10 October 2010

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15
Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19

Ten lepers – ten people unclean – ten people who are excluded from society and the very presence of God because of a skin disease. All of them want Jesus to cleanse them. So Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest who will then certify that they are indeed fully clean. They all depart – and as they go on their way – they really are – clean! Just like that!! But only one of them – one of those nasty Samaritans – runs back to Jesus praising God with a loud voice, falling on his face before Jesus, and giving thanks. And Jesus proclaims that it is the Samaritan’s faith – his trust exhibited in his thankfulness – that has made him whole, saved him, rescued him.

But where are the other nine? What’s up with them? Better, perhaps, to ask what’s up with the Samaritan. The text is clear – it was the Samaritan who saw that he was healed. The others – we hear nothing about them seeing that anything had happened to them.

Talmud is the rabbinic commentary on the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. And in Talmud, the rabbis say: “We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.” So – why does the Samaritan alone see that he is healed? Jesus tells the Samaritan that it is his faith that has made him whole – the Samaritan has seen through the eyes of faith – the eyes of thankfulness. But why does the Samaritan have faith? And why don’t the others? Martin Luther advises us to use scripture to interpret scripture – so let’s do that.

St. Paul tells us that faith – trust – comes through hearing. The nine lepers can’t see with the eyes of faith – the eyes of trust – because they can’t hear – at least they can’t hear Jesus – most likely because their own noisiness is drowning out the still, small voice of God. Naaman in the first reading can’t hear how he can be healed because he thinks he knows the best way to do things – forget about God’s way. (We call that original sin – each and everyone one of us insisting on our own way, each of us our own God – insisting we know what’s right and that anyone and everyone else around us is wrong.) Naaman’s so busy arguing and being angry about wanting it his way he can’t hear the good news. It’s like St. Paul says to Timothy in our second reading – “tell the people not to be arguing and wrangling – people hear that stuff and it ruins the life of faith.” Luther tells us that obedience to the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy simply means that we do not, like Naaman, despise – block our ears to – the preaching of the Word – of God’s grace in Christ – but we are to regard the Word as holy and gladly hear and learn it. Don’t regard the pastor as holy because he definitely isn’t; rather regard the Good News as holy and hear it. But Naaman is busy finding fault with the messenger, he’s so busy wrangling and being angry – that he cannot hear – and not hearing, he can have no trust.

But back to the Samaritan and the other nine. Perhaps the problem with the nine who can’t see that they are clean is that they absolutely can’t stand to hear that the Samaritan (ugh) has been declared clean. Perhaps the other nine are thoroughly disgusted that Jesus didn’t call the Samaritan out, right on the spot and in front of everyone – disgusted that Jesus didn’t call him and all Samaritans out as corrupters of religion – disgusted that Jesus didn’t brand the Samaritan and all those like him as abominations before God – disgusted that Jesus didn’t demand the Samaritan repent for being born Samaritan in the first place. And we’re certainly not going to return any thanks to God as long as Jesus is so indiscriminately including all people in the life of the Gospel. We’ll go form our own church, we’ll withhold our mission support dollars, we’ll use the good gifts of God as a weapon whenever and wherever we disagree. Pretty hard to hear the Gospel so we can see with the eyes of faith when we’re making all that sort of noise now isn’t it?

Besides, the nine were entitled to be proclaimed clean – they were the pious and observant, or at least the chosen, and therefore had every right to be cleansed. You know, we deserve to be forgiven ourselves – but we sure as all get-out don’t want to hear that so-and-so across the aisle is equally forgiven – is equally beloved of God as we are. We’re not like her and him and so-and-so and all those hypocrites over there. Yes, indeed, it is tough to hear and receive the things of faith when we’re busy with our ledgers, with keeping track of what others do and don’t do, accounting for how deserving we are and how undeserving the rest, especially those not like us.

And perhaps again like Naaman, the nine can’t hear – and therefore can’t see that they’re clean – because they’re busy trying to figure out why being cleansed is so easy – trying to figure out what the catch is – or trying to figure out what they need to do to participate in their own cleansing. Don’t you have to be confirmed first before you can be cleansed? Don’t you have to know what’s happening in the Eucharist before you can receive it? Don’t you first have to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Don’t you have to say “yes” to creation happening in six, twenty-four-hour days?? Really hard to hear the unconditional word of healing and wholeness with all that worry about what works we have to do, what things we have to say in order for us to be healed – or more likely what the other person needs to do or say in order to be healed.

In your worship folders this morning you have a news release concerning Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson’s remarks last weekend to the Conference of Bishops, ELCA synodical vice-presidents, and ELCA seminary presidents. Bishop Hanson remarks that of late, the ELCA has become affected by losses of members, declining financial resources, and disagreements over sexuality decisions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. “Have we become a timid church?” he asks. Are we defining ourselves by the current controversies and partisan divisions – things that will inevitably make us weary and timid? Time to put the past behind us, Bishop Hanson declares. Time for all of us to proclaim the Good News – confident in the power of the Holy Spirit – confident in the treasure we have in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what we’ve been hearing from Paul’s letter to Timothy: be confident!! Nor was Paul saying this from a position of comfort! Paul is saying this while he is in prison, in shackles and chains, and awaiting sure execution, for Christ’s sake!! Literally – because of his trust in Christ. So now IS the RIGHT TIME to take the fingers out of our ears – time to stop the wrangling – time to leave the past behind – time to hear: You are healed!!! Open your ears to hear it that you may see it – and then together, let all of us turn back to Jesus – praising God instead of finding fault – giving thanks instead of grumbling – falling on our knees before Jesus instead of standing around pointing fingers at everyone around us.

And so now, it is time once again to come to the banquet – where every single last one of you is completely and unconditionally welcome – not because anyone is worthy – but only because here Jesus says the Word – and here you are cleansed and healed. And if you can’t see you healed – hear it again: You, me, all of us are healed, we are whole, and we are truly thankful and filled with praise. And if you didn’t catch all of that, hear it again: You, me, all of us are healed, we are whole, and we are truly thankful and filled with praise!! And regardless of what the nine others do or don’t do, we’re going to keep on saying that – boldly and confidently and inclusively – we’re going say it to one another and we’re going to say it to the world – and we are going to say it again and again and without any fear or apology whatsoever – because that’s who we are – according to God – and what God says IS. So, timidity and cowardice be banished! Forever! AMEN!!