28 Ordinary C 13

Posted on 15 Oct 2013, Preacher: Kevin Maly
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Readings:
2 Kings 5.1-3, 7-15c
2 Timothy 2.8-15
St. Luke 17.11-19

Ten lepers – ten people unclean – ten people who are excluded from society, excluded even from the very presence of God because of one sort of a skin disease or another. Ten polluted people wanting, begging Jesus to cleanse, to purify them of whatever their skin condition might be and skin conditions in that time and place carrying with them deep seated social, personal, and religious implications. And so, Jesus tells the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priest who will then certify that they are indeed fully clean. And so at Jesus’ word, they all depart – and as they go on their way – they really are – clean! Just like that!! But only one of them – the trashy Samaritan,una persona de mala calidad, one of those people – runs back to Jesus, praises God with a loud voice (how embarrassing), prostrates himself before Jesus (must he? really?), and gives Jesus profuse thanks (what’s this Samaritan, some sort of Holy Roller?). And Jesus, lifting him up, proclaims that it is the Samaritan’s faith – his trust – exhibited in thankfulness – it is his trust that has saved him, that has brought him into a state of safety, a state of well-being; it is the Samaritan’s trust that has rescued him from anger, bitterness, despair.

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 at all had happened to them, though of course, according to the narrative, the others too had most assuredly been cleansed, made pure.

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 is it the Samaritan alone who sees 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 trust. But why does the Samaritan – of all people! – have faith? And why don’t the others, all of them, ostensibly, nice, religious people?

St. Paul tells us that faith – trust – comes through hearing. So . . . could it be that 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 – because their own noisiness is drowning out the still, small voice of God? Consider Naaman in the first reading; he 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 striving to be 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, so busy wanting it, needing it his way, wanting it complicated, wanting to do something to pay for his healing, he can’t hear the good news – the simple, works-free, promise being delivered to him by Elisha’s servant: “Go jump in the River Jordan and you’re flesh will be restored – you’ll be clean.” Naaman, with his arguing contemptuous spirit leads nicely to what 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.” Faith indeed comes through hearing but when we’re busy finding fault, complaining, stirring up trouble – in person, over the phone, and/or with cranky e-mails not only are we unable to hear the unconditional and gracious promises of God – we make so much noise that others cannot hear God’s songs of love, so much noise that others are turned off and turned away from hearing the sounds of grace.

Martin Luther in the Small Catechism teaches that obedience to the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy simply means that we must not, like Naaman, despise – block our ears to – the preaching of the Word – the proclamation of God’s grace in Christ – but we are to regard the Word as holy and gladly hear and learn it. Luther doesn’t say to regard the pastor as holy (and this one in particular definitely is not); rather we are to regard the Good News as holy and gladly hear and learn it. But you heard how it is with Naaman – he’s so blasted busy finding fault with the messenger, he’s so busy getting his knickers in a twist, he so busy wrangling and being angry – that he cannot hear the simple, unconditional promise being given him – and unwilling to hear – he can have no faith, he cannot trust the promise in all its elegant simplicity.

Back to the Samaritan and the other nine. Perhaps one of the problems with the nine who can’t see that they are clean is that they absolutely can’t stand to hear that the mal creado 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 condemn all Samaritans as corrupters of religion – disgusted that Jesus didn’t brand the Samaritan and all those like him as abominations before God – thoroughly 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 so promiscuously includes all people in the life of the Gospel. We’re gonna go elsewhere. Or maybe we’ll just stay home and bad mouth whomever we can; but we’re definitely going to withhold our offerings and use God’s good gifts of money as a weapon whenever and wherever we disagree. Yup, pretty hard to hear the Gospel so that we can see things with the eyes of faith when we’re making all that sort of noise now isn’t it?

Perhaps too, 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 – 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 perhaps more likely what the other person needs to do or say in order to be healed.

You have to love St. Paul in his letter to Timothy: here he is in prison, in shackles and chains, and awaiting sure execution, for Christ’s sake!! (Literally – because of his trust in Christ.) And Paul tells Timothy, Paul sings out to Timothy, Paul boldly declares to Timothy and all who would hear: I may be chained, but The Word – the free and unconditional Promise given to us by God in Christ Jesus – that can never be chained! It cannot be shut up! It will not be quiet, for God is ever-faithful, declares Paul – even when we are not much full of faith ourselves. Accordingly, let us take our fingers out of our ears – let us declare an end to complaining, an end to wrangling, an end to fault-finding – let us in every aspect of our lives quit making so damn much noise so that all may hear: You are healed!!! And it’s a gift, unconditional, unmerited, and you can’t earn it and you can’t screw it up. Open your ears to hear it so that you may indeed and in fact have faith in the Promise – and then together, all of us, let us turn back to Jesus – praising God instead of finding fault – giving thanks to instead of grumbling and gossiping – falling on our knees before Jesus instead of standing around pointing fingers at everyone else around us.

Sisters and brothers, my dear people: it is time once again to make ready the banquet – the banquet to which every single last one of you is completely and unconditionally welcome – not because anyone of us is worthy – but only because here Jesus says the Word – and therefore, you are here cleansed and healed. And if you don’t really see that you and everyone else here is healed – hear it again, the Holy Gospel: You, me, all of us are healed, we are whole – and it’s an unconditional gift. And if you didn’t catch all of that, hear it again: You, me, all of us arehealed, we are whole, and by grace – a gift, that none may boast of works!! And regardless of what the nine cranky types do or don’t do, we’re going to keep on saying it – boldly and confidently and inclusively – we’re going to keep on saying it to one another and we’re going to keep on saying it both and to the whole world – and we are going to say it, shout it, again and again and again – and without any fear or timidity or apology, with a loud voice and prostrate before Jesus – because that’s the Holy Gospel, the Word of Truth! AMEN!!