The Gospel for November 17, 2004 (Hugh of Lincoln)
Luke 17:11-19
Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem he was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin–disease came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This led Jesus to say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
Luke's writers never let us forget that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to meet His destiny.
A number of men with skin diseases stand off and ask Jesus (as "Master," not merely "teacher" or "rabbi") for pity on themselves. Jesus -- ever the Law-follower -- told them to go and show themselves to the priests as required for a healing from leprosy. On their way, they were healed, but only one man, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks. Jesus paused to use that action as a teaching point.
A Reflection
One of the ironies of the New Testament is that the chosen ones, Israel, are the chief despisers of their redeemer.
From "the nations," however, the Samaritans emerge as a people despised also by Israel. Israel the despiser, when she erred, took it to what we would call today "a whole new level."
The Samaritan (not the Priest, not the Levite) stopped and showed mercy and neighborly love to the traveler beaten and left for dead by robbers. This Samaritan leper, not the other nine, turned back from his trek to the priests to love God and give thanks to Him.
Honoring the two great commandments is given over to the non-chosen, just as Jesus opens the relationship with YHWH to all the world, through His own sacrifice.
We who proclaim ourselves the preachers of the Gospel, do we honor the great commandments? Or will we, like Israel, despise Him and make our false sacrifices unpleasant to Him?
The Collect
O holy God, who endowed your servant and bishop Hugh of Lincoln with wise and cheerful boldness, and taught him to commend the discipline of holy life to kings and princes: Grant that we also, rejoicing in the Good News of your mercy, and fearing nothing but the loss of you, may be bold to speak the truth in love, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
9:49:11 PM 
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