St Luke 17: 11 – 19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’
Reflection
Some key words in this reading can be significant at different stages of personal or faith development.
Thank: Young children trained to say ‘Thank you’ whenever receiving help or a gift can be encouraged by this story. As people’s understanding of relationships develops, they can see frequent expressions of thanks build confidence in mutual appreciation. Some cultures have different expectations. In Papua New Guinea a recipient may say in their language ‘I feel good’, rather than ‘Thank you’, or may recognise that a friendship obligation has been established which can be called upon later. Jesus in this story didn’t say he expected the other nine to come back to thank him, but to give praise to God. We are told that the foreigner came back with a loud voice glorifying God and fell on his face thanking Jesus. The word Luke uses for ‘thanking’ comes to us as Eucharist in the title and main prayer of Holy Communion, the Prayer of Thanksgiving for God’s great work of salvation through Jesus. The healing from dreaded skin disease and social exclusion exemplifies Christ’s saving grace mercifully and lovingly available, personally and globally.
Get up: Arise, Jesus said, with a word the early church used for resurrection. No longer was the man to be banished to the fringes of Samaritan or Galilean society. No longer was he to stay in humility, face down at Jesus’s feet, but to stand up, and take his place in the worshipping community and daily life.
Go: Three times Luke uses this word in the story – firstly, going up to Jerusalem; secondly, go and show yourselves to the priests; then (after a different word for going away slowly, they were healed) thirdly, ‘Go on your way; your faith has saved you.’ That’s going with confidence and purpose.
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for drawing us to faith, step by step,
experiencing your appreciation, your help,
your healing and your saving grace
among the people around us.
Glory to God lovingly at work in you in the world
in every age in your risen power
in people of faith empowered to go on our way
to share your life
in our communities and different cultures
with confidence and purpose in your love.