Sunday 9th October 2016
Luke 17: 11-19 - Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
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.”
Other Readings
Jeremiah 29.1,4-7; Psalm 66.1-11; 2 Timothy 2.8-15
Homily
I was listening to the radio last week when a listener rang in and bemoaned that out of all the nieces
and nephews she had, only one ever sent a thank you note for the many gifts they had received over
the years. Her issue was how to get the others to do the same. A variety of answers came back,
mainly on the subject of etiquette and a few on stop buying the presents, but for me the root of the
problem was far deeper than that.
If the gift was freely given then for the thank you to have the true meaning of gratitude, that also
has to be freely given and it too then becomes a gift. A forced thank you so often has a hollow ring
to it.
The thank you that often means the most is the spontaneous one, the one given from the heart,
where the joy of the gift is shared, rather than where the thank you is an obligatory, expected good
mannered, measured one that ticks all the boxes from the etiquette point of view, and it is these
thank you’s that stay with us, sustaining us when our view of humanity can sometimes be
overshadowed by ignorance and apathy.
It is a fact of life that we expect to be thanked for what we do or give. We may not like the woman
on the radio demanding a thank you, which then only becomes a token gesture, but we do like to be
appreciated, to be valued, it’s what encourages us, and makes us feel like worthwhile members of
our society, but there is a fine balance of doing something for the purpose of being thanked, which
can build up self-importance and pride, to doing something because it is the right thing to do and to
show generosity of spirit. It is the unseemingly endless generosity of a volunteer for a charity, the
unsung hero of a neighbour who always looks out for you or rings you up if they haven’t seen you
about for a while.
Today’s gospel reading starts with a miracle of healing, one of many healings and miracles in the
bible, but the impact of the story is not on the miracle itself, but on the effect on the men, which is
enhanced, because this miracle happens to 10 men, not just one, and yet it is only the foreigner who
bothers to turn around and say thank you. The crux of the story is that the person least expected to
turn back is the one that does, which in itself becomes another minor miracle.
It is the sincerity and humility of the Samaritan man who recognises that what had happened to him
was life changing and as that Jesus was the one who brought about that change. The others who
were with him, who were fellow Jews, showed no such sincerity as they just accepted the gift and
carried on their way, as if it were an automatic right and was expected. By responding in the way he
did the Samaritan became strong and rich in faith as he had gained something he did not have
before. It was through the eyes of an unbeliever who recognised the true value of who Jesus was
and the gift that he was to the world.
The challenge for us all today is to value the gifts of those around us, to demonstrate how the weak
can become strong by recognising the riches that we already have in our lives and to say thank you
both to God and to others for providing them.
The transforming power of Christ allows us to accept the gifts we receive from him with thanks, but
instead of keeping them for ourselves to instead us them for the benefit of others. Our actions have
an impact on others. A thank you said in the right place may just encourage others to continue to
help, to recognise where Christ is working in the world today, to bring the Gospel message that what
we are doing has made a difference, empowering the weak, bringing the riches that comes from
faith.
Thank you, two little words, and yet when meant can be life transforming, both to us and to those
around us.
Conversation Questions
1. Why does the media feature more what we don’t have, rather than give thanks for the gifts we
receive in life?
2. How balanced is the prayer life of yourself, your congregation? Is it equal between thanks,
forgiveness, concern?
3. Has a thank you, either given or received, changed your outlook on life?
4. Is there anything else from the passage that speaks to you not already discussed? What is it?
5. What will you do this week in response to what you have heard today?
Prayer
Spend some time in silence, responding to what you have heard today and listening to what God
might be saying to you.
Collect
God, our light and our salvation:
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and looking on your beauty
may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is incorporated in this service paper, is copyright
© The Archbishops’ Council, 2000.