20th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19
Two themes tie these readings together this Sunday: leprosy and thanksgiving. Second Kings tells the story of Naaman’s healing from leprosy by the prophet Elisha. Naaman knew to go into Jewish territory for a cure because his wife’s servant girl was from Israel and she knew of the prophet’s powers. The cure led to Naaman’s promise to worship only Israel’s true God (although he confessed he would still have to accompany his own King to the temple of Rimmon; but he asked forgiveness for that ahead of time)! The story gets ‘curiouser and curiouser’ when Elisha’s servant Gehazi commits a little greedy deceit in order to get some of the riches Naaman brought with him (and offered to Elisha, by the way, but he wouldn’t take anything). So Elisha curses Gehazi and the servant ends up getting Naaman’s leprosy!
The Psalm is one of thanksgiving for all the great and wondrous things our God does for us and provides for us (such as food and the law). This thanksgiving, says the Psalmist, he will proclaim publicly, in the assembly, for all to hear.
Luke’s Gospel is the story of Jesus curing ten lepers and having only one—the Samaritan—come back to thank him. The ten weren’t cured instantly. Jesus sent them off to the priests so they could be certified as free of leprosy and thus regain their ability to mix with their families and society. It was while they were traveling to the priests that they became cleansed of the leprosy. The Samaritan returned to fall at Jesus feet, giving thanks to him, and Jesus remarked that he was the only one to do so, and pointed out that he was a ‘foreigner.’ Jesus tells him to stand up and go; his faith has made him well (one commentator points out that the Greek word really means, “your faith has saved you”).
Only Second Timothy is outside of the two themes, probably because we are working our way straight through this letter at the same time as we are progressing through Luke. If we were to make a connection, we might say that Paul does not want Timothy to be like Elisha’s servant, but to stand by Paul as Paul stands by Jesus, to have the courage to endure hardships, imprisonment, whatever—for the sake of others. They are to LIVE the Gospel and not just “wrangle about words.”
How apply all of this? To practice staying connected to the divine, as Jesus did and as Paul did, cures us of our leprosy—all the bad stuff that eats away at us, imprisons us and makes us unfit for transforming society. Staying connected with God’s real presence lets us live thankful lives. His touch makes us free enough of our structures, our bondage, that—like the Samaritan--we can return in gratitude to the One who loves us. Our job is to give God room to touch us. I don’t know how to do that without daily prayer, daily practice of quieting our minds, saying our mantra, making room for thanks.
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