By Father Paul Nord, O.S.B.
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: 2 Kings 5:14-17; Response: Psalm 98:1-4; Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
Today’s first reading and Gospel contain cases of leprosy. Meanwhile, Paul suffers in prison. First, we hear of Elisha, a prophet who was active in the “Northern Kingdom” of Israel. “Naaman was the army commander of the king of Aram” (2 Kings 5:1). The kingdom of “Aram” (also called “Syria) was north of Israel. With his army, the King of Aram had seized several of Israel’s cities — as recorded in 1 Kings 15:20.
Naaman was afflicted with leprosy. He heard that the prophet Elisha had healed many people. Although Naaman belonged to an enemy kingdom, he asked his king (of Aram) to write a letter to the king of Israel, asking that he arrange for “my servant Naaman” to be healed. The king of Israel feared that this request was a trap.
But Elisha sent a message to the king of Israel, encouraging the king to send Naaman to Elisha for healing. When Naaman came, Elisha sent him this message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean” (2 Kings 5:10). This made Naaman angry. He was an important person, and he expected a personal encounter with the prophet Elisha, not a mere message. Also, Naaman grumbled that he just as easily could have washed in the rivers of his own kingdom of Aram.
Despite this, Naaman obeys Elisha. “Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times” (2 Kings 5:14). Thus, Naaman was healed of his leprosy. In his gratitude, Naaman returns to thank Elisha, and Naaman declares, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”
Naaman vows: “I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD” (God of Israel). From the kingdom of Israel, Naaman requests “two mule-loads of earth.” Since Naaman vows to offer holocausts/sacrifices only to the God of Israel, he also wants soil from the holy land of Israel. Being healed has led Naaman to this belief and sacrificial practice.
Our second reading depicts the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy. Paul was a spiritual father to Timothy, while they both sought to follow Christ Jesus. Paul encourages Timothy to persevere despite suffering and persecution.
Paul is suffering and bound with chains; he reminds Timothy of this. Paul powerfully proclaims: “But the word of God is not chained.” Paul knows that authorities will be unable to restrict the spreading of “the word of God” — salvation in Christ. Paul’s imprisonment will not stop the Gospel. Rather, Paul’s perseverance in suffering is itself a proclamation of the Gospel of Christ crucified.
Paul then provides a beautiful and compact description of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him.” Jesus promises us eternal life with God, but we must participate in Christ’s suffering and death in this life. The next two phrases make this contrast: “if we persevere” versus “if we deny him.” Persevering in faith means proclaiming Christ Jesus as savior, and enduring whatever suffering befalls us. If we do this, “we shall also reign with him” in God’s kingdom, which Christ brings. Otherwise, “he will deny us” because we first denied him. We deny him if we fail to show that we are Jesus’ disciples by accepting suffering as he did on the cross.
The final verse says: “If we are unfaithful (Christ) remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). This is quite similar to Paul’s words in Romans 3:3-4: “What if some were unfaithful? Will their infidelity nullify the fidelity of God? Of course not!” Here, “infidelity” is a failure to keep God’s law. God remains faithful to his promises, despite our infidelity. God continues to offer us life through Jesus Christ. God allows us the opportunity to repent of our infidelity and receive life in Christ.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus travels “through Samaria and Galilee.” Galilee had both Jewish and Gentile populations. Samaria was home to the Samaritans, who had conflicted relations with the Jews. Although Jesus is traveling to the Jewish capital of Jerusalem, his Gospel is for all peoples.
John’s Gospel tells of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well. Only Luke’s Gospel has Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, who had compassion on the man who fell victim to robbers. Similarly, only Luke’s Gospel has this account of the “grateful Samaritan healed leper.”
“As (Jesus) was entering a village, ten lepers met him.” Since they were required to self-quarantine, the lepers were forbidden to enter the village. The lepers were waiting close to the village gate, ready to ask people for food or other assistance. But the lepers knew that they must not approach too closely, lest people fear catching their disease.
The lepers call out to Jesus by name as he begins to enter the village. Despite their social isolation, even the lepers have heard of Jesus and are able to recognize him. Further, the lepers would know that Jesus had healed many people. So they ask Jesus for healing: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” They actually call Jesus by the Greek title “epistates.” This appears only in Luke’s Gospel within the New Testament. Ancient Greek society had a wide variety of respectful titles for authority figures, which may be translated as “Master.” Modern egalitarian society minimizes the use of such titles.
The gratitude of the healed Samaritan causes him to search for Jesus, who had likely remained in the village for a time. The healed Samaritan was now able to enter the village, so he could seek Jesus there. Jesus calls attention to the apparent ingratitude of the other nine lepers who had likewise been healed. Jesus tells the healed Samaritan leper: “Your faith has saved you.” Thus, Jesus points to a Samaritan as a model of faith. Likewise, in Luke 10, the Good Samaritan is a model of “love of neighbor” within Jesus’ parable.