Jesus’ Mercy to the Infected and Lonely
Today as we consider the ten lepers who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” the Jesus who cleansed them all, the one, the only one, and he, a Samaritan who returns, falling on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Jesus thanks,
I want you to consider how tough it is for you to be a little sick.
It’s amazing what a headache, or sore muscles and joints, or a couple of really bad night’s sleep, or maybe even just one, can do to you –
and your patience and irritability with others.
“Hey, I’m sorry I snapped, but I’m really tired. I don’t feel good.”
It’s tough being a little sick –
but leprosy was not just a little sick.
It started with some blotches on the skin, and we’re not talking pimples here – really ugly stuff,
could bring lack of feeling to hands a legs, would eventually erode the cartilage next –
your nose, your ears, your mouth –
and then move on to your joints and then bones.
No human cure, back then, either.
And you could spread it. You had gotten infected from someone, you had been exposed to their leprosy – perhaps it wasn’t even showing yet – and they gave this sickness to you. Infected you.
“Thanks a lot, buddy! Wish I would have known and I would’ve stayed away from you!”
But now that you have it and everyone knows, that’s how they feel about you.
They don’t want you near others. They don’t want you to infect others. They don’t want someone to end up like you.
At a distance, the lepers had cried, remember.
If it’s tough be a little sick, then add to that being big sick, no cure, or maybe you or someone you know don’t have to imagine,
and then add to that being cast out from what you knew and loved,
even if it was for the sake of the ones you loved, that you don’t want them to end up like you,
so then add to that loneliness and isolation,
and then add shame,
the truth that if ever saw anyone coming near you, you would have to cry out, as God’s law as well as other ancient laws would require,
“I’m unclean. I’m unclean. Stay away from me. You don’t want to come near me. I’m could infect you.”
One interesting aspect of this story is found in the phrase and he was a Samaritan.
You see this colony of ten lepers must have been a mixed group – Jews and Samaritans. And these groups were supposed to hate each other, avoid each other, be hostile to each other –
and not supposed to, they really did, that was who these groups were to each other for the most part.
Last week we heard what we call the good Samaritan – and we might miss how shocking that is!
“How could anything good come from them!”
But this colony of 10 lepers must have looked at each other –
in their leprosy and isolation,
and realized they all had bigger problems than race or ethnicity or culture or differences in money, job, or background.
They shared a common leprosy. They had something that no longer made each other a “them,” but an “us” – and that was enough to bring them together – even if that unity was a unity of disease.
***
And in unity of disease, and in unity of helplessness –
in that unity of beggarly helplessness,
but also in unity that this Jesus is not only able to help
Jesus, Master – He’s powerful. He’s healed others. He strong. He is able –
but also, have mercy on us,
He is willing to help. He’s good. He’s kind. He’s giving. He’s merciful,
in that united faith, they cry out together, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us
And in mercy for them all, Jesus, after seeing them says
Go show yourselves to the priests.
And in unity as they went, they [all] were cleansed.
***
There is profound unity among us here.
First a unity of disease – sin.
All mankind fell in Adam’s fall, one common sin infects us all.
“Infects” seems to harsh to us sometimes –
but when the other words like curse, corruption, bondage, guilt, woe, death,
From hearts depraved, to evil prone, flow thoughts and deed of sin alone –
wow! You, too?
Evil prone like the works of the flesh – sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
There is a bigger problem that we all face in our common sin of Adam than the things we think divide us into those dissensions and divisions, like race or ethnicity or culture or differences in money, job, or background.
Before we are tempted to ever make it an us vs. them – let’s confess us all got some internal struggles, which pop out in external ways sometimes.
There is no man made cure – no political system, no system of justice, no therapy or medicine or step program that is the cure –
even if these things can begin to help and are good and helpful –
There is no man made cure from sinners for sinners. Every solution we sinners come up with is infected by and with sin.
We are sinners. We are dying.
You, as one infected with sin, have hurt others.
“Thanks a lot buddy. Might just be easier to stay away from you. Would’ve been helpful if you would have yelled out, “Stay away from me, I’m grumpy. Stay away from me, I’ll gossip. Stay away from me, I only think about myself!”
And you, as one in constant contact with those infected with sin, are also hurt by others.
Wir sand alt bettler – was supposedly Luther’s final words –
we are all beggars.
Which should lead us to be the right type of beggar – begging the One who is our help, our cure –
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!
Us! Us! Us!
me and you,
the Church and the world,
friends and those we’re tempted to call enemies,
Begging then in unity of helpless to our One Powerful, Able-to-help, yet also willing to help, mercy-minded
Jesus – that means, Savior
Master – that means, yes! Master!
have mercy on us!
To Him in whom we have the profound unity of cure for us.
But Christ, the second Adam, came; To bear our sin and woe and shame, To be our life, our light, our way; Our only hope, our only stay.
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Bear our sin and woe and shame – real ugly stuff!
Never for once forget why Jesus is accessible to those ten lepers and to you in the first place.
He put Himself here.
On the way to Jerusalem – the text begins – to bear our sin and woe and shame – the song says.
He knew what He would be exposed to our sin and woe and shame by becoming incarnate of the Virgin Mary and made man.
As leprosy moved on in stages, from skin to cartilage to tendons and bones, so the Church has spoken of the different stages of suffering Christ experienced for us – the shame, the pain, and most of all, the wrath of God –
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”
No one has been more alone than that.
But that’s what it took for us to be not be a them, but an us, an us that can pray, “our Father,” an us that is promised that we are forever united to Christ in Baptism.
And that’s what it took for Him to be near us, so near us, always near us! (Romans 10:8)
And that’s what it took for you to hear this Word for your great high priest – you are clean.
And you are! Which brings you back into communion with God and begins again your communion with each other.
We thank you, Christ; new life is ours,
New light, new hope, new strength, new powers:
New powers from our Jesus, our Master, and His mercy-giving Spirit –
new powers like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – that begin again to unite us as ones united in and by Christ.
Only one returns, falling on his face and giving thanks to Jesus, and he a Samaritan. But he received more and more –
Learn from him to return again and fall on your face to give thanks to the One who makes you clean.
Go, your faith has made you well.