Sermons for the Month
Jesus Truly Sees Us
DATE: October 10th, 2004
SERVICE: 19th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Luke 17:11-19“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Imagine this scene with me. It's the first century and you are strolling down a dusty road in Palestine. A huddle of bedraggled people are standing in the distance. You begin to walk toward them. Suddenly, one of them turns toward you, wildly waving his arms, shouting, "Unclean! Unclean!" You stop dead in your tracks, and quickly go the other direction. You have just come too close to a group of lepers, and they are required by the Torah to warn you of the danger.
Can you imagine the affect that rejecting themselves in such a public way must have had on them? These people had any number of skin diseases from ringworm to psoriasis to the highly contagious leprosy, which now is known as Hansen's disease. All of these conditions are easily treated now, but then they were a curse. They suffered not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually, because they were segregated from loved ones and their condition was viewed as a sign of God's judgment. In other words, these people were thought to have sinned and brought suffering on themselves.
They were considered unclean, unacceptable and were required to tell others to stay away. Keep in mind that on the inside these might have been good, kind, faithful people who happened to look unacceptable on the outside. And, their situation was worsened by the fact that the harshest rejection they faced was from the religious leaders, many of whom looked oh so good on the outside but were totally corrupt on the inside.
Their suffering was great. Usually when the lepers cried for mercy they were asking for alms to buy food. They could not work and could not live with their families, so begging was their only means of support. But when they saw Jesus and asked for mercy their plea was a request for healing. No doubt word about his miracles had reached their ears.
As I thought about those lepers and tried to put myself in their situation I realized that I could not do so, although I do understand to the smallest degree what it's like to be kept at arms length. I imagine some of you have had a similar experiences to the one I'm about to describe. For me it's made memorable by the fact that - and I do not take this for granted - I am seldom sick. I would guess that in 16 years of ministry I have not missed more than 6 days due to illness. In fact, I know I have not missed a single day in four years.
About the worst "bout" I ever had was while I was at St. Luke Lutheran Community and the residents on the nursing floors were quarantined due to a respiratory virus. Well, I went everywhere and saw everyone, and my great immune system finally gave in and I ended up sick. I remember that it was a weekend. I was very ill on Friday and Saturday, my days off, and by Sunday was feeling better, but I was constantly coughing and didn't have a voice, so I had to stay home. I had planned to go to our Synod's Professional Leaders Retreat on that Monday and Tuesday, and I was bored with being sick, so I went.
I did not feel that bad, or so I convinced myself, but I sounded horrible. My roommate refused to room with me, and I had to get a single room. My colleagues avoided me, did not want to sit by me or shake by hand, and was I routinely - in a nice way - told to go home. This was far from an extreme situation, and yet I felt so rejected and resentful!
On Wednesday I went back to work, glad to be there, and had the misfortune of running into the Director of Nursing as I came into the building. As I said "hello" I started coughing; she immediately sent me to the clinic. I felt as if I was going to the principal's office! It was determined that I could stay, but I was banned from the floors and from contact with residents. Of all the nerve; how could I be their pastor if I could not interact with them? It was awful. I felt like I had broken a law or been caught in immoral behavior. But…I began to have true empathy for the residents who people avoided because their physical condition was in some way uncomfortable for others. I began to understand how lonely and bored and isolated and rejected they must feel.
My illness went away; by the next week I was fine. But what about those, like the lepers in today's story, who cannot escape their suffering? Today's story offers them a word of hope, and it is not the obvious one. It is that Jesus sees them.
It seems like an insignificant detail; in the text we read, "When Jesus saw them…." But, remember, Jewish law and human nature conspired to make the lepers invisible. Jesus saw their pain. His divine eyes sorted out the truth of the situation. And, Jesus sees us too; we do not have to shout, "unclean!", and we may or may not look like we are suffering, but he sees our pain. He knows what is on the inside and that we too often need to be healed and to be given a second chance, a new beginning.
For the lepers healing began when they stepped out in faith to go and show themselves to the priests. The priest had the power to declare a person clean, or unclean. On his say so a person could be cut off from society and family or could be restored to a normal life. It took great courage for the lepers, with the scars and sores of their condition still visible, to act as if they were healed and head for the temple, before the healing had occurred. They took a step of faith, and as they did so their healing came.
The surprising twist in the story is that only one returned to Jesus to praise God and give thanks. He saw that he was healed and came back, and this one was a Samaritan - an outsider who was unacceptable to God as far as the Jews were concerned. Perhaps it was because he was rejected doubly that he is so thankful for his healing. This Samaritan - this outsider who Jesus sees clearly - then receives the ultimate healing. Not only is his body made whole, but Jesus declares that he has been made spiritually whole too. The words translated, "your faith has made you well" are more accurately translated, "your faith has saved you." He is now a follower of Jesus, a child of God!
Well, we too are children of God, saved by our faith in Jesus Christ. In that way we are already whole. But our Lord sees our physical, mental and emotional selves as well; he looks at what's obvious and then sees beyond it, calling us to step out in faith in order to experience wholeness in our lives.
For some of us that stepping out in faith means that we seek counseling or treatment. It may mean that we make life-style changes that are hard for us. For some it requires being willing to forgive or be forgiven. Stepping out in faith may require the examination of motives or a change in attitude. Some may need to accept change or a loss - be it in physical well-being or an activity or a relationship. And it may be necessary for others to step out in faith and make a decision, not knowing what lies ahead.
How we take that first step of faith varies; perhaps it's a prayer or a phone call or seeking support from another person. Whatever step we take, it's vital to remember that we never walk alone, Jesus is with us.
Then, like the people in today's story, as we step out in faith healing comes. It may happen suddenly, or over time. In fact, it may be awhile before we really notice how we are different. But, as we are faithful, God is faithful, and the eyes of Jesus never leave our faces nor do they fail to see what is in our hearts.
Then may we, like the Samaritan, always remember from whom our healing comes and give thanks, rejoicing that we are among God's children whose lives are blessed by the power and presence of Jesus, the one who truly sees us, and love us. AMEN