Not a lot of changes from the draft, but here's the final version.
Ten lepers. Today’s Gospel reading is traditionally called by the unimaginative title “The Healing of Ten Lepers.” If you’re like me, your first question might be “Um, what is a leper, anyway?” It may be difficult for us to identify with or even understand the plight of these ten lowly lepers. You see, they suffered from a skin disease—perhaps what today we would call psoriasis or eczema—but more importantly, they suffered from ritual impurity. Because of their condition, they were excluded from society, forced out of their very homes. It's described in Leviticus: “The person who has the leprous disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” This treatment may seem cruel to us, and perhaps it was, but we must understand that the ancient people of Israel were very concerned with ritual purity and impurity—what they called tahor and tamei. Most things were tahor, pure, but certain situations or conditions, like these skin diseases, made a person tamei, impure. Impurity was contagious; one impure person could transfer impurity to another person, object, or place. Impurity could even infect the Temple, where the people of Israel encountered God. For impurity to come to the very dwelling of God was the most feared possibility. As a result, these ten lepers were dangerous outcasts, kept at a distance, kept away from the rest of society. A normal life was impossible for them.
When Jesus comes to town, these lepers come out looking for him. Still, they stay at a distance, as they were required to do. They would not dare to infect Jesus with their ritual impurity. But they raise their voices, shouting and begging for mercy. I wonder if these ten even really knew what they were seeking. They do not ask to be cleansed; perhaps they believed it to be impossible. Perhaps they were just begging for a meal. I can't imagine any of them expected what Jesus says in response, however. Jesus does not heal them, does not feed them, does not teach them. He tells them to go to the priests. To understand why, we must turn again to Leviticus: the law details that, if a person recovered from their skin disease, that person must go to a priest. The priest examines him to make sure he is no longer ill. Then the priest performs a ritual that removes the uncleanliness, makes the person pure again.
What is odd, even shocking, about Jesus' instruction is that these ten lepers, when they set off to see the priests, are not clean. The outcome is easy to anticipate: if the lepers go to the priests, the priests recognize that the disease remains, and nothing changes. The ten would remain on the outside. So why bother going at all? Yet these ten lepers immediately set out, following Jesus' instructions. It is then, after they have left, that they are cleansed.
At this point, the focus of the story shifts. This, we discover, is more than just a healing story. You see, up until now, we have been hearing about ten lepers. As far as the story is concerned, we have ten identical men in an identical situation, given identical instructions, and granted identical (though certainly miraculous) healing. Now, the group splits; nine former lepers continue on to see the priests. No doubt they were declared clean and were able to rejoin society. They could go back to their homes. Jesus freed them from their condition. Jesus broke down the barrier that kept them on the outside. Jesus gave them the gift of a normal life again.
But one of the ten reacts differently. This one man actually does the opposite of what Jesus commanded. He turns around and goes back the way he had come, back to Jesus. And he does two other things: he praises God and he thanks Jesus. It is important that these actions go together. Jesus himself makes note of it: “ But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” No doubt the other nine men, miraculously restored, praised God as well; but only this one combines praise of God with thankfulness to Jesus. One commentator writes, “I would think that it was highly possible that the other nine... attributed their healings to God. However, they didn't make the connection between God and Jesus of Nazareth. The nine may have been praising God during their whole journey to the temple. The one saw what could only be seen through the eyes of faith—the human Jesus is the power of God. Later, we will be asked to see and believe that the dying Jesus is the power of God.”
It is this clarity of vision that makes the one stand out. It is this clarity of vision that Jesus praises when he says, “Your faith has made you well”—literally, “Your faith has saved you.” All ten were healed, but the faith of the one leads to something far greater. To see the power of God in a lowly human being is truly remarkable. To see the power of God in a crucified Jesus is both foolish and faithful.
Ten lepers are the characters in today’s Gospel story. We are so remote from their context; can we truly imagine ourselves in their shoes? Our culture is not concerned with ritual purity. We are not forced out of our homes, forced to the very edges of society, by our religion. So often, we feel that we do not need to cry out to Jesus for mercy. We’re doing pretty well for ourselves—certainly better than this bunch of lepers, anyway.
Yet perfection is just as unattainable for us as tahor, purity, was for the ten lepers. They sat outside the town, helpless, hopeless. We rush from goal to goal, trying to be good enough... helpless. Hopeless. The truth is, we cannot save ourselves. The good news—the Good News, proclaimed in Luke and the other Gospels—is that we have already been saved. We are in the position of those ten lepers, standing on the road, realizing that they have been healed. We have already been saved by Jesus Christ. The question is, how will we respond?
When I was in college, we would periodically have community meals—for Thanksgiving, for example. All the students were allowed to attend these dinners, regardless of their meal plan. So we all received the benefit of a free meal, one that was nicer than the usual cafeteria fare. But very few of my classmates ever thanked the hosts of these meals. I think they were grateful, but it never occurred to them to go out of their way to express their thankfulness to those who had benefitted them.
Of course, this example pales in comparison to what Jesus has done for us. And giving thanks to the people who made you dinner is very different from giving thanks to Jesus. When that one ex-leper goes back to Jesus, he’s not just being polite. He falls at Jesus’ feet. He is making himself a follower, a disciple of Jesus. To give thanks in this way is far more significant that simply saying “thank you”. Still, most of my college classmates were like the nine lepers, never turning back to give thanks.
So which are you?—one of the nine, or the one who went back? We cannot avoid having our lives transformed by Jesus Christ. God will change us, cleanse us, transform us, just as all ten of those lepers were transformed. It is not optional. But what will happen when you realize that you have been transformed? Will you go on with your life, be a productive member of society, rejoin the ranks of the “normal”? Nothing wrong with that. But would you dare to turn back, to ask yourself, “Who do I have to thank for this new life I’ve received?” Would you dare to see the power of God in a lowly Galilean? Would you dare to see a savior in the cross?
May we all dare to turn back, to fall at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks and praise. May we all dare to be something much more than “normal”—disciples. Amen.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
For the future?
So, my sermon is done (I'm preaching in about 25 minutes), and the class will be over this time tomorrow. The question is, what to do with the blog after that? I've found this method of sermon preparation very helpful. I would love to continue it during internship.
So here's my idea, for my fellow middlers: if there's a small group (five, or maybe six) who want to keep doing this blog loop for sermon preparation, let's do it! We can follow one another's blogs and plan to support one another as we prepare sermons this spring and (especially) during internship.
What do you say?
So here's my idea, for my fellow middlers: if there's a small group (five, or maybe six) who want to keep doing this blog loop for sermon preparation, let's do it! We can follow one another's blogs and plan to support one another as we prepare sermons this spring and (especially) during internship.
What do you say?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sermon Draft
Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers 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' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Ten lepers. It may be difficult for us to identify with or even understand the plight of these ten lowly lepers. They suffered from a skin disease - perhaps what today we would call psoriasis or eczema - but more importantly, they suffered from ritual impurity. Because of their condition, they were excluded from society, forced out of their very homes. It's described in Leviticus: "The person who has the leprous disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.' He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." This treatment may seem cruel to us, and perhaps it was, but we must understand that the ancient people of Israel were very concerned with ritual purity and impurity - what they called tahor and tamei. Most things were tahor, pure, but certain situations or conditions, like these skin diseases, made a person tamei, impure. Impurity was contagious; one impure person could make another person or place impure. Impurity could even infect the Temple, where the people of Israel encountered God. As a result, these ten lepers were dangerous outcasts, kept at a distance, kept away from the rest of society.
When Jesus comes to town, these lepers come out looking for him. Still, they stay at a distance, as they were required to do. They would not dare to infect Jesus with their ritual impurity. But they raise their voices, shouting and begging for mercy. I wonder if these ten even really knew what they were seeking. They do not ask to be cleansed; perhaps they believed it to be impossible. Perhaps they were just begging for a meal. I can't imagine any of them expected what Jesus says in response, however. Jesus does not heal them, does not feed them, does not teach them. He tells them to go to the priests. Here again, we must turn to Leviticus: the law details that, if a person recovered from one of these skin diseases, that person must go to a priest. The priest examines him to make sure he is no longer ill. Then the priest performs a ritual that removes the uncleanliness, makes the person tahor again.
What is odd about Jesus' instruction is that these ten lepers, when they set off to see the priests, are not clean. The outcome would be easy to anticipate: if the lepers go to the priests, the priests recognize that the disease remains, nothing changes. So why bother going at all? Yet these ten lepers immediately set out, following Jesus' instructions. It is then, after they have left, that they are cleansed.
At this point, the focus of the story shifts. This, we discover, is more than just a healing story. Because up until now, we have been hearing about ten lepers. As far as the story is concerned, we have ten identical men in an identical situation, given identical instructions, and granted identical (though certainly miraculous) healing. Now, the group breaks up; nine former lepers continue on to see the priests. No doubt they were declared clean and were able to rejoin society. They could go back to their homes. Jesus freed them from their condition. Jesus broke down the barrier that kept them on the outside.
But one of the ten reacts differently. This one man actually does the opposite of what Jesus commanded. He turns around and goes back the way he had come, back to Jesus. And he does two other things: he praises God and he thanks Jesus. It is important that these actions go together. Jesus himself makes note of it: “ But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” No doubt the other nine men, miraculously restored, praised God as well; but only this one combines praise of God with thankfulness to Jesus. One commentator writes, "I would think that it was highly possible that the other nine... attributed their healings to God. However, they didn't make the connection between God and Jesus of Nazareth. The nine may have been praising God during their whole journey to the temple. The one saw what could only be seen through the eyes of faith—the human Jesus is the power of God. Later, we will be asked to see and believe that the dying Jesus is the power of God."
It is this clarity of vision that makes the one stand out. It is this clarity of vision that Jesus praises when he says, "Your faith has made you well" - literally, "Your faith has saved you." All ten were healed, but the faith of the one leads to something far greater. To see the power of God in a lowly human being is truly remarkable. To see the power of God in a crucified Jesus is both foolish and faithful.
Ten lepers are the characters in today’s Gospel story. We are so remote from their context; can we truly imagine ourselves in their shoes? Our culture is not concerned with ritual purity. We are not forced out of our homes, forced to the very edges of society, by our religion. So often, we feel that we do not need to cry out to Jesus for mercy. We’re doing pretty well for ourselves—certainly better than this bunch of lepers, anyway.
Yet perfection is just as unattainable for us as tahor, purity, was for the ten lepers. They sat outside the town, helpless, hopeless. We rush from goal to goal, trying to be good enough... helpless. Hopeless. The truth is, we cannot save ourselves. The good news—the Good News, proclaimed in Luke and the other Gospels—is that we have already been saved. We are in the position of those ten lepers, standing on the road, realizing that they have been healed. We have already been saved by Jesus Christ. The question is, how will we respond?
When I was in college, we would periodically have community meals—for Thanksgiving, for example. All the students were allowed to attend these dinners, regardless of their meal plan. So we all received the benefit of a free meal, usually one that was nicer than the usual cafeteria fare. But very few of my classmates ever thanked the hosts of these meals. I think they were grateful, but it never occurred to them to go out of their way and express their thankfulness to those who had benefitted them.
Of course, this example pales in comparison to what Jesus has done for us. And giving thanks to the people who made you dinner is very different from giving thanks to Jesus. When that one ex-leper goes back to Jesus, he’s not just being polite. He falls at Jesus’ feet. He is making himself a follower, a disciple of Jesus. To give thanks in this way is far more significant that simply saying “thank you”. Still, most of my college classmates were like the nine lepers, never turning back to give thanks.
So which are you?—one of the nine, or the one who went back? We cannot avoid having our lives transformed by Jesus Christ. God will change us, cleanse us, transform us, just as all ten of those lepers were transformed. It is not optional. But what will happen when you realize that you have been transformed? Will you go on with your life, be a productive member of society, rejoin the ranks of the “normal”? Nothing wrong with that. But would you dare to turn back, to ask yourself, “Who do I have to thank for this new life I’ve received?” Would you dare to see the power of God in a lowly Galilean? Would you dare to see a savior in the cross?
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers 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' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Ten lepers. It may be difficult for us to identify with or even understand the plight of these ten lowly lepers. They suffered from a skin disease - perhaps what today we would call psoriasis or eczema - but more importantly, they suffered from ritual impurity. Because of their condition, they were excluded from society, forced out of their very homes. It's described in Leviticus: "The person who has the leprous disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.' He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." This treatment may seem cruel to us, and perhaps it was, but we must understand that the ancient people of Israel were very concerned with ritual purity and impurity - what they called tahor and tamei. Most things were tahor, pure, but certain situations or conditions, like these skin diseases, made a person tamei, impure. Impurity was contagious; one impure person could make another person or place impure. Impurity could even infect the Temple, where the people of Israel encountered God. As a result, these ten lepers were dangerous outcasts, kept at a distance, kept away from the rest of society.
When Jesus comes to town, these lepers come out looking for him. Still, they stay at a distance, as they were required to do. They would not dare to infect Jesus with their ritual impurity. But they raise their voices, shouting and begging for mercy. I wonder if these ten even really knew what they were seeking. They do not ask to be cleansed; perhaps they believed it to be impossible. Perhaps they were just begging for a meal. I can't imagine any of them expected what Jesus says in response, however. Jesus does not heal them, does not feed them, does not teach them. He tells them to go to the priests. Here again, we must turn to Leviticus: the law details that, if a person recovered from one of these skin diseases, that person must go to a priest. The priest examines him to make sure he is no longer ill. Then the priest performs a ritual that removes the uncleanliness, makes the person tahor again.
What is odd about Jesus' instruction is that these ten lepers, when they set off to see the priests, are not clean. The outcome would be easy to anticipate: if the lepers go to the priests, the priests recognize that the disease remains, nothing changes. So why bother going at all? Yet these ten lepers immediately set out, following Jesus' instructions. It is then, after they have left, that they are cleansed.
At this point, the focus of the story shifts. This, we discover, is more than just a healing story. Because up until now, we have been hearing about ten lepers. As far as the story is concerned, we have ten identical men in an identical situation, given identical instructions, and granted identical (though certainly miraculous) healing. Now, the group breaks up; nine former lepers continue on to see the priests. No doubt they were declared clean and were able to rejoin society. They could go back to their homes. Jesus freed them from their condition. Jesus broke down the barrier that kept them on the outside.
But one of the ten reacts differently. This one man actually does the opposite of what Jesus commanded. He turns around and goes back the way he had come, back to Jesus. And he does two other things: he praises God and he thanks Jesus. It is important that these actions go together. Jesus himself makes note of it: “ But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” No doubt the other nine men, miraculously restored, praised God as well; but only this one combines praise of God with thankfulness to Jesus. One commentator writes, "I would think that it was highly possible that the other nine... attributed their healings to God. However, they didn't make the connection between God and Jesus of Nazareth. The nine may have been praising God during their whole journey to the temple. The one saw what could only be seen through the eyes of faith—the human Jesus is the power of God. Later, we will be asked to see and believe that the dying Jesus is the power of God."
It is this clarity of vision that makes the one stand out. It is this clarity of vision that Jesus praises when he says, "Your faith has made you well" - literally, "Your faith has saved you." All ten were healed, but the faith of the one leads to something far greater. To see the power of God in a lowly human being is truly remarkable. To see the power of God in a crucified Jesus is both foolish and faithful.
Ten lepers are the characters in today’s Gospel story. We are so remote from their context; can we truly imagine ourselves in their shoes? Our culture is not concerned with ritual purity. We are not forced out of our homes, forced to the very edges of society, by our religion. So often, we feel that we do not need to cry out to Jesus for mercy. We’re doing pretty well for ourselves—certainly better than this bunch of lepers, anyway.
Yet perfection is just as unattainable for us as tahor, purity, was for the ten lepers. They sat outside the town, helpless, hopeless. We rush from goal to goal, trying to be good enough... helpless. Hopeless. The truth is, we cannot save ourselves. The good news—the Good News, proclaimed in Luke and the other Gospels—is that we have already been saved. We are in the position of those ten lepers, standing on the road, realizing that they have been healed. We have already been saved by Jesus Christ. The question is, how will we respond?
When I was in college, we would periodically have community meals—for Thanksgiving, for example. All the students were allowed to attend these dinners, regardless of their meal plan. So we all received the benefit of a free meal, usually one that was nicer than the usual cafeteria fare. But very few of my classmates ever thanked the hosts of these meals. I think they were grateful, but it never occurred to them to go out of their way and express their thankfulness to those who had benefitted them.
Of course, this example pales in comparison to what Jesus has done for us. And giving thanks to the people who made you dinner is very different from giving thanks to Jesus. When that one ex-leper goes back to Jesus, he’s not just being polite. He falls at Jesus’ feet. He is making himself a follower, a disciple of Jesus. To give thanks in this way is far more significant that simply saying “thank you”. Still, most of my college classmates were like the nine lepers, never turning back to give thanks.
So which are you?—one of the nine, or the one who went back? We cannot avoid having our lives transformed by Jesus Christ. God will change us, cleanse us, transform us, just as all ten of those lepers were transformed. It is not optional. But what will happen when you realize that you have been transformed? Will you go on with your life, be a productive member of society, rejoin the ranks of the “normal”? Nothing wrong with that. But would you dare to turn back, to ask yourself, “Who do I have to thank for this new life I’ve received?” Would you dare to see the power of God in a lowly Galilean? Would you dare to see a savior in the cross?
Questions About Flickering Pixels
Here are a few questions about last night's reading - chapters 9-12 in Flickering Pixels.
In chapter 10, Hipps contrasts two cell phone commercials. The one with the father and daughter emphasizes how technology can bring us together, while the one with the wedding shows how technology can come between us and keep us apart. Do these two forces perfectly balance one another, or is technology better at one than the other?
Also in chapter 10, Hipps writes, "The human psyche isn't designed to withstand the full gravity of planetary suffering. Numbness and exhaustion are natural reactions. Feeling helpless and hopeless is nearly inevitable. The heart can only stretch so far so many times before it is worn thing and wrung dry." He argues that we should not always respond to where the need seems greatest - perhaps halfway across the world - but we must respond to the people who are near to us, whom we can actually see and touch. Otherwise we risk complete burnout and numbness. Do you agree? (As a side question, how would Hipps' claim about the limits of the human capacity to face suffering relate to our Christology and soteriology?)
In chapter 10, Hipps contrasts two cell phone commercials. The one with the father and daughter emphasizes how technology can bring us together, while the one with the wedding shows how technology can come between us and keep us apart. Do these two forces perfectly balance one another, or is technology better at one than the other?
Also in chapter 10, Hipps writes, "The human psyche isn't designed to withstand the full gravity of planetary suffering. Numbness and exhaustion are natural reactions. Feeling helpless and hopeless is nearly inevitable. The heart can only stretch so far so many times before it is worn thing and wrung dry." He argues that we should not always respond to where the need seems greatest - perhaps halfway across the world - but we must respond to the people who are near to us, whom we can actually see and touch. Otherwise we risk complete burnout and numbness. Do you agree? (As a side question, how would Hipps' claim about the limits of the human capacity to face suffering relate to our Christology and soteriology?)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A Tangent
My brother-in-law sent me this video, and I thought it had a lot to do with our discussion about technology and culture. It's actually about copyright law, but the first 15 minutes of the video are all about how the internet is allowing people today to reclaim culture, to interact and recreate culture in a way that was all but extinguished in the era of radio and television.
It's worth watching.
It's worth watching.
Sermon Outline
In sermon writing, I really struggle with outlining and organizing my sermon. The exegetical work I can do, and I can write the sermon once I know where I'm going, but I have a hard time structuring my ideas in a way that's clear and accessible. In other words, if you're reading this: help!
Here's my tentative outline, but it's open for changes.
Here's my tentative outline, but it's open for changes.
- Introduction: What is going on in this text? Who are the characters? What is at stake? This will include some brief historical information (like the significance of leprosy, the need to go to the priest, what is a Samaritan, etc.).
- The one leper: What makes him extraordinary? What is Jesus' response to him?
- *Central Point* Although all ten lepers were healed, Jesus praises the faith of the one leper who sees in Jesus what the others do not.
- Application: How does this influence our understanding of discipleship today? In what way are we like the nine lepers, and how can we be like the one leper?
Sermon Preparation, Part Four: Nine Obedient Lepers and One Grateful Leper
I am reflecting on the distinction between the nine lepers and the one. They are all the same in their condition, their request for mercy, and their instructions from Jesus. However, the nine lepers do what Jesus says down to the letter. They go off to see the priests, are cleansed along the way, and (presumably) are declared clean and accepted back into society. The tenth leper is disobedient. He never goes to see a priest, it seems. He discovers he has been cleansed and turns around and goes back to Jesus. Whereas the other nine lepers are characterized by obedience, this last leper is characterized by thankfulness.
I was reading the exegetical commentary on CrossMarks, and it really struck me. Stoffregen writes,
What makes the one leper stand out is that he connected his glorification of God with his gratitude to Jesus. By returning to Jesus, this one showed his faith, obstinate, disobedient faith. Jesus cleansed all ten (proof of grace!), but this one saw something in Jesus that the other nine did not. Jesus says, "Your faith has saved you." Regarding these words, Stoffregen quotes Green: "Here, something more than healing must be intended, since (1) the efficacy of faith is mentioned and (2) all ten lepers experienced cleansing. The Samaritan was not only cleansed, but on account of faith gained something more -- namely, insight into Jesus' role in the inbreaking kingdom. He is enabled to see and is thus enlightened, itself a metaphor for redemption."
I was reading the exegetical commentary on CrossMarks, and it really struck me. Stoffregen writes,
Note v. 15 in our text. The one healed leper "praises (or glorifies) God with a loud voice." Tannehill (Luke) asks, "Why is it necessary to return and praise God?" [p. 257 emphasis in original]
That's a good question. Can't God be praised everywhere? Wouldn't the priest he was traveling to see be somewhere near a worship center? Wouldn't that be the place to praise God?
Tannehill gives his comments: "Presumably God could be praised elsewhere. Yet it is assumed in the story that praising God and thanking Jesus should go together." [p. 257-8]
The place to praise God is at the feet of Jesus. Faith, beyond being a response of thanksgiving, is seeing the connection between praising God and worshiping (illustrated by falling on one's face at his feet) and thanking Jesus. However, Luke may be telling us a bit more in v. 16. The word for "thanks" is eucharisteo. This word is used four times in Luke. Twice it is used of Jesus "giving thanks" over the cup and the bread in the upper room (22:17, 19). Although it might be exegetical stretch, we might connect praising God with participating in the "eucharist" -- an act of thanksgiving in the presence of Jesus.
Related to this, I would think that it was highly possible that the other nine may have attributed their healings to God. However, they didn't make the connection between God and Jesus of Nazareth. The nine may have been praising God during their whole journey to the temple. The one saw what could only be seen through the eyes of faith -- the human Jesus is the power of God. Later, we will be asked to see and believe that the dying Jesus is the power of God.
What makes the one leper stand out is that he connected his glorification of God with his gratitude to Jesus. By returning to Jesus, this one showed his faith, obstinate, disobedient faith. Jesus cleansed all ten (proof of grace!), but this one saw something in Jesus that the other nine did not. Jesus says, "Your faith has saved you." Regarding these words, Stoffregen quotes Green: "Here, something more than healing must be intended, since (1) the efficacy of faith is mentioned and (2) all ten lepers experienced cleansing. The Samaritan was not only cleansed, but on account of faith gained something more -- namely, insight into Jesus' role in the inbreaking kingdom. He is enabled to see and is thus enlightened, itself a metaphor for redemption."
Sermon Preparation, Part Three
Here's a quick list of resources I'm using so far:
Anchor Bible Commentary on Luke, by Joseph Fitzmyer
Accordance Bible software (thank God for Bible software!)
Dylan's Lectionary Blog - www.sarahlaughed.net (here is the link for Luke)
CrossMarks Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen
I'll update this as I find more sources.
Just as an aside, Dr. VH posted this up on his CrossMarks website. I don't think I can use it directly, but it cracked me up. Makes me want to just print his finished sermon off the internet and read it to the class!
Anchor Bible Commentary on Luke, by Joseph Fitzmyer
Accordance Bible software (thank God for Bible software!)
Dylan's Lectionary Blog - www.sarahlaughed.net (here is the link for Luke)
CrossMarks Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen
I'll update this as I find more sources.
Just as an aside, Dr. VH posted this up on his CrossMarks website. I don't think I can use it directly, but it cracked me up. Makes me want to just print his finished sermon off the internet and read it to the class!
Sermon Preparation, Part Two
When I start doing exegesis for a sermon, I like to start by diving into the text. I ask questions, point out things that surprise or confuse me, try to pick up on themes, and so forth, drawing just from my initial interaction with the text. Then I go to the commentaries and start doing the serious research. So in this post, I'm just going to write my initial reaction to the text and start to pick up on some questions or themes I might want to pursue.
The story begins by noting that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem. Whenever I read this, I am reminded that the whole gospel narrative is building up to the final days of Jesus' life, when he goes to Jerusalem, is arrested, crucified, buried, and finally raised. This healing story cannot be read in isolation from those ultimate events.
Then the narrative introduces ten lepers. Immediately, I am thinking that these lepers are unclean, kept on the fringes of society, rejected by family and religion, probably in a very desperate situation. The lepers approach but keep their distance; it sounds like they are desperate to encounter Jesus but know their place. They won't come too close because they know their unclean state is contagious. In this respect, they seem respectful of Jesus; they want to talk to him but don't want to cause him trouble. At the same time, this distance emphasizes how tragic their situation is. They are bound and held back by their condition, unable to truly approach Jesus.
The lepers call out to Jesus, bridging the distance with their voices. They call Jesus "Master" and ask for mercy. These two terms are interesting to me. What is the significance of calling Jesus "Master"? Perhaps they are drawing on the patron system of their time, considering Jesus a patron who could help them? And why are they asking for mercy? Are they suggesting (can they even imagine) that Jesus could heal them and make them clean? Or are they just begging for a handout? Or are they asking for something else entirely?
Jesus sees (or looks at) the lepers, then tells them to show themselves to the priests. This is a strange order, since unclean lepers would not be allowed to come near the priests, who must remain pure. If I were one of these lepers, I would probably say, "I can't do that," and just give up. These lepers go, however, and as they are going, they are cleansed (literally, they become clean). The text does not explicitly say that Jesus cleansed them; in fact, it gives no reason at all. One of the lepers, seeing that he is healed (interesting that a different verb is used: "cleansed" in v. 14 and "healed" in v. 15), comes back, glorifying God. He falls at Jesus' feet and thanks him. So this leper does three things that stand out: he comes back, he glorifies God, and he thanks Jesus. There is no indication that the other nine lepers did any of those things. We also learn that this one leper is exceptional for another reason - he is a Samaritan. Samaritans were the people left behind in the Exile, rejected by the rest of the Jews when they returned from Babylon. As a result, this leper would have been looked down on by other Jews, perhaps even by the other nine lepers.
Jesus also points out that this one leper is unique. He says, "Were not ten made clean?" (so he knows that the cleansing happened, even though he apparently was not present for it) and asks, "But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Reading this, I get the impression that Jesus is viewing the one leper positively. I'm thinking that the other nine should have given glory to God. It also strikes me that Jesus emphasizes that the leper glorified God but does not mention that the leper gave thanks to Jesus.
Jesus' final words are the most difficult for me. He says, "Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." The Greek verb here is neither "cleansed" nor "healed," which appeared earlier in the passage, but literally "saved". Clearly, faith did not cleanse or heal this one leper as opposed to the other nine; all ten were cleansed. Rather, this unique leper stands out in Jesus' view for praising God, and Jesus concludes that the leper's faith has saved him. For me, this is the key; I want to wrestle more with this one leper and Jesus' statement, "Your faith has saved you."
The story begins by noting that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem. Whenever I read this, I am reminded that the whole gospel narrative is building up to the final days of Jesus' life, when he goes to Jerusalem, is arrested, crucified, buried, and finally raised. This healing story cannot be read in isolation from those ultimate events.
Then the narrative introduces ten lepers. Immediately, I am thinking that these lepers are unclean, kept on the fringes of society, rejected by family and religion, probably in a very desperate situation. The lepers approach but keep their distance; it sounds like they are desperate to encounter Jesus but know their place. They won't come too close because they know their unclean state is contagious. In this respect, they seem respectful of Jesus; they want to talk to him but don't want to cause him trouble. At the same time, this distance emphasizes how tragic their situation is. They are bound and held back by their condition, unable to truly approach Jesus.
The lepers call out to Jesus, bridging the distance with their voices. They call Jesus "Master" and ask for mercy. These two terms are interesting to me. What is the significance of calling Jesus "Master"? Perhaps they are drawing on the patron system of their time, considering Jesus a patron who could help them? And why are they asking for mercy? Are they suggesting (can they even imagine) that Jesus could heal them and make them clean? Or are they just begging for a handout? Or are they asking for something else entirely?
Jesus sees (or looks at) the lepers, then tells them to show themselves to the priests. This is a strange order, since unclean lepers would not be allowed to come near the priests, who must remain pure. If I were one of these lepers, I would probably say, "I can't do that," and just give up. These lepers go, however, and as they are going, they are cleansed (literally, they become clean). The text does not explicitly say that Jesus cleansed them; in fact, it gives no reason at all. One of the lepers, seeing that he is healed (interesting that a different verb is used: "cleansed" in v. 14 and "healed" in v. 15), comes back, glorifying God. He falls at Jesus' feet and thanks him. So this leper does three things that stand out: he comes back, he glorifies God, and he thanks Jesus. There is no indication that the other nine lepers did any of those things. We also learn that this one leper is exceptional for another reason - he is a Samaritan. Samaritans were the people left behind in the Exile, rejected by the rest of the Jews when they returned from Babylon. As a result, this leper would have been looked down on by other Jews, perhaps even by the other nine lepers.
Jesus also points out that this one leper is unique. He says, "Were not ten made clean?" (so he knows that the cleansing happened, even though he apparently was not present for it) and asks, "But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Reading this, I get the impression that Jesus is viewing the one leper positively. I'm thinking that the other nine should have given glory to God. It also strikes me that Jesus emphasizes that the leper glorified God but does not mention that the leper gave thanks to Jesus.
Jesus' final words are the most difficult for me. He says, "Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." The Greek verb here is neither "cleansed" nor "healed," which appeared earlier in the passage, but literally "saved". Clearly, faith did not cleanse or heal this one leper as opposed to the other nine; all ten were cleansed. Rather, this unique leper stands out in Jesus' view for praising God, and Jesus concludes that the leper's faith has saved him. For me, this is the key; I want to wrestle more with this one leper and Jesus' statement, "Your faith has saved you."
Sermon Preparation, Part One
Part of our project for this course is to write a sermon and blog about the process. I'll begin by posting my text. I don't have any preaching opportunities in the near future, so I picked a Sunday coming up this fall (when I'll be on internship). The date is October 10, and the lectionary readings are Jeremiah 29:1,4-7 or 2 Kings 5:1-3,7-15c, Psalm 66:1-12, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, and Luke 17:11-19 (see here). I decided to focus on the gospel text, so I'll reprint it here (NRSV translation):
Luke 17:11-19
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Using Bible Gateway, I looked up some other translations for comparison.
NIV: 11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Message: 11-13It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
14-16Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.
17-19Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."
KJV: 11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 17:11-19
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Using Bible Gateway, I looked up some other translations for comparison.
NIV: 11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Message: 11-13It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
14-16Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.
17-19Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."
KJV: 11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Reflection on Flickering Pixels
Flickering Pixels, by Shane Hipps, is our assigned textbook for this course. I've read about half of it now (chapters 1-8). Hipps is an advertising and marketing guy who apparently had a change of heart and moved away from his lucrative career in search of a more faithful way of living. (A good pastor friend of mine has a strikingly similar story, actually.) For today's class, our professor asked us to find three interesting statements from the book and comment on them. There is certainly a lot of food for thought, but I will try to pull out just three passages and reflect on them below.
One of the first statements Hipps makes is that "Christianity is fundamentally a communication event. The religion is predicated on God revealing [God's] self to humanity... Any serious study of God is a study of communication, and any effort to understand God is shaped by our understanding - or misunderstanding - of the media and technology we use to communicate" (p 13). While this might be a case of seeing in God whatever happens to be most interesting to the individual, I think Hipps' claim is worth considering. The story of God's relationship with humanity - from the people of Israel to the early Christians and down through to our own time - is filled with examples of how God communicates with us and how we seek to communicate (or sometimes avoid communication) with God. God walks in the garden, appears to Moses in the burning bush, speaks through the prophets, and becomes incarnate in Jesus Christ. How does God communicate with us today? And how do our own culture and society affect how we see God? These are questions I can barely begin to answer, but they certainly seem important. Do I expect God to communicate in certain ways because of when and where and how I was raised? Probably so. Does God subvert my expectations? Absolutely. I'm willing to continue with Hipps in order to understand how my own experience of communication influences my understanding of God.
In discussing media, broadly defined, Hipps claims that "the various media through which we acquire information are not neutral. Instead, they have the power to shape us, regardless of content, and we cannot evaluate them based solely on their content. McLuhan challenges the notion that if a medium dispenses violence or sex, it is bad, but if it dispenses Christian content, it is good" (p 26). Since we usually focus so much on content, I find it difficult to pull back from the content and look at the medium itself (for the record, I have never been able to do those "Magic Eye" puzzles). However, I was thinking about the example of television as a medium. It strikes me that the "Christian" television stations have more in common with the rest of secular TV than they have with communal worship in a church or private prayer and meditation. In other words, I can see how the medium is more of a uniting factor than content. Considering language itself as a medium, I am convinced that I actually think differently - experience the world differently - than someone whose native language was ancient Hebrew. Hebrew doesn't have verb tenses the way English does. In particular, they have no present tense. Wouldn't that language, then, lend itself to thinking about the span of past and future more than one present moment? Wouldn't the people of that language think of God differently than I do? The English language is a medium through which I take in information. It is not neutral in itself.
One of the modern innovations that has profoundly affected the world around us is the accessibility of images. The invention and development of the camera, video, and more recently Photoshop and YouTube mean that our society is flooded with images. Hipps says, "Image culture dramatically shapes the way we think. It also determines what we think about. Images are not well-suited to articulate arguments, categories, or abstractions. They are far better suited for presenting impressions and experiences" (p 77). Since we are surrounded by images, we are less able to follow long, abstract chains of reasoning (perhaps that's why I could never understand Aristotle), and more able to grasp wholistic experiences. This has implications for our preaching, as Hipps points out. We are not in an age of four-hour long sermons full of long, complicated arguments. However, we are in an age that is better able to experience the stories of Jesus and perhaps to apply them to our own lives. As a preacher, I wonder how much we should embrace this aspect of culture and how much we should fight against it. I would like to think that a balance is both necessary and possible; we need rational arguments and theology as well as intuition and experience.
One of the first statements Hipps makes is that "Christianity is fundamentally a communication event. The religion is predicated on God revealing [God's] self to humanity... Any serious study of God is a study of communication, and any effort to understand God is shaped by our understanding - or misunderstanding - of the media and technology we use to communicate" (p 13). While this might be a case of seeing in God whatever happens to be most interesting to the individual, I think Hipps' claim is worth considering. The story of God's relationship with humanity - from the people of Israel to the early Christians and down through to our own time - is filled with examples of how God communicates with us and how we seek to communicate (or sometimes avoid communication) with God. God walks in the garden, appears to Moses in the burning bush, speaks through the prophets, and becomes incarnate in Jesus Christ. How does God communicate with us today? And how do our own culture and society affect how we see God? These are questions I can barely begin to answer, but they certainly seem important. Do I expect God to communicate in certain ways because of when and where and how I was raised? Probably so. Does God subvert my expectations? Absolutely. I'm willing to continue with Hipps in order to understand how my own experience of communication influences my understanding of God.
In discussing media, broadly defined, Hipps claims that "the various media through which we acquire information are not neutral. Instead, they have the power to shape us, regardless of content, and we cannot evaluate them based solely on their content. McLuhan challenges the notion that if a medium dispenses violence or sex, it is bad, but if it dispenses Christian content, it is good" (p 26). Since we usually focus so much on content, I find it difficult to pull back from the content and look at the medium itself (for the record, I have never been able to do those "Magic Eye" puzzles). However, I was thinking about the example of television as a medium. It strikes me that the "Christian" television stations have more in common with the rest of secular TV than they have with communal worship in a church or private prayer and meditation. In other words, I can see how the medium is more of a uniting factor than content. Considering language itself as a medium, I am convinced that I actually think differently - experience the world differently - than someone whose native language was ancient Hebrew. Hebrew doesn't have verb tenses the way English does. In particular, they have no present tense. Wouldn't that language, then, lend itself to thinking about the span of past and future more than one present moment? Wouldn't the people of that language think of God differently than I do? The English language is a medium through which I take in information. It is not neutral in itself.
One of the modern innovations that has profoundly affected the world around us is the accessibility of images. The invention and development of the camera, video, and more recently Photoshop and YouTube mean that our society is flooded with images. Hipps says, "Image culture dramatically shapes the way we think. It also determines what we think about. Images are not well-suited to articulate arguments, categories, or abstractions. They are far better suited for presenting impressions and experiences" (p 77). Since we are surrounded by images, we are less able to follow long, abstract chains of reasoning (perhaps that's why I could never understand Aristotle), and more able to grasp wholistic experiences. This has implications for our preaching, as Hipps points out. We are not in an age of four-hour long sermons full of long, complicated arguments. However, we are in an age that is better able to experience the stories of Jesus and perhaps to apply them to our own lives. As a preacher, I wonder how much we should embrace this aspect of culture and how much we should fight against it. I would like to think that a balance is both necessary and possible; we need rational arguments and theology as well as intuition and experience.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Is Technology Value-Neutral? A Discussion of "How the Internet Shapes Religious Life"
One of our first readings for the Preaching and Technology course is "How the Internet Shapes Religious Life, or the Medium Is Itself the Message." The author, J.M. van der Laan, argues that technology, particularly the internet, is not value-neutral. Van der Laan believes that the church has an "ancient mandate and fundamental obligation to challenge and question the world, a world now governed and shaped by technology, a world that conforms to the values of technology." The church, according to this view, should not embrace technology, but rather should strive to be counter-cultural.
I felt that van der Laan's argument was somewhat overstated. I agree that there are pitfalls and dangers in technology, but I felt that van der Laan was using hyperbole to make the internet seem more diabolical than it is. He anthropomorphizes the internet into a kind of false god, claiming, "Nets and Webs ensnare, capture, and hold the prey. Like religion, the Internet or the World Wide Web binds us back to itself. In the same way, the Net or Web now replaces religion as our source of knowledge, inspiration, and meaning." The internet is not a living organism with a mind of its own. It is a collection of a vast amount of information, but all of that information is coming from human beings somewhere on this planet. Certainly, not all human effort or endeavor is good. However, van der Laan seems to argue that Christians must eschew all technology or lose all hope of the "unconditional commitment" (using the language of Kierkegaard) that is faith.
I agree in principle that medium is not value-neutral. Information found on the internet is not unrelated to the medium by which it is transmitted. However, the same can be said of any medium - books, the spoken word, music, and so forth. It is impossible to have any value-neutral medium, and likewise impossible to have a mediumless message. Christians cannot abandon technology in favor of extreme counter-culturalism; if we refuse to use any medium on the grounds that it is not value-neutral, we lose any chance of proclaiming our message. Without media, whether the internet or anything else, Christianity's message is silenced. No doubt, we must take care in how a medium is used - Luther was cautious about the use of music as a medium, but nonetheless took full advantange of its power. The same is true today with regard to the internet. We cannot do without it, but we must be careful how we use it.
I felt that van der Laan's argument was somewhat overstated. I agree that there are pitfalls and dangers in technology, but I felt that van der Laan was using hyperbole to make the internet seem more diabolical than it is. He anthropomorphizes the internet into a kind of false god, claiming, "Nets and Webs ensnare, capture, and hold the prey. Like religion, the Internet or the World Wide Web binds us back to itself. In the same way, the Net or Web now replaces religion as our source of knowledge, inspiration, and meaning." The internet is not a living organism with a mind of its own. It is a collection of a vast amount of information, but all of that information is coming from human beings somewhere on this planet. Certainly, not all human effort or endeavor is good. However, van der Laan seems to argue that Christians must eschew all technology or lose all hope of the "unconditional commitment" (using the language of Kierkegaard) that is faith.
I agree in principle that medium is not value-neutral. Information found on the internet is not unrelated to the medium by which it is transmitted. However, the same can be said of any medium - books, the spoken word, music, and so forth. It is impossible to have any value-neutral medium, and likewise impossible to have a mediumless message. Christians cannot abandon technology in favor of extreme counter-culturalism; if we refuse to use any medium on the grounds that it is not value-neutral, we lose any chance of proclaiming our message. Without media, whether the internet or anything else, Christianity's message is silenced. No doubt, we must take care in how a medium is used - Luther was cautious about the use of music as a medium, but nonetheless took full advantange of its power. The same is true today with regard to the internet. We cannot do without it, but we must be careful how we use it.
New Blog!
I'm starting a new blog for my J-Term course, Preaching and Technology. Here's my first post!
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