Who Would Jesus Heal?

At long last we are back to stories about Jesus. Luke’s gospel (and the lectionary) has been focused on Jesus’ parables and teaching for the past couple of months. Now, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus resumes his journey to Jerusalem.¹ Of course as you might guess, the stories about Jesus are just as challenging as the stories Jesus tells.

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? Did not of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 19:11-19 NRSVue

As we begin to think about this passage, we need to- once again- be aware of anti semitic interpretations of this text. Any interpretation that places Jesus and Christianity as better than or superior to Judaism with respect to how the sick and afflicted were treated need to be challenged. As does a reading that comes down to “ungrateful Jews” versus grateful outsiders, (by which we often mean Christians), or interpretations that talk about Jewish “legalism”. You may be more familiar with the older version of this text that says the people have leprosy. Most scholars now agree that the Hebrew word translated as “leprosy” is a term that included a variety of skin conditions. Also how people with various skin conditions were treated in the ancient world, varied quite a bit.² Any interpretation that over emphasizes “bad Jewish exclusion” of sick people versus “good Jesus inclusion” of sick people is also a problem. So with all this in mind, let’s think about this story of Jesus and the ten people with a skin disease.

Jesus is on the border between Samaria and Galilee. Both are places where Jesus has encountered both hostility and welcome.³ We don’t know if the village Jesus enters is Jewish or Samaritan. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, and encounters 10 people with a skin disease. They ask for mercy. Often this is a request for alms. Jesus doesn’t ask who they are or what they believe. Jesus doesn’t do anything or make any statement that heals them. Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests. We should remember that the role of the priests was to confirm (or not) any healing. Priests were not involved in the actual healing. He doesn’t say whose priests they should go to, or which Temple to go to. Are they to go to the Temple priests of Jerusalem or of Mt Gerizim where Samaritans worshiped?

The people with a skin disease listened to Jesus and obeyed and in doing that they were healed. “..As they went, they were made clean.” Trusting in Jesus and following his directions seem to matter in this story.

One person, realizing they have been healed, returns to Jesus. They praise God and prostrate themselves at Jesus’ feet. Jesus himself, talks about them “return[ing] to give glory to God…” In this story, the one who returns is a surprise, they are a Samaritan.

Luke may intend for his original audience, and us, to remember some other stories in the Bible. Each time we hear a story, we ought to remember similar stories. This remembering helps give context, depth, and meaning to what we have just heard. That practice of remembering helps us give our own stories context, depth, and meaning.

We might recall the story of a person with a skin disease who Jesus healed earlier in Luke’s gospel. ⁴ Or the story of Naaman the Aramean who goes to the Prophet Elisha to be healed from his skin disease.⁵ We remember the parable of the “Good Samaritan” where, in a surprising twist, a Samaritan is the one to show compassion.⁶ Or Jesus first time teaching in Nazareth, where he talks about God’s care for outsiders; the widow from Sidon and the healing of Naaman, which so upsets people they want to throw Jesus off a cliff.⁷ We think about Jesus’ response to John the Baptize’rs disciples, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight; the lame walk; those with a skin disease are cleansed; the deaf hear; the dead are raised; the poor have good news brought to them.⁸ We remember many stories of “outsiders” who follow God’s will. Stories of outsiders who are more faithful than insiders. Of healings that are not dependent upon religious or national status or some standard of worthiness.

In the story of the person with a skin disease who is healed, (Luke 5:12-14) Jesus tells him to go show himself to the priest, just as he does in this story. However, Jesus also tells that person to “tell no one”. In today’s story Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, to his trial, death, and resurrection. And now, he accepts the person’s praise. We should think about that.

Notice the person doesn’t just thank Jesus for healing. They fall at his feet. They praise God. That’s what Jesus accepts and names. “Did none of them return to give glory to God…” This is, in part, a story about who Jesus is- as the Messiah, as the Son of God.

Is this a story about gratitude? Yes. Although I’m not sure we can assume the other 9 were not grateful as they did what Jesus and Torah required.

Is this a story about recognizing God’s healing and restoration? Yes and the nine are on their way to the Temple where they will be recognized as healed and restored by God’s grace.

This is also a story about God’s intentions for the healing and inclusion of all. This seems something we should particularly pay attention to in our times. Today we have Christian legislators⁹ who would deny access to healthcare to people based on citizenship. Or who would deny access to health care based on someone’s ability or lack of ability to work. We have Christian legislators who would make health insurance more expensive and in some cases completely unaffordable.

I ground my belief that healthcare is a human right in the words and actions of Jesus. When Jesus heals these ten people, he doesn’t ask who they are, what their religious faith is, or if they have faith. He doesn’t ask about their national origin. They ask for mercy and he heals them. All through the gospels you will find verses like, “As the sun was setting, all those caring for any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him [Jesus], and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them” or “They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.” ¹⁰ We could go on and on with examples of Jesus’ healing. And of Jesus’ empowering his disciples to heal. It appears that people being healthy matters to Jesus.

Because that matters to Jesus, it should matter to us.

1. Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem in Luke 9:51. ↩︎
2. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/skin-disease-and-social-exclusion/ ↩︎
3. Recall Jesus sermon in Nazareth in Galilee where his hearers want to kill him. Luke 4:16-30 ↩︎
4. Luke 5:12-14 ↩︎
5. 2 Kings 5:1-15 ↩︎
6. Luke 10:29-37 ↩︎
7. Luke 4:16-30 ↩︎
8. Luke 7:22 ↩︎
9. My language “Christian legislators” is intentional. I take these people at their word. I am not in charge of deciding who is a Christian or not. And as a Christian, I can challenge their actions because they are siblings in Christ. ↩︎
10. Luke 4:40; Luke 6:18-19 ↩︎