11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” [Luke 17:11-19 , NRSV]
James Tissot, Healing of the Lepers at Capernaum, 1894.
Humanity has always demonstrated a penchant for cultivating an “us and them” mentality. In the Jewish religion of which the Lord Jesus was brought up, and in the Christian religion which claims to follow him, this has always been a mentality difficult to overcome. For centuries, the Jews had been accustomed to their special role as God’s chosen people, uniquely instrumental in God’s plan of salvation for all people. However, at times, they regarded their uniqueness more a privilege than a responsibility. Those whom God had so blessed and graced began to think in terms of “us and them,” with “us” being far better than “them.” And, within the Jewish fold, the “us” and “them” were clearly drawn in many categories. In the present case, it was between those who held themselves up as “clean” and others whom they considered “unclean”.
The Gospels are unified in attesting to the fact that God’s love is manifested in Jesus of Nazareth as mercy to the afflicted, while the response from human beneficiaries is often ambivalent. A case in point, this Lucan report tells of only one out of ten lepers Jesus healed who came back to thank him and to praise God. Unlike the stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke 15, here the point does not concern divine love going after one, but spotlights a singular one returning to acknowledge the divine love in Jesus. The broader picture in Luke reveals a theological vision where God comes in search of sinners, but sinners are avoiding God.
Salvation, we must know, unfolds in two horizons – the here and now (the existential) as well as on the last day (the eschatological).
The details in Luke 17:11-19 provide pointers for understanding both these dimensions of salvation offered by Jesus who was the Christ.
First and foremost, seeing the lepers ensnarled in their terrible existence, Jesus offers a crucial salvation right there and then. On account of their disease, the lepers are legally “unclean” and must keep their distance from the community and stay outside any village or town. Imposing a physical and social isolation on them, their religion also excludes them from any meaningful relationship with God. A deeper, inner torment inevitably accompanies such a complete social exclusion. The pain of exclusion is both physical and spiritual. Jesus “sees” both the external and internal suffering, both the seen and unseen.
Healing the lepers on compassion and mercy, Jesus leaves them to decide what they will do with their “second chance” in life: they can go and get the official, institutional, approval or express gratitude to Jesus and praise God; they can choose to re-enter the established Jewish community or enter into the company of those who acknowledge God’s action in Jesus; they can go back to life the way it was or plunge into a whole new way of life following the way of Jesus.
In the event, only one, a Samaritan and so a “foreigner”, returns to praise God and give thanks to Jesus. His “wellness” pronounced by Jesus has gone beyond physical cure to profound spiritual healing. Jesus describes the Samaritan’s response and choice as “faith”. This faith is disclosed in the Samaritan’s ability now to see the deeper causes of his cure as gratuitous divine gift and to acknowledge those causes in praise and thanksgiving. The Samaritan’s choice also leads him into a life-giving relationship with God through Jesus.
Telling this story, Luke reminds us of the different choices different people make after surviving a life-threatening crisis – a car crash, a cancer, a major surgery and so on. Some survivors at once revise their priorities and start focusing on what is spiritually important; others do not think it necessary to acknowledge the mistakes of their first lease on life. Jesus is clearly saddened by the fact that nine out of ten choose to go back to their old ways and their “opportunities” lost.
In the one that comes back to Jesus, that seizes the second chance offered by him who is the bringer of God’s love and mercy, however, we see the real power and energy of divine love now flowing through a spiritually healed person in three aspects:
- Praising God;
- Thanking Jesus of Nazareth; and
- Following Jesus’ kingdom-advancing way of life.
His consciousness having been transformed, the healed Samaritan has experienced not only existential salvation, but is now firmly set on the path of kingdom-living that will eventually favour him for eschatological salvation as well.
In essence, this is what living a Eucharistic life, in imitation of the Eucharistic Lord, is fundamentally about. The same three elements, before anything else, define our understanding of the Eucharist:
- First, it is memoria: When we remember what God has done for humanity in Jesus Christ, we “return” and gather to celebrate our memoria. Remembering God, we tap into the source of life. There is a new, wider vision of things, in which we acknowledge our creatureliness. Trusting this Creator of “all there is”, we dare make no claim of ownership of this mystery which life is, but resolve to respect and care for “all there is”, including our slice of the space and time, as sheer gifts.
- Next, it is eucharistia: Only when we remember, will we have the capacity to give thanks with a grateful heart. And as we come back to thank Jesus, we tap into the life of a branch firmly grafted onto the vine. In the language of grace and sin, we avail ourselves of a relationship with the channel of grace which sustains us with the very presence of God.
- Third, it is diakonia: Only when we remember and have a grateful heart, can we step up and step out to serve with love and in a spirit of sacrifice. Our new consciousness is a powerhouse, the engine room that drives us on, staying on course and following behind Jesus, imitating his way of life, collaborating with his Spirit in promoting God’s Kingdom-values on earth.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, February 2017. All rights reserved.
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