NINETEENTH

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY TELLER JESUS IS
IN ONE SHORT PARAGRAPH
HE HAS CALLED TO MIND
SEVERAL LIFE SITUATIONS
THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO HIS LISTENERS
THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO THE LIVES
OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE FIRST CENTURY
THAT ARE IMPORTANT
IN DIFFERENT WAYS
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE TWENTY –FIRST CENTURY

THE ELEMENTS OF HIS STORY ARE
THAT THERE WERE TEN LEPERS
THAT ONE WAS A SAMARITAN
AND THAT THERE WAS
A LACK OF GRATITUDE SHOWN

FIRST HE MENTIONS LEPERS
WHO IN THE FIRST CENTURY
WERE TREATED
AS IF THEY WERE ALREADY DEAD

THE STORY SAYS
THAT THEY KEPT THEIR DISTANCE
BECAUSE A LEPER COULD NOT APPROACH
A HEALTH PERSON CLOSER THAN FIFTY FEET

SO FROM A DISTANCE OF FIFTY FEET OR MORE
THE TEN LEPERS
LIVING IN A COMMUNITY OF FELLOW LEPERS
ISOLATED FROM NORMAL SOCIETY
DISFIGURED HORRIBLY BY THEIR DISEASE
SEGREGATED FROM
SPOUSE
CHILDREN
FRIENDS

CALLED OUT FROM 50 FEET OR MORE
JESUS
MASTER
HAVE MERCY ON US

HE HEALS THEM
SENDING THEM TO THE PRIEST
WHO ALONE HAD THE AUTHORITY
TO ALLOW THEM TO RE-JOIN
NORMAL JEWISH SOCIETY
TO ONCE MORE
LIVE WITH SPOUSE
CHILDREN
FRIENDS

WHILE THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY
CERTAINLY REJOICING
ONE LOOKED AT HIS HEALED BODY
AND FILLED WITH GRATITUDE
HURRIED BACK TO JESUS TO THANK HIM

THEN JESUS MAKES MENTION
THAT THE ONE RETURNING
WAS A SAMARITAN
THAT HE WAS A SAMARITAN
A RACE OF PEOPLE THE JEWS HATED

THIS WAS A RECURRING THEME WITH JESUS
TO MAKE THE HERO OF HIS STORY
A SAMARITAN
OR SOME OTHER KIND OF PERSON
THAT THE JEWS HATED

HE WANTED TO IMPRESS UPON HIS AUDIENCE
AND UPON US

THAT IN GOD’S HOUSE
THERE IS NO RACIAL HATRED
OR ANY OTHER KIND OF HATRED
EXCEPT HATRED OF SIN
THAT WE ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN
IN ONE UNITED
FAMILY

THEN JESUS MAKES MENTION
OF SOMETHING
THAT TOUCHES US ALL

THAT TOUCHES ALL OF US
WHO TAKE THE MIRACLE
OF BEING HEALED
AND GO OFF
FORGETTING ABOUT JESUS
AND HIS GIFT OF HEALING

WE FORGET
THAT WE WERE ALL LEPERS
MARRED BY SIN
THAT WE ARE ALL LEPERS
HEALED BY JESUS
HEALED BY HIS SACRIFICE
ON THE CROSS

AND WE COME BACK TO HIM
ONLY WHEN WE ARE IN PAIN
WHEN WE ARE RE-INFECTED

AS WE ARE NOW
WITH THE EVENTS
OF SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH
AND WE CRY
AS WE SO OFTEN CRY

JESUS
MASTER
HAVE MERCY ON US

AND HE WILL
JESUS KEEPS HIS PROMISES

HOW LONG JESUS WAITED ON THE OTHER NINE
WE DO NOT KNOW

BUT LOOKING DOWN THE CENTURIES
HE SEES US
AND HE CRIES OUT
WILL YOU BE GRATEFUL
FOR ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU
HE CRIES OUT
WILL YOU BE GRATEFUL
WILL YOU COME BACK TO ME
WILL YOU COME BACK TO ME
REJOICING IN YOUR HEALING

SO I ASK YOU………………….
WILL YOU BE GRATEFUL
FOR ALL GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU

(RESPONSE)
I WILL AND I ASK GOD TO HELP ME