Reflecting on Luke 17:11-19“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19)
Lepers were considered to be under the judgment of God.
To the Jewish faithful, they were unclean, excluded from the community.
One of these was doubly judged by God; he was also a Samaritan.
The Samaritans were heretics, their faith was not the true faith.
Yet here these ten lepers found community in their desperate condition.
They plead for mercy from Jesus, and they are all healed.
We don’t know why, but only one comes back to say thanks – the heretic.
Imagine this story today with 9 Christians and one Muslim?
Only the Muslim comes back in gratitude.
Notice what Jesus says: your faith has made you well!
His heretical faith, his ‘wrong-religion’ faith.
This reminds me that it is not only people of my ‘faith’ that will be shown mercy.
It also shows how often ‘true faith’ people can be ungrateful and ungracious.
It is not orthodoxy that earns us God’s mercy, but simple openness to Jesus.
I am confident that the faith of many rejected by the church will make them well.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You show mercy to people of all religious faith. Help those who claim to follow the 'true faith' not to be ungrateful or ungracious. Help us not to shun or separate from others, but to find community and grace in our desperate condition together.
Community – is a common unity. That unity is in Christ Jesus. He is the glue that holds us together. It is not one church or another, for the church does not save us, but our oneness in our Saviour.
I am the church! You are the church!
We are the church together!
All who follow Jesus,
all around the world!
Yes, we’re the church together!
1. The church is not a building;
the church is not a steeple;
the church is not a resting place;
the church is a people.
(Refrain)
2. We’re many kinds of people,
with many kinds of faces,
all colours and all ages, too
from all times and places.
(Refrain)
3. Sometimes the church is marching;
sometimes it’s bravely burning,
sometimes it’s riding, sometimes hiding;
always it’s learning.
(Refrain)
4. And when the people gather,
there’s singing and there’s praying;
there’s laughing and there’s crying sometimes,
all of it saying:
(Refrain)
5. At Pentecost some people
received the Holy Spirit
and told the Good News through the world
to all who would hear it.