Our Duty

Our Duty
Luke 17:11-19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, 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 cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In the name of Christ:

On a trip to India some years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Varanasi. How can I describe this ancient city to do it justice? I can think of two words, cesspool or sewer comes to mind. Varanasi is considered one of the holy cities of India, where one would find the Ganges River. I had heard much about the Ganges River, but my reading and everything that I had heard did not and could not prepare me for what was to follow. After we had got off the bus, the aroma was pungent; the stench of a local crematory filled the air. The streets were filled with animal and human waste. We were literally walking on dung. There was filth all around us. As we walked through the streets, we were approached by beggars and by lepers. I had never seen a leper in my life, but now I was up close and personal, too personal for my own comfort level. Fingers and toes of lepers were not existent, having fallen off due to the disease. I witnessed blind lepers, mute lepers, and lame lepers, lepers of all sizes, shapes, and colors. It was if our party had walked into a modern day leper colony. There were a range of emotions that flowed through my being, not the least of which were fear and repulsion.
We hastened down to the Ganges River to see the ceremonial washing, where it is believed that washing in the river would wash away ones sins. But wait, the river looked and smelled like the sewer that it was. People bathing and washing and brushing their teeth, it literally turned my stomach. The trip back to the bus was a quick one, and I hoped that the bus driver would floor it to get our traveling party out of the Hellhole called Varanasi.
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus came upon a village. There: ten lepers, who stood at a distance because they were unclean, met him. Seeing Jesus they called out in a loud voice: Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us. And Jesus did. In keeping with the Law, for Jesus always kept the Law, He told the lepers to go show themselves to the priests, for only the priests could declare the unclean clean. On the way to the priests, they were cleansed and one, seeing that he was made clean, returned to thank God. He fell down at Jesus feet and sang the Doxology in a loud voice: Praise God from whom all blessings flow! This man was not a Jew, not a member of God’s chosen people, no; he was an outsider, a Samaritan. He returned to thank God. And Jesus, seeing His faith, gave him not only his health, but also gave him heaven.
That is what Jesus does. That is His God given job, His duty, His calling. The Scriptures say that while we were yet sinners, Christ came down from heaven to save sinners. I thought about that as I walked through the streets of the Hellhole sewer called Varanasi. Jesus came down from heaven because He loved these people. Walking in human filth reminded me of my own sinfulness and of how He who knew no sin became sin for us. Christ came down from heaven, walked and lived in this sinful stench of a world, and He was not repulsed. He did not withdraw Himself from those in need. No, He had mercy. Undeserved love. Pity. Jesus gave Himself to humanity, as a gift. Lepers came to Him to be touched, and Jesus reached out His hand. Sinners came to Jesus and He forgave. Dead people could not come to Jesus so He gave them life. As hard as sinners try to wash away their sinfulness they cannot, such is the filth that we live in. So Jesus gives a holy washing, a simple washing whereby water is connected to His Word to really forgive, to give faith, deliver from the death and the devil, and to empower people to live in thankfulness to God.
As repulsed as I was in Varanasi, I thought of how I would have responded if someone showed mercy to me in that situation. Would I be grateful, or would I forget to say thanks? Looking back at my travel and of the people I saw, I have no doubt that if I was in that state, and if Someone cured me of my leprosy, that I would really be thankful.
Someone has. For I am no better than they, and truth be told, neither are you. We are in bondage to sin and we cannot free ourselves. We are enslaved to sin, we live in filth everyday and God is not pleased. Death is our just punishment, for the soul that sins will most truly die. And yet Christ came to show mercy, to be mercy, to have mercy upon us. Each and every one of us. In the water and the Word we have freely received His mercy. We have tasted His mercy and it is good in the Supper that He instituted. God’s mercy in Christ lasts forever!
And yet, what is our response? How do we react? If we are honest, we are less than satisfied with what God has done for us. We complain that we don’t have enough, we are angered when wronged, we fear death, which God has defeated, we grumble when things do not go our way, we live at times as a most miserable people!
But we are forgiven! God has said so, but we don’t seem to appreciate it, or thank God for it. While we would like to think that we can relate to the one leper who returned to give thanks, our lives give evidence that we are more like the nine who went on to live unthankful lives, as if Jesus had not done anything for them.
Our Lord still, though is merciful to those who need mercy. And boy, do we need mercy. Recognizing your sinful state, God calls you to repentance. Confess you sins to Jesus, for He is faithful and just and He forgives you of your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness.
And forgiven we are set free. Free from our transgressions, free from the guilt and punishment that we so richly deserve. We are free to do our duty to God. To love Him with all of our heart, to show love to those in need, to reach out as Jesus did, being merciful to those in need of mercy. Just as we have received God’s mercy, so also we are called to share it. Or as Luther says, that you were bought with a price, not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Jesus, for which it is now your duty to thank, praise, serve and obey Him.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen