Homily on Luke 17:12-17, The Tenth Leper: by Marianne Smyth, ARCWP 2013

When I first looked at today’s gospel, there did not seem to be much to it.

What is the message? It almost comes across as a lesson on manners.  When

 someone does something good, when someone gives a gift, the receipent

 usually has the manners to say “Thank you”.   The verses that come before it

are about forgiveness and doing what is expected.  The verses following are

about the Pharisees asking Jesus about when the  kingdom of God was

 coming. No clues there.  What were these verses really about?  I did some

 research to see if I could get a perspective of a first century audience.

 The policies, the Israelite paradigm regarding lepers is ancient.  The book of

 Leviticus was written ca 1440  BCE and is thought to be written by Moses.

 This rule book has two chapters instructing priests how to diagnose skin

diseases; how to perform rites of purification, how to judge when someone

 was clean or unclean. It specifies where and how those with leprosy were to

 live.  Survival for these folks was dependent on their total obedience to the

 laws of Leviticus. 

Leprosy, unlike other diseases, was not seen as a punishment imposed by

 God as a consequence of sin.   It was viewed as an inexplicable act of God. 

 In 750, BCE, King Uzziah had the disease.  This generated great fear among

 the Israelites.  No matter who they were, regardless of their rank and despite

 keeping every letter of every law, no one was safe.

 Lepers were totally shunned and had to live outside the city or town. 

Following the Old Testament regulations, they wore hoods and

 small bells. These bells were sounded as they approached others and they

 had to cry out “Unclean!  Unclean!”  Because leprosy was contagious,

 avoiding them was not an issue.  Author Barbara Brown Taylor suggest that

they were also avoided because no one wanted to catch their fear,

 loneliness and helplessness.

 

Obedience was so ingrained in their choices and behavior that when they

 saw Jesus and knew of his healing power,  they kept a respectful distance. 

 In calling out to him,  the lepers again showed great respect.  “Jesus, Rabbi,

 have pity on us!”   There’s no talk of sin or of faith.  Jesus simply told them,

 according to the law,  “Go show yourselves to the priests”.

 The lepers knew there was only one reason to seeking out the priests.

 They were going to be healed.  Obediently, they set off.  On their way,

 scabs fell off, feeling returned and normal skin color was restored.

One man chose to be disobedient and sought out not a priest but Jesus.

 On finding him, the man the man fell at his feet, shouting praise and

thanksgiving to God.  This one man, this healed outsider, stood out and

 gained attention not only because the was healed but also because he was

 a Samaritan, a foreigner as far as the Jews were concerned. 

 This guy was a double loser, a double outsider.  Quoting Barbara Brown

 Taylor, “He was one of the unclean who saw what the clean could not see

 and who refused to be separated from who gave him life”.

Jesus asks, “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

He then tells him to “rise and go on you way”.

 Nine were obedient and sought out the priests.  One was disobedient and let

Love supersede obedience.

 Having read the gospel and the research, I have come to the uncomfortable

 conclusion that I probably would have been one of the nine.  Had I been

 a foreigner, I guarantee you that I would have been one of the nine.

Obedience absolves responsibility.  “It’s not my fault, was only doing

what I was told to do.”  I may have said “no” to my mother once or twice.

 I know I never said “no” to my father. May have expressed some displeasure

 over what I was being asked or told to do, but obedience was a forgone

 conclusion. Dad knew that, so did I.  Cannot imagine challenging a

 direction given by a teacher, a nun, a professor or supervisor.  I’m good

 in obedience, but am I good in love?

 Being  obedient usually has predictable and positive results.  One reward

 is pleasing the person in authority, the one telling us what to do.  Obedience

 frees the mind from independent thinking.

 Thomas hand, SJ pointed out that like all creation, if Christianity is to is to

 survive, it must evolve.  As Christians, we need to evolve out of obedience

and into love; into the Self-hood Jesus invites us.  We need to love God as

 Jesus taught and we need to allow ourselves to be loved by God. Today’s

 gospel’s message is in the form of a question.  Will we be one of the nine or

 one of the one?