Whiteboard: First Responder

A church member stopped by my office when I was midway through with my Whiteboard drawing for the week. I had Jesus in place and the other stick figures fleeing away from him.

The church member joked, "Well, that could be any number of Bible stories, couldn't it!"

Yes. Yes it could be.

People walking away from Jesus' teachings. The Disciples abandoning Jesus in his time of need. The religious leaders of the time scurrying away from Jesus in order to plot and plan against him.

What we actually have this week is the story of Jesus cleansing the 10 lepers. (You'll notice that after the church members confusion I made sure to write in the scripture reference and short descriptive title!)

It is a rather remarkable story.

It is remarkable in part because of the healing power that Jesus displays. Here are 10 lepers who have been cast out of society because of the disease that has afflicted them, and with a simple sentence of instruction Jesus heals them. "Go and show yourselves to the priest."

It is, in fact, while they are going that they realize they have already been made well. Jesus has healed them in a flash as they were walking away...

...and that is exactly what nine of them kept doing: Walking. They just walked away. Healed and set free, restored to wholeness by the power of Jesus' words they take off back into the world that had cast them out. Nine of the ten just keep walking.

But the one. Ah, the one.

He turns back. He praises God. He falls prostrate at Jesus' feet and he just keep thanking him, over and over again. Which is remarkable, and is clearly the life of faith that we are called to.

I have to admit, though, that I find Jesus' response remarkable as well. He knows that he healed ten of them, he knows that only one came back, and evidently he has the power to make amazing things happen. You've gotta figure that he could take that blessing right back, couldn't he? After all, Jesus cursed the fig tree, so you have to figure that he could afflict (or re-afflict) those nine lepers that walked away without a word of thanks or a second thought. But he doesn't. This isn't a story about revenge. This isn't a story about a fickle Savior who will turn his back on us just as quickly as we turn our back on him. No, this is a story of grace. Amazing grace. Radical grace -- the kind that sets us free, and calls us to respond, but isn't conditioned upon our response.

That is remarkable.

The love of God is unconditional. It doesn't hinge on my response or me doing something. No, God's love is freely given. Which makes it even more powerful when we do respond. Because we are doing it out of our own sense of gratitude and appreciation. That is the part that we actually do have control over. You have no control over God's love -- it is there whether you want it or not; whether you recognize it or not. You have no control over how others are going to respond to it -- some will hear the good news and keep on walking, some will cover their ears. The only thing you can control is how you will respond. And I hope (I pray) that you'll respond with the same faith as the one leper who turned back, praised God, and was knocked over with thankfulness.

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Luke 17:11-19 Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.

Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ 

When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. 

Then 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. And he was a Samaritan. 

Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’