Growing up, my family wasn’t rich. We were probably only one misfortune away from any number of financial disasters. Where there was not always an abundance of money, we were always blessed with talent. My dad was good at a number of things but particularly skilled at plumbing. My uncle was an electrician. Several of my cousins were gifted auto mechanics. For just about anything major any of us might need, somebody in the family knew how to get it done. And they were always willing to help each other out. I don’t think I ever really appreciated this about my family until recent years. When I was younger, I always thought I was special. Turns out that I had little to contribute to that belief, but my family did. I have since learned that many people don’t share in this experience of having an amazing family. In fact, some people might wonder “with family like this who needs enemies?”
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus and the disciples are met at a village on their way to Jerusalem by 10 lepers. As you can imagine, this isn’t exactly the kind of welcome one would look forward to. After Jesus and the disciples have been travelling for a long while, they were met by these men who were outcasts of the Jewish faith. They were ritualistically unclean, and if they were real lepers, they might even pass their disease onto you. It was a sad existence for lepers and no wonder people were afraid to be around them. In addition to potentially catching this awful disease, they would most certainly join their fates as untouchable outsiders. So, the men kept their distance and asked Jesus to heal them. He told them to present themselves to the priests and on their way to do as Jesus directed, they were healed. Almost all of them continued on their way, all except one man.
One man out of the ten, realizing that he had been healed, returned to thank Jesus. He didn’t just shake his hand or give him a pat on the back. He lay face down at Jesus’ feet and praised God for what he had received. We know that this man was not only a leper but also a Samaritan. Even though he had been healed, technically he was still an outsider, a foreigner. But it was this foreigner that showed gratitude for his return to health. This was the last person of the group expected to do such a thing. This kind of behavior was expected of the other nine but not this outsider. Jesus tells the man to be on his way, that his faith had made him well. And you may ask, “what did the man’s faith have to do with anything?” Jesus told them to present themselves to the priests, and each had taken a step toward healing. The men did as they were told, probably not knowing how things would work out.
The foreigner that returned to express his gratitude was not only healed from his skin disease. He was also relieved of being an outsider. Jesus couldn’t change the fact the man was a Samaritan, but Jesus did not exempt him from healing. The Samaritan was included. Perhaps that is why he returned and the others didn’t, because he probably thought he was undeserving, unworthy. We learned through the Samaritan’s interaction that he was as worthy as the next person. What he didn’t know before that time was that God’s love was for everyone. Everyone is a beloved child of God. We are all connected by our faith, but we are all ultimately united by God’s love for each of us. Human beings by in large want to belong. We want to be a part of something. Some people go their whole life not finding that place where they are accepted and loved for who they are. Look around you. No matter what your family situation was in the past or is now, you have a family right here who loves and accepts you no matter what. This is what God has called us here to do. And we are not only to keep that here for ourselves but to carry that love into the world. There are plenty of people that need to know that they are loved, and that is why it is so important that we share with them the good news that they are welcome, they are included, they are insiders, they are family. Amen.
