Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? 8 Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? 9 Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’ 11 As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” 14 And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.17 Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, 19 “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.
Jesus addressed all his disciples and told them that they were in a new covenant relationship with a loving God bought with the price of his Son’s blood and were to humbly obey His commands to forgive. They must work for the kingdom with the gift of God’s grace and, as unworthy servants, they have only done what they were obligated to do.
Jesus, while on his way to Jerusalem, passed through Samaria and Galilee. Samaritans were Jews from the Northern Kingdom of Israel who had been adulterated by five neighboring Gentile nations (2 Kgs. 17:24-26). Jews considered them impure and had nothing to do with them. Jesus encountered ten lepers who stood at a distance as they were required to do by Jewish law and with raised voices implored ‘Jesus Master’ to have pity on them and heal them. Jesus commanded them to go and show themselves to the Priest as the Jewish Law dictated (Lv. 13:49). This meant that Jesus had already cured them.
As they followed Jesus’ command, they realized that they were healed. One of the men, a Samaritan, who could neither show himself to the Jewish priests in the Temple nor to the Samaritan priests on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria (Jn. 4:20), returned and fell at Jesus’ feet loudly thanking him and glorifying God. He realized that through Jesus, he had received the healing power of God reserved primarily for the Jews. Jesus was the new temple. The other nine showed no gratitude, but since Luke made a point of identifying the Samaritan, they were most likely Jews, the chosen people who took God’s Messianic blessing as their birthright. The statement, “Your faith has saved you (Lk. 7:50; 8:48; 18;42)” indicated that the Samaritan believed that Jesus could heal him, experienced a conversion, and returned in gratitude. God’s salvation is for all. Jesus’ healing was complete, both physically and spiritually.
Almighty God, fortify us so that we do not grow weary, and set our hearts ablaze with the fire of your divine love so that with your sanctifying grace we can lead others on the path of righteousness and salvation. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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