Where Are the Nine?

Luke 17:11-19

I have always wondered about that story of the ten lepers who were described briefly in our gospel lesson for today. Ten lepers were healed of their disease, but only one came back to Jesus to say, "Thank you." And Jesus asked, "Where are the nine?"

What first really got me to wonder about that story was the time I was looking for the uses of the number nine in the bible. Have you ever done something like that, where you take a concordance and look up a word to see what the Bible says about it?	My wife, Linda, and I were right out of seminary and working with two other ministers in a newly formed nine church parish out in Iowa. Those nine churches ranged in size from very small, struggling churches, to a couple fairly average sized churches. And there they were, all together, in a cooperative parish known as the Hope Parish. And I remember that as we formed that nine church parish we really tried to find something biblical about it. After all, some of the people in the churches were not exactly happy with the arrangement. For some reason some of them just couldn't fathom having to work together with so many other churches to get pastoral ministry.

So, I remember how the four of us pastors working in that large parish sat down and tried to find something biblical to support what we were doing with those nine churches. I mean, it would have been wonderful if we could have come up with a scripture about nine angels, or nine disciples, or even nine faithful churches. So, I remember getting out my concordance. And I looked up the number "nine."

I was amazed to find that the number nine only appears in the bible seventeen times, which is not very often. It appears first in the book of Numbers in the 29th chapter. It reads, "On the fifth day prepare nine bulls. . ." Now, somehow I didn't think that a scripture about nine bulls would be suitable.

Then, in the book of Joshua there's a scripture listing all the towns that belonged to Judah, including nine towns that were listed. But that didn't seem to be very exciting.

Then, there's the story about Goliath, who was nine feet tall. But, he was the bad guy in the story, so we couldn't use him.

Then, there is the story in Nehemiah about how the people cast lots in order to choose who would live in Jerusalem -- one out of every ten would get the exciting honor of moving into Jerusalem, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. But, again, that wasn't too exciting, either.

And, finally, there was this story about the ten lepers who were healed, with only one coming back to say "thank you." But, somehow, we all decided that this story wouldn't work, either. Not one of us could figure out how to apply a story about nine despicable, thank-less lepers to the nine churches of our parish. After all, no one wants to be thought of as not being thankful to God for the things he has done for us. So, we gave up on the number nine.

There's a book, however, that came out and was just beginning to get popular at about the same time we were in that parish. It is the book by Martin Bell, The Way of the Wolf. In that book there is a story about this scripture passage. And the story asks the serious question: "Just what were the nine other healed lepers doing that they didn't come back to give their thanks?"

Here's what Martin Bell says those other nine were doing:

". . . It's simple really. One of them was frightened -- that's all. He didn't understand what had happened, and it frightened him. So he looked for some place to hide. Jesus scared him.

A second was offended because he had not been required to do something difficult before he could be healed. It was all too easy. He had expected months, maybe years, of fasting and prayer and washing and righteous living to be the requirement. But he had done none of this. He had not earned his reward. His motto was "You get what you pay for." And so Jesus offended him.

The third had realized too late that he had not really wanted to be cleansed; that he did not know what to do or how to live or even who he was without his leprosy. Although it had been his fervent plea to be healed, he now began to see how much he had needed his leprosy and consequently how necessary it had been in defining him as a person. Jesus had taken away his identity.

It is difficult to explain the reason why the fourth leper did not return to give thanks. Perhaps because it is such a simple reason -- and perhaps because we very nearly tread on holy ground even to talk about it. In a word, the fourth leper did not return because in his delirium of joy, he forgot. He forgot. That's all. He was so happy that he forgot.

The fifth leper was unable to say thank you any more to anybody. There is something that happens to a man who must beg and who is shunned by his fellows, and who is grudgingly thrown a few coins and who is always, in the midst of such an existence and in the face of such treatment, expected to say thank you. He just doesn't say thank you any more to anybody -- not even to Jesus.

The sixth leper was a woman -- a mother who had been separated from her family for eleven years because of the leprosy. She was now free to rejoin her husband and children. She did not return to give thanks because she was hurrying home. Like a wild animal released from captivity, she had been freed by Jesus. And like the animal, she simply went straight home.

The seventh just didn't believe that Jesus had anything to do with the cleansing. He knew that healing had taken place, but why and how were the questions. Certainly he did not believe in hocus pocus, magic, miracles -- any of that. There was a perfectly intelligible explanation of what had happened, but it didn't have anything to do with Jesus. He didn't return to give thanks because Jesus had had nothing to do with the healing event.

The eighth leper did not return precisely because he did believe that Jesus had healed him -- that the Kingdom of God was here and the Messiah had arrived. To return to give thanks when the Kingdom of God was so close at hand? -- unheard of! And so he ran to tell everyone the news.

And, the ninth leper? . . . It is impossible to say precisely why he did not return to give thanks.

Ten were cleansed and only one returned. It must be nice to be able to do that. What shall I say now -- that the real point is not that one returned but that ten were cleansed? You already know that. That condemnation is easier than investigation -- that if we take time to investigate the reasons people act as they do, we would find that they have to act the way they do and that such action in the light of the circumstances is quite understandable and totally forgivable and even completely reasonable and just as it should be? You already know that.

What then shall I say? That it is good to give thanks? Yes. That it is understandable not to give thanks? Yes. That God does not heal people and then stand around just waiting for us to say thank you and then gets angry and has his feelings hurt if we don't? Yes, that's true. God doesn't do that.

But what of the nine? They are on the way home, hiding in fear, refusing to believe, offended at what they call cheap grace, so happy they forgot, lost without their leprosy, unable to say thank you ever again, publishing the news of the coming of the Kingdom -- God, who knows where they are!"

Certainly, God knows where we are, as well. God knows our condition, physically, spiritually, mentally, financially. God knows who we are and where we are and even walks with us. Thanksgiving is only a few days away. So, of course, giving thanks is on our mind. Responding to God's love, God's generosity to us is certainly something that all of us agree that we should do. But, how we respond, whether it is in thanksgiving or in some other way is something that is totally between God and us. And how someone else may respond is something that we cannot judge, because only God can judge such things.

Today we will be given the opportunity to respond to God's generosity to us. And the question is: How will we respond? How will we give thanks? Certainly, with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service, but each in his or her own, unique way.

In a few moments you will be invited to come forward with your Estimate of Giving Card. As you come up, remember that a financial pledge to the church is just one way by which we may respond. As we place our card in the basket on the table let's remember that God knows where each of us is. And, as you come forward you may even wish to pause at the altar rail, or even kneel if you want to, to give thanks in other ways for the love that God has shown to you.

As the hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" begins, let us come forward, each of us in his or her own way, praising the Lord, giving thanks for what God has done.

Amen.