On The Way

Luke 17: 11-19

Roger Lynn

September 18, 2016

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

There is an old saying that life is what happens while we’re waiting for something else to come along. God is at work in the midst of us all the time, but if we don’t pay attention we run a very good chance of missing it. The story of Jesus’ encounter with the ten people with leprosy is a great illustration of this truth. It is so rich and textured and multi-layered. And at each step along the way, paying attention (or not) makes all the difference.

We begin with the ten. The text refers to them as lepers. A couple of notes about that. First of all, we aren’t sure exactly what physical condition this refers to, but it is most likely not Hansen’s Disease. It was probably a label which applied to a variety of contagious skin diseases. But whatever the specifics were, the cultural reality was that the condition placed those who had been so labeled permanently outside of normal social life. Thus cut off from community, they came together to form communities of their own. It is within this context that we first meet them in this story. Ten of them together hear that Jesus is in town. They have heard the rumors – miracle worker, healer, perhaps even Messiah. They recognize the opportunity to change their circumstances and they take it. They pay attention to the possibilities and they do something about it. They reach out and seek to connect with a power which is greater than themselves. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13)

Jesus’ response to them is interesting. As Luke tells the story, he doesn’t actually do anything. He simply sends them off to present themselves to the priests. Because their condition had rendered them ritually unclean, this would have been a necessary step in the process of re-integrating back into the everyday life of the community. Sending them to the priests simply assumes that healing has already taken place. Otherwise there would have been no point in going. It also tells us that Jesus was paying attention to what was really important in this situation. It would not have been enough to simply heal their bodies. Their connection with community also needed to be restored. 

I love this next line in the story. “And as they went, they were made clean.” (Luke 17:14) It just happens. We aren’t given any details. We aren’t even told if they noticed. And perhaps that is why the rest of the story plays out the way it does. Maybe only one person figured it out right away. For the rest of them, they might have been too busy heading off to find a priest to pay attention to what was happening in their own bodies. Or maybe they were so frustrated with Jesus’ apparent lack of useful action that they couldn’t see the changes taking place literally right under their noses. Or perhaps they knew that something had happened and were so overwhelmed they just weren’t thinking clearly. Any number of things might have occurred at this point. And the fact of the matter is that we simply do not know. The story doesn’t give us those details and spending too much energy speculating probably misses the point anyway.

What we do know is that one person realizes something extraordinary has taken place, and he has a sense that it is in some way connected with Jesus. So he turns back to offer thanks. And in so doing his life is dramatically enhanced. He moves from the powerful but limited experience of being healed to the even more powerful and expansive experience of being made whole. This is important. It is the heart of the story. In the moment he expresses his gratitude the man involves not only his body but his whole being in the process. He is connected – body, soul and spirit – with the sacred presence which is at work in his life and in the world. “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you whole.” (Luke 17:19) In paying attention to what is happening, and to how he might respond, he opens up his life to a fuller, richer connection with himself, with those around him, and with God. He catches at least a glimpse of what is true. He begins to recognize his place in the larger reality of life. 

And it all happens “on the way.” Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem. The lepers are on the way to the priests. The Samaritan is on his way to offer gratitude, and then on his way into a more abundant life. “On the way” is where life happens. That is where faith makes a difference - “on the way.” We are on our way to work. Or on our way to our vacation. Or on our way to store. Or on our way to worship. Or on our way to “fill in the blank.” And if we aren’t intentional about paying attention, we will miss the opportunities to be made whole. What are the ways in which God is working in your life to reconnect you with yourself, with your world and with God? May we pay attention. And may we remember to take the next step towards wholeness by opening ourselves to gratitude.