Paying Attention

October 14, 2019

The Gospel Lectionary for yesterday was from Luke 17:11-19. 

“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”” —Luke 17:11-19 NKJV

Years ago, I went canoeing down the Conewango Creek with a friend. It had recently rained and the banks had overflowed in places, the water creeping up the lawns of the homes that bordered this usually tame waterway. We stopped for lunch on one of these lawns, and when we were done, decided to walk the canoe back to deeper water before getting in and shoving off. My friend Jon was in the lead, and just like the old cartoons, he took one step too many and completely disappeared, leaving just his hat floating on the water before surfacing a few moments later. I was completely unsuccessful at containing my mirth at his expense. 

This seemingly simple narrative is deceiving, like the overflowing Conewango Creek. It has depths that are not easily seen on the surface. The story overflows with contrasts and comparisons. At first, the ten were “afar off,” the usual position of lepers, who were ostracized and shunned from society, lest the disease spread and contaminate the entire community. They were afar off from everyone except other lepers. Towards the end of the story, one of them was no longer afar off; he was kneeling at the feet of Jesus, able for the first time in perhaps years to be close to another human being. No longer an outcast, he gave thanks. 

At the beginning of the story, Jesus saw these ten. He noticed them; it would have been hard not to, with all the shouting that was going on as they tried to get his attention. There are at least three Greek words for “see” in the Bible. The one used here means “to notice.” We often see without really seeing, as when we’re driving down the road seeing the road, the traffic, the scenery, but not really paying attention to it. Here, the word used is more than that. It means to give attention. It is the same word used of the one leper who saw that he was healed. As he’s walking to the priest, he notices the change in his skin and turns around to give thanks while the others continue on their way to show themselves to the priest, apparently not noticing what was happening to them.

Three different words are used for the actual healing. They were “cleansed.” The putrid sores were no more. The one leper who noticed the changes noted that he was “healed,” the word signifying the process of healing. Apparently, he looked at perhaps his hands, and saw the flesh returning to normal. He saw the process, which must have been pretty amazing. Lastly, Jesus said to him, “your faith has made you “well,” or “whole,”” the word being the same as the word for salvation. Jesus cleansed the ten without regard to their faith, the one was made whole—the brokenness of his life put back together—through his faith. God can heal anyone, but our the healing of our brokenness requires our cooperation. For this man, that faith was evidenced by his gratitude, which makes me wonder how much “wholeness” I am missing out on because I’m not paying attention to the process of cleansing and consequently giving thanks. Jesus noticed me; I too often am not paying attention to what he is doing in my life, and therefore miss the fullness of life he offers. The discipline of gratitude is not always easy, but it is necessary if we are to experience the fullness of life as God intends it to be.