Proverbs 4:10-23; Psalm 84; Galatians 5:16-24
Luke 17:11-19
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The direct result of leprosy is
separation, particularly separation of three kinds. First, leprosy separates
the afflicted from his own body. The disease can infect the nervous system,
effectively shutting down communication between the affected areas and the
brain. This leads sores and wounds to go unnoticed, resulting in serious
infection or loss of members.
While many of us do not have experience
with leprosy, we do have experience with this type of separation. Dementia and
Alzheimer’s erode a person’s mind, turning their own ability to think against
them. ALS and Multiple Sclerosis sever the connection between mind and body.
The mind is fully aware as the body slowly decays. Autoimmune disorders like
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Disease, and even psoriasis turn the defense
system of the body into a savage opponent. In each of these cases, there is a
sense of losing control over oneself. The mind and body are separated, an
indication and constant reminder of the separation of body and soul, the very
definition of death.
The second kind of separation resulting
from leprosy is a separation from community. Lepers were cast out from the
community to prevent the spread of the disease. This was commanded by God in
Leviticus 13. After extensive measures taken to ensure the cause of disease was
Leprosy – measures also commanded by God – the Leper would be cast out.
Eventually, these outcasts would gather
into colonies outside of town. They sought community together and while this
helped, it did not replace getting to see their grandchildren on their
birthday, watching their daughter’s wedding, or embracing their beloved. The
lepers relied on the charity of others for food, but when anyone without
leprosy approached, they were forced to cry out, “Leper!” so that the one
approaching would know to keep their distance.
The third, and worst of the
separations, was separation from the Temple. The Lepers were forbidden from
entering the Temple, that place where God promised to dwell with his people.
They could not offer sacrifices nor hear the Word of God preached. The Leper
must stand afar off and cry, “Lord, have mercy!” He is not free to approach the
Table of the Lord and receive the gifts offered there. Salvation is possible
for the Leper, but it is difficult to maintain faith when you are not fed on
the Words and Gifts of God.
Leprosy is not a creation of God – it
is a corruption of his good creation. God uses corrupted diseases, especially
leprosy, to instruct and chastise His creation. Leprosy causes separation from self,
community, and the presence of God because Sin causes separation from self,
community, and God. Original Sin places a barrier between man and God, causing
man to be born at war against God. Sins against your neighbor separate you from
the community in which God has placed you. The summary of the Law, the summary
of God’s will for creation is to love God and love your neighbor. To transgress
the Law is to separate yourself from God and neighbor.
Then there is sin against yourself, sin
against your conscience. This is perhaps the most insidious form of sin for
Satan uses it to convince you that you are not worthy of forgiveness. You sin
against yourself when you know what you are doing is sin, but you do it anyway.
You sin against yourself when you hear your conscience say ‘no’ but your flesh
says ‘yes.’ You sin against yourself when you know that you should repent but
are too ashamed. These sins separate you from your own humanity, for you are
actively choosing to be less than God has made you. You are choosing to be an
animal, not a man.
This separation is the natural state of
man. We are born citizens of the kingdom of Satan, pledging allegiance to the
Prince of Lies. We are separated from God by virtue of our flesh, inherited
from Adam. For this reason, the Rite of Holy Baptism begins with the words,
“Depart unclean spirit, make way for the Holy Spirit.” This exorcism declares
that Satan has no more claim over Charles or any of the Baptized children of
God. Charles has been set apart to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, as
have you, beloved children of the Father.
There are three different words for the
healing miracle in today’s text. First, as the lepers turn to go, they realize
they have been “cleansed,” that is, they have been made clean. Their leprous
spots have disappeared, and their skin is fresh. This cleansing is not only a
miracle of healing but a display of the effects of Holy Baptism. In Holy
Baptism, the leprosy filling your soul is cleansed. You are made clean in the
Waters of Holy Baptism. How? God’s Word, in and with the water, washes your
soul clean and transfers the stains of leprosy onto Christ Himself. Afterall,
Holy Baptism would be nothing if Christ had not born the sin of the world to the
Cross. He was anointed in his own
Baptism to be the sacrificial lamb who died to atone for your sin. The waters
of Holy Baptism are made clean only because Christ has taken your filth upon
himself on Calvary.
Then one of the lepers, seeing that he
was healed, returned, glorified God, and worshiped and gave thanks to Christ. This
Samaritan saw that he was not only cleansed, but that he was healed. This is he
who recognizes the power of Holy Baptism. He sees that it is not an empty rite,
nor a fragile ceremony easily lost. He knows Holy Baptism to be the washing of
regeneration. He has been made new, made whole, reborn for a new life. The
Samaritan sees that Christ has forgiven his sin, the source of leprosy, not
just washed his skin to be clean. To put it bluntly, the Samaritan receives the
healing in faith.
What then of the nine? Were not ten
cleansed and yet only one returned to give glory to God? The Samaritan received
the healing in faith, the nine did not. They saw the cleanliness of their skin but
did not receive the healing. Perhaps they were disappointed Jesus didn’t give
them money. Perhaps they believed the vitamins they took the day before finally
kicked in. Perhaps the experimental drug is actually the elixir of life.
Whatever they thought, the last thing
on their mind was, ‘God, the Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth, has spared my
life. He has cleansed my body and soul, forgiven my sins, and made me an heir
of eternal life.’ They failed to glorify God.
What does it mean to glorify God? It is
not simply to say good things about God or honor God. That would have to do
with your opinion of God. To glorify God is to recognize God for who he is according
to his majesty and power. This can only be done by the revelation of God’s
Word. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized into Christ’s death and
resurrection, so that we would have the faith to glorify God, seeing him for
who he is.
We cannot see the Samaritan’s heart. We
cannot look into his heart and see his faith, only God can do that. But we know
the Samaritan has faith because we can see his actions and hear his confession.
He glorifies God and worships Jesus. He bows himself to the ground at Jesus’
feet, showing his unworthiness to stand before the Incarnate God and humbling
himself before Jesus’ majesty. We can see his faith and hear him boldly
confess the One True God.
There is another side to this. What of
the nine? Were not ten cleansed? The nine received the same cleansing as the
Samaritan but they did not receive it in faith. Because they did not receive it
in faith, they did not return to glorify God nor worship Jesus. Their actions
and words make it clear they are without faith. These are the one who have
rejected their Baptism. Not everyone who is Baptized will be saved. Baptism is
not a magical rite in which salvation is bestowed upon all who have the magic
water poured on their heads. The salvation of Holy Baptism must be received in
faith and the nine have given clear evidence to the contrary.
Just as the Samaritan was both cleansed
and healed in the same moment, so too with Holy Baptism. Faith is created and
strengthen in this Sacrament. Faith also receives this Sacrament. It makes
logical sense that faith must first be created in order to receive the Sacrament,
but the mysteries of God do not operate according to human logic. God has
promised that Baptism bestows faith. He has also stated the Sacraments must be received
in faith. Both are true and we confess it because God says so.
Therefore, we do not baptize anyone who
walks through the door. Nor do we baptize the children of unbelievers, who will
never be brought back into the church. We instruct the family and the sponsors
of their solemn duty to raise this child in the faith into which they have been
baptized.
We could say the cleansing of the
lepers reunited themselves with their bodies. The cleansing also reunited them
with their community. But the nine were not reunited with God because they
rejected the One who brought them cleansing. The healing of the Samaritan
reunited him with God and the faith given to him by Christ has saved him. The
final words of the reading should be, “Your faith has saved you.” The faith of
the Samaritan to receive the gifts of God for who God is has saved him.
This faith is not a work anymore than
Charlie could walk down that aisle and baptize himself. This faith is a work of
God, a gift of the Holy Spirit, and a union with Christ himself, whose death
and resurrection has sealed this faith with the promise of eternal life. It is
a blessed thing to be helpless. As you age and become incapable of helping
yourself, remember that you are simply returning to the state of a child.
Unless you become like one of these little ones, unless you are as helpless as
Charles, you will by no means inherit eternal life.
Being helpless is a confession of your
inability to save yourself. We are too worried that we have nothing left to
contribute because we define ourselves by what we have to offer. Christ defines
us by what he has to offer. Why would you think you can do better? Arise and
come to the Great High Priest. Follow Christ on the journey to the Cross and
there receive the cleansing flood of Holy Baptism and the food of His own Body
and Blood.
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