28th Sunday after Pentecost Sabbas the Venerable

Title

The New Temple and New Priest

Outline

The story is simple

Jesus is traveling in the border area between Galilee and Samaria, between his home territory and “the others”

Ten lepers stand at a distance, for they could not come near normal people, and cry out for mercy.

He calls for an act of faith: “Go show yourselves to the priests”

The priests had declared them leprous and shut out of society

They leave on the journey without any evidence of healing other than his command

As the go along they realize that they are healed

Nine of them speed up their journey

One of them turns back

Perhaps he fist realized that as a Samaritan he could not go to those Jewish priests; he could not go into Jewish society

Perhaps it was a realization about who Jesus must be if he could heal in such a way

Perhaps it was an awareness that Jesus had acted as his priest

He goes and worships Jesus in thankfulness

Jesus notices the difference between that man and the other 9: “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

He concludes, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Now that man’s faith was not fully developed, but look at it in the light of Colossians

He had been “estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds”

He was now “reconciled in his [Jesus’] body of flesh by his death [which the man did not know about yet], in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him”

There was a new requirement, “provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast”

And the man realize to some degree, “He is the head of the body, the Church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things” - that is why he goes to Jesus, not a priest, and that is why he worships.

Well, what has Jesus done for you?

Do you have that type of trust and commitment to him?

Do you often return to worship him?

How often do you reflect on who Jesus really is?

The Samaritan former-leper was “a foreigner” but he ends up a teacher of the people of God and hopefully our teacher as well.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 10-25-2023: Twenty-First Wednesday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

Colossians 1:18–23

18  He is the head of the body, the Church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, 23 provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-10-2023: Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

(29th Sunday, Slavic)

Luke 17:12–19

12  And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13  and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14  When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19  And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-9-2029: The Conception of the Theotokos

ON THE SAME DATE | OCTOECHOS

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Dark Vestments

On the same date: The Conception of the Theotokos

Matins Gospel Luke 24:36–53

Epistle Colossians 1:12–18

Gospel Luke 13:10–17 (27th Sunday, Greek) or Luke 17:12–19 (29th Sunday, Slavic)

RED