In Sunday School I learned about the “Good Samaritan.” He demonstrated “loving his neighbor” by picking up a hurt man on the side of the road and caring for him. This was the model of the second most important command to love your neighbor as yourself.
‘One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”’ Matthew 22:35-40
Today in my #DailyBibleReading (Luke 17) I read about another Samaritan, this one embodying the first command: loving God.
Jesus was traveling by foot when he met a group of men with leprosy. They were outcasts with debilitating diseases. Shunned by society. Considered unclean. Nine of the men were Jewish, like Jesus. One was a Samaritan. (And as much as I’d like to geek out on the biblical history of the Samaritans and Jews, I’ll control myself!)
The group of men saw Jesus and starting calling out to him to have pity on them. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests. Again, not to get too much into history and law, but if someone had a skin lesion or leprosy they would have to show themselves to a priest – and show that they were healed – to be considered “clean” of the disease. (Leviticus 13).
I am sure these men were thrilled. They had probably heard stories about Jesus healing people, casting out demons, and feeding thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish. Maybe they had even heard about him raising people from the dead. And now Jesus was sending them to the priests which could only mean one thing – he was going to heal them and they would be declared clean and could return to society.
As they were going to find a priest to declare them clean, Jesus healed them. I imagine they looked down at their hands and arms as they walked, and the blisters and ulcers on their skin vanished. The pain in their joints was gone. The sensation on their skin returned. They could feel the sun and wind.
One man – the Samaritan – saw he was healed and stopped in his tracks.
The other nine men kept running to find the priest, probably more eager to get to the priest than ever before.
The Samaritan turned around and headed back to Jesus.
He was praising God in a loud voice.
He threw himself at Jesus’ feet.
He thanked Him.
Who am I? The one who returned to thank Jesus or the nine who were too busy?
When I am feeling lonely or outcast, do I praise God? When I am healed, and rejoicing do I humble myself and throw myself at Jesus’ feet? Do I praise God in a loud voice, regardless of my circumstances, because He has saved me?
No, usually I behave like one of the nine.
But, like the Samaritan, I am a foreigner. I was unclean and sick in my sin. But God took pity on me and saved me. Healed me. Made me clean.
And I should express my gratitude daily. With all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.
Becoming Mary 