Samaria on the Border of Galilee. They need to show themselves to the chief priests in Jerusalem that they are healed and though they are used to this kind of walking it is still a bit of a journey. On the way the text says they are healed. Well now they have a choice…do they return to talk to Jesus or keep on their way. 9 keep on their way deciding its a lot of trouble to make their way back. But one returns.

The Irony is that the 9 that are going to show themselves to the priest have missed showing themselves to the true high priest Jesus and the one who is not an Israelite is the one who goes to the true high priest.

THE GOSPEL BREAKS DOWN ETHNIC BARRIERS

And a main point I would leave you with today is this: True worship should disrupt you in that is takes you out of your false worship and bring you back to Jesus.

The hearing of and interacting with God’s word should have the profound effect of letting us consider ourselves and getting us to change.

So what are the applications of this text for the Christian.

First off we are all like the lepers. Either like the 9 we appear to be in God’s family, or like the one we are one who all would assume is not in God’s family we all have a wasting disease. Instead of Leprosy we have a disease called sin. Like Leprosy is numbs our body and eats away at us slowly. Unlike Leprosy death does not relieve the symptoms. Sin continues to destroy after this earthly life.

One of the punishments of hell is that our sin follows us there and becomes our identity. An identity that can not satisfy for ever. Fits of rage in this life are ever growing fits of rage in the next until for ever you are nothing but fits of rage, unlovable and unloving. Lust two will destroy you that way, as would gluttony or vanity. Self satisfaction, Jealousy, all sin if you take it with you into the forever space will continue to eat you like a spiritual Leprosy for which there is no relief.

Application number two: we are all given a choice to invest in religion that cannot heal, or inconvenience our selves to worship the true God. The sacrificial system and religion of ancient Israel had many of the good things of New Covenant worship of Christ. It pointed to the God that eventually reveals him self in Jesus. It sets ups the sacrificial system that Jesus fulfills. It has the care of the poor in it spiritual rhythms of life. But Jesus Christ is in that moment back in galilee.

And to be sure some of our alternative religion has good things in it. Our worship of modern sports for example. Yes our kids learn team work, grit, build character. Anytime there is a National disaster the NFL has a place you can text to donate ten dollars. There are stories of triumph over adversity. But it cannot save your soul. Infact instead of dying on your behalf the God of Sports asks you to die on its behalf. It asks you for your time your money and your ACL and offers nothing in return, nothing that will last.

Its inconvenient to hit pause on that and return to Galilee to worship. And if its not sports in your family, is it a career, is it leisure, Education. What Good thing are you chasing above the pursuit of Christ?

Application number three - Come to Jesus in thanksgiving. The Samaritan Leper returned and worshiped Jesus in thanks giving. The word Eucharist means thanksgiving feast and this day we are invited to come to this table and worship Jesus in thanksgiving. Here in this space in this moment God is calling us to recall that he has healed us from the spiritual leprosy of sin. In this moment he invites us in a spiritual manner his body and blood. And this we can do along side countless Christian across time and across the world. Brothers and sisters worship Jesus in thanksgiving.

And a main point I would leave you with today is this: True worship should disrupt you in that is takes you out of your false worship and bring you back to Jesus.

Our Old Testament reading today has an admonishment

[21] “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

[22] Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

[23] But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.

[24] They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain,

and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’

[25] Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.

God is reminding people of all the Good he has done for them and is declaring judgment that they have forgotten. He has cared for his people and they have been stubborn. We two are guilty, God has blessed us beyond measure and yet we are quick to forget all he has done, quick to complain

And earlier in the chapter God declare his just judgement on the people.

But instead of Judgment falling on the people for forgetting to worship God in thanksgiving, instead of getting their due for being stubborn. God pours his wrath on his Son Jesus on the cross. We all have behaved like the 9 lepers who do not come back to worship Jesus. We deserve a just reprisal. But the just reprisal fall on Christ. And he give us his his just reward. Jesus the one who would inherit all things for his faithful obedience shares that inheritance with us. He give us a share in eternal life and allows us dominion over creation at his side. Now that we can access the obedience of Christ being his children let us respond not like the nine but like the one.

Remember the words of the hymn and fall to your knees in thanksgiving for the saving work of Christ.

Alleluia! King eternal, thee the Lord of lords we own: Alleluia! born of Mary, earth thy footstool, heaven thy throne: thou within the veil hast entered, robed in flesh, our great High Priest: thou on earth both Priest and Victim in the eucharistic feast.