God and the Good Humor Man: Luke 17:11-19 - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

¹¹On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, ¹³they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? ¹⁸Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” (NRSV)

Good Humor ice cream Man by rollingrck on flickr. 

CC BY 2.0.

You know the sound: the ice cream man has come to your neighborhood!

I can’t think of a more annoying sound than that wretched music box. For a kid, it’s “music to your ears” on a hot day (except for me—I wasn’t allowed near the ice cream truck, the truck and the driver looked a little sketchy…)

If you think children are excited to have the ice cream man in their neighborhood on a hot day, that’s nothing compared to the excitement of ten lepers when they learned Jesus was in town.

Leprosy was just about the worst thing that could happen to a person. Your body was covered with disgusting reddish or greenish boils that would sting, itch, and peal with excruciating pain. And leprosy was extremely contagious.  Old Testament Laws mandated that lepers be expelled from their communities and live in isolation.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, leprosy was considered a sign that you were cursed by God.

But once the news of Jesus reached the ten lepers, they jumped to their feet and cried out for mercy. Jesus tells them to go immediately to the priests, who would pronounce them cured and permit them to come home.  So, all ten go on their way, and all ten are made clean.  But only one praises God.  Only one returns to Jesus to thank him.

And the issue here is more than just bad manners…

Here’s the problem—Jesus is not the Good Humor man of miracle cures. The nine lepers’ lack of gratitude demonstrates that they don’t understand Jesus, and that they missed the whole point of their healing.

Just consider Naaman, the powerful Syrian general whom we encounter in our first reading. He is a man who’s used to getting his way. There’s nothing that his wealth and power can’t get him—except a cure for his leprosy.

Even though he was a hated enemy of God’s people, the prophet Elisha sends a messenger to him with instructions to wash in the Jordan River seven times, and he will be made clean.

But for Naaman, this is the stupidest thing he’s ever heard. Why should he take orders from some prophet who won’t even show his face? Aren’t the rivers in Syria better anyway?

Remember—Naaman gives orders. He doesn’t follow them. But he’s not going to be cured on his terms; only God’s. This is where the Naaman and the nine ungrateful lepers intersect.

They all demanded healing on their own terms, as if to say, “heal me because I called you Lord;” or, “cure me because I’m an important man.”

These people treated God’s healing as if it were a transaction. But God didn’t cure these people just to cure them. These healings had a purpose: to reveal that the Lord of the universe cared about them! God acts to reveal God’s power and presence. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was they got what they needed.

Only the Samaritan received the greater gift: a relationship with the living God.

A relationship isn’t something that just happens. Growth in grace is a journey and a process. It begins when God takes the initiative to communicate God’s unconditional love, forgive your sins, and draw you into God’s family. It grows and strengthens as God in Jesus Christ act graciously in your life; showing mercy in times of need and giving strength in times of weakness. And he will not finish working until you are completely free from sin and death.

Faith acts on God’s Word—and your relationship with God grows and strengthens as you go.

Faith anticipates God’s grace—and thanks God for the grace that is received.

But faith is also recognizing that Jesus is Lord. He’s not your employee. He’s not your slave, your maid or your butler. He’s God. He sets the terms for you to be in relationship with him. He sets the terms for how God will love you and care for you. God does not exist to do your bidding.

Faith does not tell God how God will act. Faith is a quiet trust and peaceful surrender that allows God to act on God’s terms for your highest good. By faith, you say to Jesus, “I’m not in control—and I don’t wish to be in control. You are in control, God. Thank you for giving me what I couldn’t get for myself. Thank you for loving and caring about me. Thank you for giving me what I do not deserve.”

So, what’s your leprosy? What ailment or hardship has befallen you for which you are finding it most difficult to trust God?

Is your leprosy a dream that has yet to be fulfilled, an insatiable need to be in control, or a long-hoped-for solution for a problem?

Is your leprosy a craving you can’t let go of, or a blessing your terrified to lose?

Stop looking for Jesus in the fulfillment for desires or the solutions you want to your problems—because Jesus may have something completely different in store. Fact is, Jesus meets you where you are today, and loves the sinner that is you.

Jesus is not the Good Humor man of miracle cures. Jesus is Lord—and the greatest gift Jesus gives you is himself—and in him there is. When you trust him and act on his word, you will find wholeness, forgiveness, and hope, even if there is no “cure.” The cross is your guarantee that Christ is for you and not against you.