Sunday 13th October
2019. Read 2 Kings 5:14-17, Psalm 98, 2 Timothy 2:8-13 and Luke 17:11-19.
_“When he saw them he said to them,
"Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were
cleansed” *(Luke 17:14)*_
Last Sunday, Jesus said to us: “If
your faith is as a mustard seed, you can say to this sycamore tree, Be uprooted
and planted in the sea and it will obey you.” Faith is the assurance of things
not seen and the reward of faith is to see those things. Last Sunday, we also
learned that Faith is patience even in tough times. Today, our readings present
other dimensions of faith such as obedience to God’s word and thanksgiving.
*1. To Have Faith is to be obedient to
God’s Word.*
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gave
the ten lepers an instruction: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” This was
a very unusual miracle. Jesus did not declare healing on them, he did not do
any physical sign on them, he simply gave them a command. They were healed as
they obeyed. In the same way, in our first reading, Naaman the Syrian received
healing by obeying the instruction of the prophet Elisha. Initially, he tried
to protest against the instruction stating that there are cleaner rivers in his
place but upon the persuasion of his maid, he obeyed and became cleansed.
As the very popular hymn sings:
When we walk with the Lord in the
Light of the word
What a glory he sheds on our way
While we do His good will, He abides
with us still
And with all who will trust and obey
Trust and Obey, for there is no other
way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust
and obey.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in
the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away
Not a doubt or a fear, nor a sign not
a tear,
Can abide when we trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we
share,
But our toil He doth richly repay
Not a grief, nor a loss, not a crown
or a cross
But is blest if we trust and obey.
As Jesus told the woman in yesterday’s
Gospel passage: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
(Luke 11:28). When cannot claim to believe in God when we refuse to obey Him
(when we refuse to be doers of the word.) Every sin a statement of our lack of
trust in God. The only reason why we think it is okay to disobey God is that we
do not think God was right in saying we would be blessed for obeying Him.
Some of us Christians today treat God
as if He is a toy. How can we deny God by our lifestyle and still expect Him to
grant us the favours we so desire? In our second reading, St. Paul tells
Timothy: “If we endure, we shall also reign with him, if we deny him, he also
will deny us.” (2 Timothy 2:11-12) How can we deny God by our willful disobedience
and still hope to claim our miracle? How can we refuse to do what he tells us
and still expect our water to turn to wine? (Cf. John 2:5-10) What would have
been the fate of the ten lepers if they had ignored Jesus’ instruction? What
would have been the fate of Naaman if he had disobeyed the word of God that
came through the lips of the prophet Elisha?
*2. Thanksgiving Opens Us to More
Blessings.*
Only one
out of the ten lepers returned to Jesus to say “Thank you.” Jesus asked: “Were
not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” This is a sad tale of human behaviour.
Only one out of ten was grateful. Why is that we have faith to ask from God but
we don’t have faith to thank God after He has blessed us? Ten lepers were cured
but only one received wholeness. For returning thanks, Jesus said to him: “Your
faith has made you well.” There is always an additional blessing we get for being
grateful to God.
When we hear
the word “thanksgiving” our minds often go to the food items, groceries, household
utensils or money we present in the Church but I dare say that these are not
the essence of thanksgiving. The man who came to return thanks to Jesus, how
many bags of rice did he bring? How much did he put in an envelope? Nothing.
Not even one denarius. What did he bring? Worship. Loud Praises. It is wrong to
squeeze your face while marching to the altar for thanksgiving. It is not the amount
of money you have or the items you are bringing that matters, what counts is
your acknowledgement of who God is. Dance; smile, open your mouth and sing
praises, prostrate before God. You are not paying God; everything you have will
not be enough to pay God. You are not been forced so, let your thanksgiving come
from your heart even if you have nothing to offer.
Naaman
brought a whole camel load of gifts items to Elisha but he refused to take
anything so that Naaman would not think that he (Elisha) was the one who cured
him. Elisha needed to direct Naaman’s attention to God. And it worked. Naaman
took two mules full of sand saying: “Your servant will not offer burnt offering
or sacrifice to any god but the Lord.” Naaman’s thanksgiving was his conversion.
Thanksgiving is not all about money; we give thanks too by living holy lives,
we give thanks by our repentance. We give thanks first and foremost by our
sincere worship of God, all other items we bring are secondary and not
important. Stop squeezing your face, please! It is to God you are rendering thanks,
not the priest.
*3. The Symbolic
Value of the Cure of the Ten Lepers.*
The cure
of the ten lepers is not just one of the many miracles of Jesus, in fact, we
may call it a CHRISTOLOGICAL miracle; it is a miracle that proved beyond every
doubt that Jesus Christ is God. When we read the background story behind our
first reading (2 Kings chapter 5 from verse 1), we discover that when Naaman was
sick of leprosy and his maid suggested he could be cured by the Prophet Elisha,
Naaman went to the king of Syria who in turn sent a letter to the King of Israel
demanding for Naaman’s cure. In 2 Kings 5:7 we read: And when the king of
Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to
make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only
consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”
As Dr
Pitre Brant explains: in those days, leprosy was the ultimate sickness. It was
beyond any known medical cure. Curing a leper was something that only God could
do. Never was it heard that anyone could cure a person of leprosy. By renting
his clothes, the King of Israel was already mourning over the possible war that
was coming if Naaman could not be cured. Elisha upon hearing this, sent word to
the king that Naaman should be brought to him. This cure of Naaman was clear proof
that Elisha received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah who went up to
heaven in a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11).
Elijah was
so famous that many believed he would come again before the Messiah comes. In Matthew
17:10-13 the disciples asked Jesus about this, “Then why do the scribes say
that first Elijah must come?” Jesus replied, “Elijah does come, and he is to
restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did
not know him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will
suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to
them of John the Baptist. Now if John the Baptist is Elijah, it means that Jesus
Christ is Elisha and if Elisha in all his greatness facilitated the cure of just
one leper by asking him to bathe in the Jordan seven times, here is Jesus curing
Ten lepers simply by asking them to show themselves to the priest. The lepers
were still on their way when they realized they had been cured. What does this
say about Jesus? Here is God Himself in the midst of men.
*In Conclusion:*
Like these
lepers, we all are sick with one ailment or another. We carry different forms
of leprosy ranging from family problems, financial problems to even spiritual problems.
Are you suffering from the leprosy of addiction to sin? Turn to Jesus today. He
alone can Heal You. Shout like the lepers, “Jesus, have mercy on me.” The lepers
believed that Jesus could cure them. Their Father prompted their obedience to
Jesus’ command. They received healing because they obeyed. However, one received
something more than healing; one was made well because he returned to give
thanks. Sincere thanksgiving is not a matter of offering items or enclosing large
sums in envelopes, it is a matter of worshipping God from your heart; it is
living a life of obedience to God; it is a decision to serve no other god as
Naaman did.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, have mercy
on me. Cleanse me from all my sins especially my ingratitude and lack of trust
in your Word. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (28th
Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. 2 Kings 5:14-17, Psalm 98, 2 Timothy 2:8-13
and Luke 17:11-19).
No comments:
Post a Comment