Loving God, you continue to heal your people and to call them into community through Jesus your Son.  Keep us mindful of the people who need your love the most, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Some of you might be familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.  Both are works of fiction, but with obvious religious overtones.  Both take place in the midst of a sinister attempt to establish God’s rule here on earth – as interpreted by a small group of men.  It is an oppressive regime that uses forced conversion and regular executions to keep people under control.  They also use something called the “Thank Tank” in order to coerce well-educated women into cooperating with the powers that be.

         The Thank Tank is essentially solitary confinement.  There is no light, no toilet or running water, no bed, and only minimal food.  Occasionally some guards come in to administer a beating.  This seems to go on for days on end.  And then, just as suddenly as it started, the prisoner is dragged out and eventually deposited in a hotel room.  She is amazed to discover that there is a real bed with sheets on it, real food on the table, and a bathroom with a functioning shower and toilet.  She has never been so thankful for a shower or a simple cup of coffee in all her life.  Apparently the Thank Tank works – that is, if forced thankfulness is what you are seeking.

         As twisted as the Thank Tank is, the assumption behind it is that human beings are far more thankful after having “gone without” for a while.  This is certainly part of the story in today’s gospel.  As lepers, the people who called out to Jesus to have mercy on them had to keep their distance from healthy people and could only beg for a living.  Whenever others approached them, they were supposed to cover their mouth and shout, “Unclean!  Unclean!”  They were certainly not allowed to go to a place of worship, and most would have been cut off from their family.  Not only did they have a physical disease, but they were also cut off from the rest of the community.

         Then, along comes Jesus, who is already known by name to the lepers.  They cry out to him for mercy, calling him “Master,” just as a disciple would.  In response, Jesus doesn’t say anything like, “you are healed,” but instead tells them to go and show themselves to the priests.  “Why,” you might ask?  Well, in order to re-enter society, they would have to go to a priest and conduct the proper rituals and sacrifices in order to be declared “clean” (Lev. 14).  And, assuming that these people were Jewish, they would need to travel to Jerusalem in order to do this.  Undoubtedly, they had a long journey ahead of them!

         The gospel of Luke, however, focuses squarely on the one leper who turns around and comes back to Jesus as soon as he sees that he has been healed.  There are a number of good reasons why a Samaritan would have been the one to return and give thanks.  For one thing, he would not have gone to Jerusalem to see a priest, but to Mt. Gerizim, which was not nearly as far away.  As a Samaritan, he would not have been welcome in the Temple in Jerusalem.  And, as a Samaritan, he also would have been shunned by most Jewish people, and so, it is an amazing thing that a Jewish teacher like Jesus would have healed him.  He is not a heathen, as some people may have assumed, but immediately starts praising God with all his might as soon as he is healed.

         Within the gospel of Luke, the story we have heard today is simply one more example of “God’s vision of justice, wellness, and belonging” (workingpreacher.org).  And, for many of the Gentiles who first heard this gospel, they, too, would have been thankful to be participants in God’s reign through Jesus.  For them, and all other people who have experienced exclusion, and the absence of community, and even shunning, the fact that Jesus welcomes them with open arms would be truly amazing and life-giving.  Today, there continue to be people who spend their lives on the margins – ignored by most who pass by them, and never really experiencing the gift of community.  There continue to be those who are deemed to be unacceptable and are treated as if they are unclean and unwanted.  There continue to be those who are not welcome – even in church communities that bear the name of Christ.

         Those of us who follow Jesus and have put our trust in him are charged with continuing to widen the circle – to be open to those who are different than us, and to those who are used to being rejected.  We are charged with passing on to others the things for which we are already thankful.  We are charged with sharing the wealth and with sharing the love of God with all those who need it the most.  We are also – especially this weekend – invited to be thankful – even, as Paul writes, “in all circumstances” (1 Th. 5:18).

         Certainly, it might be true that we are more thankful after we have gone without for a while, but forced thankfulness isn’t really God’s thing.  Instead, Jesus was sent, who heals, forgives and sets free.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lectionary 28C / Thanksgiving     Luke 17:11-19

October 9, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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