Proper 23. October 9, 2022.

Luke 17, 11-19

Rev. Neli Miranda

Borders are intricate places where various human groups intersect and where harsh living conditions prevail. Although borders are points of transition, there are many people living there under extreme vulnerability. At the borders there are poor and sick people, migrants, and beggars; there one finds violence, prostitution, drugs, and human trafficking, among other issues.

In today’s Gospel, Luke tells us that as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, he goes through a borderland between Galilee and Samaria, which did not exist when Samaritans and Galileans were one people, the people of Israel. However, now there was division and a feeling of mutual rejection. Of course, there was no border control between Samaria and Galilea, but there was a social and religious boundary which created an uncomfortable situation for Jesus and his disciples. It was at the border, one of insecurity, vulnerability, and misery that Jesus brought the good news to ten lepers, a human group whose leprosy had led them to form their own society, the society of  “the despised”, who had found a home at the border.

Luke tells us that as Jesus enters a village, the lepers approached him. Most certainly, they lived in indescribable misery outside the village where they obtained food from merciful people. In Jesus’ time, it was believed that lepers were cursed by God for having committed a sin, and according to the Law, they were “impure” and forced to live in isolation, and they had to warn anyone coming near them of their contamination. Touching a leper defiled a Jew just as much as touching the dead; being a leper meant to live life as the “living dead”. They not only lived the pain of illness but also the extreme religious judgment, isolation, and misery. They also lived on the borders between the “pure” and “impure” . . .  It is no wonder the lepers had an agonizing cry, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (17,13).

The lepers do not ask Jesus for healing but for mercy, and soon, they are going to experience divine mercy! Jesus did not ignore or despise them but said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests” (17,14).  It was a priest, the official voice, who after examining a person’s skin and finding no more leprosy, declared the person “pure” and able to return home.

We are not told how the lepers realized that they were healed, we just read that, “. . .as they went, they were made clean”(17,14).  Hope and faith emerged at the border when Jesus responded with healing words, and the lepers simply had faith and believed in Jesus’ words. We assume that the lepers obeyed Jesus’ command, went to the priest, who declared them clean, and they joyously returned home. The surprise in this healing story is that one leper returned to Jesus to thank him. Luke tells us that “. . . one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him.” Luke points out “. . . he was a Samaritan” (17,15-16).  A non-Jew!!

At this moment, let’s notice that the society of lepers consisted of a mixed group of Jews and Samaritans, whose common disease had united them at the borders. The one who returns is a foreigner whose faith leads him to experience gratitude and conversion to Jesus. The others, probably Jews, returned to their rigid traditions but this Samaritan understood the liberating message of Jesus, and received the good news of the Kingdom of God, which has no borders.  Jesus dismisses him saying, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well" (17,19).

Dear sisters and brothers, how many human groups suffer today at the borders built in our society? Do we dare to walk through these cultural, religious, economic, and political borders and proclaim the Kingdom of God?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us, his disciples, to walk in his company and bring hope to those who feel abandoned at the borders, the suffering, the needy, and the vulnerable. Today, he calls us to proclaim healing words to those who live in misery and isolation.

On the other hand, let’s ask ourselves, “Can we identify with the suffering lepers living at the borders?  Do we sometimes feel trapped at the borders? Do we sometimes feel isolated and beg for mercy, but no one hears us? If so, as we celebrate this Sunday’s worship, I invite you to come to an encounter with Jesus and listen to his liberating and healing words. Amen.