St Luke 17:11-19/Galatians 5:16-24/Proverbs 4:10-23
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ten lepers cry out with one voice to our Lord. Leprosy has made them outcasts, rejects. They live on the fringe of society. They are undesirables. Their scaly, pealing skin and foul order of open sores was contagious. Usually their cries were for others to keep their distance, to avoid contact, so as not to become infected and unclean. Together they are a pitiable congregation of miserable beggars. They are precisely the type for which our Lord came – the sick. For the well have no need of a physician.
Now it could be understood that it was Jesus who sought them out, who met them, rather than the other way around. For He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. It was Jesus who put Himself on the fringes of Israel, amongst the outcast and rejects. Whether journeying by boat to the country of the Gerasenes to heal only one demoniac, or going over the border to restore some lepers, Jesus sought out the undesirables. He met them.
And so it is that He comes to this small congregation of lepers, whose liturgy is not unlike yours: Jesu, kyrie, epistata, kyrie eleison. Jesus, Lord, mercy; Lord have mercy upon us. Their prayer rose before Him as incense. And their plea for mercy does not go unanswered. He commanded them to go to the Temple, to show themselves to the priests.
That they went at all is a sign of faith. For one was rarely cleansed of leprosy. And if he was, it was not true leprosy. The priest could not cure the disease. No one could. He could only inspect the one presumed to be healed and pronounce him clean. According to Levitical code, the priest was to take some of the sacrificial blood of the lamb and put it on the right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe of the one who is to be cleansed. While similar to the ordination of a priest in the Old Testament, this tri-pointing of blood was also an inspection. Was he clean from head to toe? Then the priest put oil on each of those places, too, and atop his head, and offered a sin offering on behalf of the leper. This made atonement for him before the Lord. The Lord declared him to be clean. The priest merely acted on behalf of the man and spoke for the Lord.
And while they were going they were cleansed. Thus they are able to offer the appropriate sacrifice and have the priest declare them to be clean before all Israel. Presumably this is where the nine go; to the priest, to the Temple, just as Jesus had commanded them. His Word had cleansed them. They followed His Word and journeyed to the Temple.
But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a great voice. His liturgical song had previously been a cry for mercy. Having received the gift of mercy he returns to the Giver, singing a liturgy of thanksgiving. He praises God. That is, in reverence and honor he falls on his face before Jesus, giving Him thanks for what He has done. This is the highest form of worship. This is proper praise. He receives from the Lord Christ, and then he speaks back to God of His great acts of mercy for him.
In all this he confesses that he believes Jesus to be Lord; in Jesus he had seen the Son of God. He became like the shepherds on that first Christmas, praising God. He began singing with the angels, Glory to God in the highest. The one who was a case of walking, smelling, and wreaking death was vibrantly alive. Everything became new for him. It was Christmas and Easter morning all wrapped into one.
Now he was a Samaritan. He was doubly unclean: a Samaritan and a leper. We previously met another Samaritan, last Sunday. The Good Samaritan. He was dead to the Law. He was outside the mindset of the Jew. Yet in compassion he provided mercy and care for the one who fell among robbers. In so doing he heaped burning coals upon the head of the inquisitive lawyer. Now that Samaritan was Jesus. Despised and rejected, yet in compassion stooped down from His throne to mercifully rescue and restore you.
This Sunday the Samaritan is you. His leprosy is an analogy for your sin. For by it you are unclean. You reek of death. You were an outcast of Israel, unable to find refuge or mercy anywhere. Even if he could have somehow cleansed himself of leprosy, he could not undo his genealogy. He was a Samaritan by birth; separated from the people of God, denied access to the Temple.
So too you. Even if you could stop your sinning, clean up your act, you would only appear outwardly righteous. Inwardly you will still be filled with dead men’s bones. You cannot undo your birth. Flesh gives birth to flesh. And the desires of the flesh are against the desires of the Spirit. The desires of the flesh are not external sores, like leprosy. They come from within, from the heart. Sexual immortality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness. These are evident. They are opposed to the desires of the Spirit. Those who do them will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Repentance is needed. Thus do you, this small congregation of lepers, of sinners, cry out with one voice, Lord, have mercy upon us. Your prayer does not go unheard. Our Lord speaks to you, saying, My child, be attentive to My Word; incline your ear to My sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them in your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
The Word of Jesus healed the ten lepers. So too does His Word heal you of the leprosy of your sin. His priest stands here, in His stead, by His command, and pronounces you clean in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You are anointed with the oil of Holy Baptism, by which the Lord declares you clean. His Blood, the Blood of the Sacrifice, is not wiped on your ear, but poured down your throat for the forgiveness of your sins.
All of this is confessed as you continue to return here, to Jesus, just as it was for the Samaritan. The other nine presumably went to the Temple and offered the sacrifice, as Jesus had instructed them. The Samaritan, though, returned to the true Temple, God in the flesh, when he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet. For true worship now happens only in and through Jesus. By His Blood He has opened the way to the Father for you. He is the True Sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He cleanses you from the leprosy of your sin.
And He gives you what you could not do for yourself: new birth from above by water and the Spirit. The Samaritan leper, who was doubly outcast, found acceptance in Jesus. He received new birth, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. He now had a rightful place in Israel. He had access to the Temple, for he was now joined to Jesus by faith. Thus does his faith save him. That is, his Jesus saves him. For faith clings to Christ and forsakes all else. This faith is given you by His Word, in Holy Baptism, where you were joined to Christ Jesus.
There your flesh was drowned and died with all sins and evil desires. There He put His right Spirit within you. It shall produce fruit accordingly: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You belong to Christ.
And, dear ones, it is in this same Spirit, by faith, that you return here, to Jesus, and in the liturgy, both the cry for mercy and the shout of thanksgiving you worship Him. This is true worship, in reverence and faithfulness to receive mercy from He who is Mercy for you, even Jesus Christ, and then, in faith, speaking back to God, confessing what He has done for you in His great acts of salvation.
Therefore come, and fall on your knees before the Lord Jesus, who here gives His Eucharist, His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins, life, and salvation. Receiving these, with faith in His Word, rise and go your way, your faith, that is, your Jesus, has saved you.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Ten lepers cry out with one voice to our Lord. Leprosy has made them outcasts, rejects. They live on the fringe of society. They are undesirables. Their scaly, pealing skin and foul order of open sores was contagious. Usually their cries were for others to keep their distance, to avoid contact, so as not to become infected and unclean. Together they are a pitiable congregation of miserable beggars. They are precisely the type for which our Lord came – the sick. For the well have no need of a physician.
Now it could be understood that it was Jesus who sought them out, who met them, rather than the other way around. For He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. It was Jesus who put Himself on the fringes of Israel, amongst the outcast and rejects. Whether journeying by boat to the country of the Gerasenes to heal only one demoniac, or going over the border to restore some lepers, Jesus sought out the undesirables. He met them.
And so it is that He comes to this small congregation of lepers, whose liturgy is not unlike yours: Jesu, kyrie, epistata, kyrie eleison. Jesus, Lord, mercy; Lord have mercy upon us. Their prayer rose before Him as incense. And their plea for mercy does not go unanswered. He commanded them to go to the Temple, to show themselves to the priests.
That they went at all is a sign of faith. For one was rarely cleansed of leprosy. And if he was, it was not true leprosy. The priest could not cure the disease. No one could. He could only inspect the one presumed to be healed and pronounce him clean. According to Levitical code, the priest was to take some of the sacrificial blood of the lamb and put it on the right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe of the one who is to be cleansed. While similar to the ordination of a priest in the Old Testament, this tri-pointing of blood was also an inspection. Was he clean from head to toe? Then the priest put oil on each of those places, too, and atop his head, and offered a sin offering on behalf of the leper. This made atonement for him before the Lord. The Lord declared him to be clean. The priest merely acted on behalf of the man and spoke for the Lord.
And while they were going they were cleansed. Thus they are able to offer the appropriate sacrifice and have the priest declare them to be clean before all Israel. Presumably this is where the nine go; to the priest, to the Temple, just as Jesus had commanded them. His Word had cleansed them. They followed His Word and journeyed to the Temple.
But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a great voice. His liturgical song had previously been a cry for mercy. Having received the gift of mercy he returns to the Giver, singing a liturgy of thanksgiving. He praises God. That is, in reverence and honor he falls on his face before Jesus, giving Him thanks for what He has done. This is the highest form of worship. This is proper praise. He receives from the Lord Christ, and then he speaks back to God of His great acts of mercy for him.
In all this he confesses that he believes Jesus to be Lord; in Jesus he had seen the Son of God. He became like the shepherds on that first Christmas, praising God. He began singing with the angels, Glory to God in the highest. The one who was a case of walking, smelling, and wreaking death was vibrantly alive. Everything became new for him. It was Christmas and Easter morning all wrapped into one.
Now he was a Samaritan. He was doubly unclean: a Samaritan and a leper. We previously met another Samaritan, last Sunday. The Good Samaritan. He was dead to the Law. He was outside the mindset of the Jew. Yet in compassion he provided mercy and care for the one who fell among robbers. In so doing he heaped burning coals upon the head of the inquisitive lawyer. Now that Samaritan was Jesus. Despised and rejected, yet in compassion stooped down from His throne to mercifully rescue and restore you.
This Sunday the Samaritan is you. His leprosy is an analogy for your sin. For by it you are unclean. You reek of death. You were an outcast of Israel, unable to find refuge or mercy anywhere. Even if he could have somehow cleansed himself of leprosy, he could not undo his genealogy. He was a Samaritan by birth; separated from the people of God, denied access to the Temple.
So too you. Even if you could stop your sinning, clean up your act, you would only appear outwardly righteous. Inwardly you will still be filled with dead men’s bones. You cannot undo your birth. Flesh gives birth to flesh. And the desires of the flesh are against the desires of the Spirit. The desires of the flesh are not external sores, like leprosy. They come from within, from the heart. Sexual immortality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness. These are evident. They are opposed to the desires of the Spirit. Those who do them will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Repentance is needed. Thus do you, this small congregation of lepers, of sinners, cry out with one voice, Lord, have mercy upon us. Your prayer does not go unheard. Our Lord speaks to you, saying, My child, be attentive to My Word; incline your ear to My sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them in your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
The Word of Jesus healed the ten lepers. So too does His Word heal you of the leprosy of your sin. His priest stands here, in His stead, by His command, and pronounces you clean in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You are anointed with the oil of Holy Baptism, by which the Lord declares you clean. His Blood, the Blood of the Sacrifice, is not wiped on your ear, but poured down your throat for the forgiveness of your sins.
All of this is confessed as you continue to return here, to Jesus, just as it was for the Samaritan. The other nine presumably went to the Temple and offered the sacrifice, as Jesus had instructed them. The Samaritan, though, returned to the true Temple, God in the flesh, when he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet. For true worship now happens only in and through Jesus. By His Blood He has opened the way to the Father for you. He is the True Sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He cleanses you from the leprosy of your sin.
And He gives you what you could not do for yourself: new birth from above by water and the Spirit. The Samaritan leper, who was doubly outcast, found acceptance in Jesus. He received new birth, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. He now had a rightful place in Israel. He had access to the Temple, for he was now joined to Jesus by faith. Thus does his faith save him. That is, his Jesus saves him. For faith clings to Christ and forsakes all else. This faith is given you by His Word, in Holy Baptism, where you were joined to Christ Jesus.
There your flesh was drowned and died with all sins and evil desires. There He put His right Spirit within you. It shall produce fruit accordingly: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You belong to Christ.
And, dear ones, it is in this same Spirit, by faith, that you return here, to Jesus, and in the liturgy, both the cry for mercy and the shout of thanksgiving you worship Him. This is true worship, in reverence and faithfulness to receive mercy from He who is Mercy for you, even Jesus Christ, and then, in faith, speaking back to God, confessing what He has done for you in His great acts of salvation.
Therefore come, and fall on your knees before the Lord Jesus, who here gives His Eucharist, His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins, life, and salvation. Receiving these, with faith in His Word, rise and go your way, your faith, that is, your Jesus, has saved you.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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