The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
October 13, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline
Ruth 1:1-19a 2 Timothy 2:1-13 Luke
17:11-19
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson just
read, especially these words, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well. Thus far our text for today.
Dear friends in Christ.
Ten men wandering in the wilderness between Samaria and Judea, all sick
with leprosy. A terrible debilitating
disease, ripe with suffering. These men
were festering with skin lesions and open wounds. They no longer were welcome in their homes or
villages, instead cast out to live together as lepers in a separate place out
of fear. People truly feared them,
fearing they would spread their disease, fearing they would transmit it to
whoever they were in contact with.
Moses had received very special laws from God about
leprosy. According to the book of
Leviticus chapter 13, lepers were to tear their clothes, and keep their hair
unkempt. They had to shout out,
“Unclean, unclean” if anyone tried approaching them. They were to live outside the camp. They were to clearly identify themselves as
unclean. Their lives were truly a living hell on earth.
But this day would be different for them. They were going to see Jesus. They had heard of Jesus. They had heard rumors about this great healer
– who made the blind to see, the deaf to hear.
They’d heard he had even raised the dead. Surely this Jesus character could help a few
lowly lepers. And he was near. So the ten lepers went to see The One hoping
beyond hope that he could help them.
They saw him from a distance, as they were so used to
seeing people. They shouted out, “Jesus
Master, have mercy on us.” And mercy is
exactly what Christ has in mind. The Lord
sends them to the High Priest – exactly what the book of Leviticus says for the
one healed of Leprosy. They were to show
themselves to the priest, along with a blood sacrifice from two lambs. The blood was to be placed on the ear, thumb
and toe of the one who was healed, to mark them as clean once again.
The ten lepers go on their way to the priest to show
themselves to the priest, and as they are on their way, they realize that they
are clean – that their leprosy is gone!
It happened just as the Word of Jesus had spoken to them. Now they really could see the priest, and
through blood sacrifices be returned to their homes and families! All ten were happy! All ten celebrated. And yet one of them turned around and went
back towards Jesus.
This one was a Samaritan.
Samaritans were descended from the Assyrians who had conquered Israel
hundreds of years earlier, but had converted to Jerusalem. They were essentially Jewish believing
Gentiles, despised by the Jews. He
returns the same path again to Jesus.
Why? Because he knows the truth
about himself. There was much more wrong
than just a skin disease. There was a
war going on within his flesh, where he desired to do that which God commanded
him not to. He was full of sin. He was full of wrong and guilt. There was more wrong. Perhaps the same Jesus who showed mercy upon
his disease of leprosy could show mercy upon his disease of sin.
He wants more of what Christ gives. He wants more healing, he wants more
mercy. He wants more than a cleanliness
offered by some priest and a lambs blood.
He wants the forgiveness offered by God and the Lamb of God’s
blood. So he returns to Jesus. And Jesus gives him just that.
“Go!” Jesus says, “Your faith has saved you.”
Your faith has saved you.
Dear friends in Christ. As far as
I can tell, not a one of us here has leprosy.
Not a one of us has a debilitating disease that sets us apart from
society. Yes, we may get sick, sick with
cancer and alzheimners disease, sick with old and broken joins and achy
muscles. But we are blessed to live in a
day and age where most have atleast a fighting chance against disease.
But there is an illness we cannot overcome no matter how
hard we try, no matter what we do not matter which doctor we see. We too have sin. It infects us as it infected the leprous man
of our text. And as that leprous man
knew, it is a disease far worse than any other we face. Sin is worse than cancer, than AIDS or
Parkinson’s or even brain eating amoebas.
We cannot by our own reason or strength overcome it. It is there, slowly leading us to death.
And yet, Christ speaks these words to the man in our text
– Your faith has saved you. And Christ
speaks those words to us also. Your
faith has saved you. It’s a faith that
clings to Christ and his blood bought gift of salvation. It’s a faith that looks outside of ourselves
for salvation.
Christ gives us that faith here, in His holy precious
Word. In his promises. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. How can you hear unless it is proclaimed to
you? Christ speaks the same words to
you, Words of healing, words of grace and mercy. Words that bring you eternal life. Christ also attaches his Word to water,
washing away your sins in holy baptism, clothing you instead with the holy
perfect robe of Christ’s righteousness. And
when that water and word are put upon you, you are connected to the blood of
Jesus for forgiveness. And the blood of
Jesus covers more than the blood of a lamb on your ear, thumb and toe. IT covers all sin, all guilt, all shame. Dear friends, your sin is no longer
yours. It is gone, even
forevermore.
And through all of these things, we are made well. And because we are well, because our God has
given us faith that saves us, we can’t help but praise God the way the healed
leper did. We can’t help but pray,
praise and give thanks that we will live forever in peace and joy in
heaven. We can’t help but shout in a
loud voice about the wonderous things that God has done for me, a poor lost,
and now forgiven sinner.
Christ can heal the leper. Christ can save him with his Word. Christ can take away his sin. And Christ can do the same for you. In fact, he promises to. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
