Lectionary Reading: Luke 17:11-19
During the U.S.-led Invasion of Baghdad in 2003 a pride of lions escaped the bomb damaged Baghdad Zoo and roamed the deserted streets of the city for three days. The keepers of the zoo had fled a few days before troops arrived, leaving the captive animals without food or water. Residents looted the zoo – taking many of the animals for food or to sell on the black market. After American soldiers took over the city, they assigned a unit to repair and take control of the zoo and somehow capture the lions.
Using large armored vehicles and the temptation of food, all but 3 of the lions were guided back into the repaired habitat. The remaining three, terrorized during the previous bombing, confused by the noisy tanks and hungry, would not be led and were killed by soldiers. With three days of freedom the lions could have gone anywhere, but instead the pride wandered no farther than 2 miles from the zoo – cruising the streets of Baghdad looking for some thing to eat. Years of captivity dulled their instinct, and extinguished their ability to comprehend the natural, wild world. Even though the escape had given them liberty – they were not truly free.
Our lectionary reading today is a popular story from the healing life of Christ. Ministers who don’t use the lectionary usually tell it when church attendance gets low or at Thanksgiving. But this story isn’t just about our need to come to Jesus and say, “thank you”. It’s about us and it reminds us that unless our relationship with Christ liberates our minds and restores our instincts as God’s children we will wander aimlessly even though we have been liberated.
Held In Captivity
The men of this story were on the outskirts of the city in an area known as the “valley of the lepers”. It’s interesting to note that the Greek word used here does not really mean leprosy. It is a word that means more like “unspecified skin disorder”. The people of that age could not always tell the difference between leprosy and other diseases and so anyone with a severe skin disease was thrown into the leprosy category and banished from the temple and the city. Because some folks just had a rash, eczema or severe acne – there was a set of laws that allowed priests to proclaim them healed if it cleared up and re-admit them into society.
Yet these men were captive to their disease. As long as physical evidence showed them to have a skin disorder (possibly leprosy) they were left in the valley to starve or eat what ever someone was willing to throw to them (or at them) and warn people to stay away. Their family, their jobs and their ability to worship were gone. Think of it -- every day they woke up, looked over their bodies and hoped:
Today was the day their skin cleared.
Today was the day they could have everything back.
Today was the day they could be with God.
Today was the day they would be free.
Then as the sun broke the horizon they saw the white patches on their arms, legs and reflected on each other’s downcast faces – the next 23 hours and fifty-seven minutes would just be the same old captivity to loneliness and hunger.
We are captive too, only our captivity is somewhat more sinister because we can’t see it on our skin. It lives in our hearts. We are captive to a world where success means material comfort which chains us to work addiction and starves our loved ones for our attention and wisdom. We are captive to a media obsessed manipulative culture where concepts like “fact”, “truth” and “dignity” don’t sell, aren’t used and we are starved for justice and peace. We are captive to fear that keeps us from honestly relating to others, learning from mentors, asking the hard questions or sharing God’s answers. We stare through the bars of our own inability and pray to God to feed us where we are.
Sometimes, we can even be captive in church. Like a spiritual zoo, we sit in our pew, go to our groups, wait to be fed, and hope the world can learn the Gospel from us as they encounter us in our cage Sunday morning. We create programs to bring people in to where we are -- instead of understanding ourselves as God’s children who were called to be sent out. There is a call to repentance in this passage of the Word. We all need to stand by the roadside as Christ passes by and pray with these lepers, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Delivered to Destiny
Please don’t misunderstand – church is a good thing. It is the gathering of saints – the body of Christ where we learn and worship in community. Notice Jesus sent the lepers to the temple so the priest could proclaim them healed. But the temple didn’t heal them. Jesus did. Church is where we learn of how we can be healed and proclaim our healing and redemption – but church doesn’t heal us. Jesus does. We need to relate to Jesus. Sometimes in our captivity we forget the feeder while we enjoy the food.
That certainly is what happened to 9 of the 10 lepers. They were so excited to be liberated from their disease and so hungry for their loved ones and a good meal that they forgot the one who healed them. They got their religion back, but they had no real relationship. Like the lions of the Baghdad zoo who were led right back to their benevolent captivity – they were back to “normal”. But one wasn’t. One healed leper – a Samaritan (the Pharisees version of “less than”) – knew he was liberated but wasn’t’ free until he related with the one who healed him personally.
“Where are the other 9?” Jesus asked, although he knew the answer and so do we. The other 9 were at home, hugging their families and stuffing bread in their mouths. They would tell the story of their healing later – if they remembered it, after all it had been quite a dramatic day and there was so much of life to catch up on. They were busy. The other 9 are content to sit in their temple and be seen as healed -- after all it was just a skin disease. Maybe later the 9 would get together and sue the priest for wrongful diagnosis.
And the 1 who returned? He thanked Jesus. He fell at his feet and praised God. He remembers who healed him. He will go and tell the story of the one he praised to anyone who will listen. He wasn’t just liberated from possible leprosy. He was truly set free.
Live your faith then share your life
What about us? No matter what chained us we need to go to the temple and show ourselves healed as we rejoice with our brothers and sisters who were liberated too. Then we need to go back – to go out – and to thank Jesus every day in our lives. We need to live as God’s children who are truly free to show the story of grace in every place we go. Don't wander around the war-torn city seeking something else to eat- go in your freedom as one sent by God and thrive. In other words: Live your faith then share your life.
During the U.S.-led Invasion of Baghdad in 2003 a pride of lions escaped the bomb damaged Baghdad Zoo and roamed the deserted streets of the city for three days. The keepers of the zoo had fled a few days before troops arrived, leaving the captive animals without food or water. Residents looted the zoo – taking many of the animals for food or to sell on the black market. After American soldiers took over the city, they assigned a unit to repair and take control of the zoo and somehow capture the lions.
Using large armored vehicles and the temptation of food, all but 3 of the lions were guided back into the repaired habitat. The remaining three, terrorized during the previous bombing, confused by the noisy tanks and hungry, would not be led and were killed by soldiers. With three days of freedom the lions could have gone anywhere, but instead the pride wandered no farther than 2 miles from the zoo – cruising the streets of Baghdad looking for some thing to eat. Years of captivity dulled their instinct, and extinguished their ability to comprehend the natural, wild world. Even though the escape had given them liberty – they were not truly free.
Our lectionary reading today is a popular story from the healing life of Christ. Ministers who don’t use the lectionary usually tell it when church attendance gets low or at Thanksgiving. But this story isn’t just about our need to come to Jesus and say, “thank you”. It’s about us and it reminds us that unless our relationship with Christ liberates our minds and restores our instincts as God’s children we will wander aimlessly even though we have been liberated.
Held In Captivity
The men of this story were on the outskirts of the city in an area known as the “valley of the lepers”. It’s interesting to note that the Greek word used here does not really mean leprosy. It is a word that means more like “unspecified skin disorder”. The people of that age could not always tell the difference between leprosy and other diseases and so anyone with a severe skin disease was thrown into the leprosy category and banished from the temple and the city. Because some folks just had a rash, eczema or severe acne – there was a set of laws that allowed priests to proclaim them healed if it cleared up and re-admit them into society.
Yet these men were captive to their disease. As long as physical evidence showed them to have a skin disorder (possibly leprosy) they were left in the valley to starve or eat what ever someone was willing to throw to them (or at them) and warn people to stay away. Their family, their jobs and their ability to worship were gone. Think of it -- every day they woke up, looked over their bodies and hoped:
Today was the day their skin cleared.
Today was the day they could have everything back.
Today was the day they could be with God.
Today was the day they would be free.
Then as the sun broke the horizon they saw the white patches on their arms, legs and reflected on each other’s downcast faces – the next 23 hours and fifty-seven minutes would just be the same old captivity to loneliness and hunger.
We are captive too, only our captivity is somewhat more sinister because we can’t see it on our skin. It lives in our hearts. We are captive to a world where success means material comfort which chains us to work addiction and starves our loved ones for our attention and wisdom. We are captive to a media obsessed manipulative culture where concepts like “fact”, “truth” and “dignity” don’t sell, aren’t used and we are starved for justice and peace. We are captive to fear that keeps us from honestly relating to others, learning from mentors, asking the hard questions or sharing God’s answers. We stare through the bars of our own inability and pray to God to feed us where we are.
Sometimes, we can even be captive in church. Like a spiritual zoo, we sit in our pew, go to our groups, wait to be fed, and hope the world can learn the Gospel from us as they encounter us in our cage Sunday morning. We create programs to bring people in to where we are -- instead of understanding ourselves as God’s children who were called to be sent out. There is a call to repentance in this passage of the Word. We all need to stand by the roadside as Christ passes by and pray with these lepers, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Delivered to Destiny
Please don’t misunderstand – church is a good thing. It is the gathering of saints – the body of Christ where we learn and worship in community. Notice Jesus sent the lepers to the temple so the priest could proclaim them healed. But the temple didn’t heal them. Jesus did. Church is where we learn of how we can be healed and proclaim our healing and redemption – but church doesn’t heal us. Jesus does. We need to relate to Jesus. Sometimes in our captivity we forget the feeder while we enjoy the food.
That certainly is what happened to 9 of the 10 lepers. They were so excited to be liberated from their disease and so hungry for their loved ones and a good meal that they forgot the one who healed them. They got their religion back, but they had no real relationship. Like the lions of the Baghdad zoo who were led right back to their benevolent captivity – they were back to “normal”. But one wasn’t. One healed leper – a Samaritan (the Pharisees version of “less than”) – knew he was liberated but wasn’t’ free until he related with the one who healed him personally.
“Where are the other 9?” Jesus asked, although he knew the answer and so do we. The other 9 were at home, hugging their families and stuffing bread in their mouths. They would tell the story of their healing later – if they remembered it, after all it had been quite a dramatic day and there was so much of life to catch up on. They were busy. The other 9 are content to sit in their temple and be seen as healed -- after all it was just a skin disease. Maybe later the 9 would get together and sue the priest for wrongful diagnosis.
And the 1 who returned? He thanked Jesus. He fell at his feet and praised God. He remembers who healed him. He will go and tell the story of the one he praised to anyone who will listen. He wasn’t just liberated from possible leprosy. He was truly set free.
Live your faith then share your life
What about us? No matter what chained us we need to go to the temple and show ourselves healed as we rejoice with our brothers and sisters who were liberated too. Then we need to go back – to go out – and to thank Jesus every day in our lives. We need to live as God’s children who are truly free to show the story of grace in every place we go. Don't wander around the war-torn city seeking something else to eat- go in your freedom as one sent by God and thrive. In other words: Live your faith then share your life.
The Baghdad Zoo, with the help of international animal aid organizations, has been rebuilt. Out of 700 animals, only 40 survived the 8 day invasion of Baghdad, but animals taken from private “zoos” at the homes of Saddam Hussein and his family were brought to the city zoo. There are currently 86 animals at the zoo, and it serves as a center of peace and escape from the war for the residents of Baghdad.
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