CAMINANDO WITH JESUS: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Brendan Murphy on October 9, 2019

Pentecost 18, Proper 23 | October 13, 2019

By the Rev. Matt Johnson


CAMINANDO WITH JESUS is a series of reflections on the Sunday Gospel by clergy and laity from across the Diocese. 

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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.

– Luke 17:11-19


There’s a scene in the movie Office Space (1999) when a waitress, Joanna, is confronted by her manager, Stan, about how many buttons (pieces of “flair”) she wears on her uniform: 

Stan: We need to talk about your flair.
Joanna:  Really? I… I have 15 pieces on. I, also…
Stan: Well, okay. Fifteen is the minimum, okay?
Joanna:  Okay.
Stan: Now, you know it’s up to you whether or not you want to just do the bare minimum. Or… well, like Brian, for example, has 37 pieces of flair, okay. And a terrific smile.
Joanna:  Okay. So you… you want me to wear more?

Joanna is clearly annoyed that Stan isn’t being clear about his expectations—if he wants her to wear more buttons, he should just ask her to wear more buttons.  

I was getting a little frustrated with Jesus in this passage for the same reasons as Joanna with Stan. When Jesus asks “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?” I want to reply “They’ve probably gone to show themselves to the priests, like you told them. If you wanted them to come back and give thanks, you should have said that.” In the verse before this passage Jesus tells the disciples, “When you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” If the “other nine” have gone to the priests like Jesus commanded, then they have done their duty—they’ve done enough. 

I had assumed that Jesus’ question contained an implied reprimand of the “other nine” for not returning, but Luke doesn’t actually tell us anything about how Jesus felt or the tone of his voice. And Jesus doesn’t wait for a reply, which makes it even more difficult to figure out his motivation for asking about the other nine. Maybe the question is an expression of Jesus’ surprise that the 10 didn’t stick together. He may not have expected any of them (especially the Samaritan) to return; but if one did, why didn’t the rest? After all, they had come as a group and called out in unison to ask for healing, so why aren’t they giving thanks with one voice? 

Following the example of Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach to the Christian formation of children, I continue to wonder about how Jesus felt. I wonder if his surprise that the Samaritan returned was tinged with sadness that the others didn’t. From the shepherds in the fields who “keep watch” (Luke 2:8) to followers of Christ who witness the growth of the early church (e.g. Acts 13:48), one of Luke’s recurring motifs is sight followed by an expression of gratitude—when we see the love of God, we can’t help but “stammer thanks.” [1] The Samaritan follows this pattern: he “saw that he was healed” and returned to give thanks. His sight and gratitude of what God has done is the faith that has made him “well” (which could also be translated “whole” or “saved”). Even if Jesus didn’t expect any of those who had been healed to return, he may still have been saddened that the other nine have missed this opportunity to know wholeness. 

I wonder how often I’ve been like the other nine, running off to do my duty and missing an opportunity to pause, even for a moment, open my eyes to see God’s saving grace, and give thanks. I wonder how often we as a community have gone off to do what is required without making the time to see and be grateful. Like the Samaritan who calls out to Jesus then returns to offer thanks, Anne Lamott says that she begins each day praying “Help me. Help me. Help me.” and ends it with “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Easy as that sounds, amid the “cares and occupations of our life” (Book of Common Prayer, pg. 100), it can feel overwhelming to make time for God—just one more thing to do on the reminders list. It’s a comfort to know that Jesus heals even when we don’t notice and forget to give thanks. Sometimes we’re the Samaritan, and sometimes we’re the other nine; but no matter what we do or don’t do, Jesus continues to walk at our side, offer us wholeness, and pray with us: “Help me. Help me. Help me… Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

[1] Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics III/3, my translation.

The Rev. Matt Johnson is the rector at Church of the Good Shepherd, Rocky Mount.

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