“JESUS HAS MERCY ON YOU
Saint Luke 17. 11-19
The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity: 9 September Anno Domini 2007
Fr Watson
Jesus has mercy on you. The problem is that your sinful self doesn�t want mercy it wants things fixed up nice and neat. Your old Adam wants the problems in your life taken care of the way you want them taken care of. You don�t mind the concept of heaven, as long as it comes later, when you�re through doing what you want to do, but you are far more interested in the here and now. You want life and you want it in its fullest. The problem is that your sinful self doesn�t recognize what true and abundant life really is. When your vocation becomes difficult you want God to give you a new and fulfilling job. When your children stray or are broken you want God to fix them post-haste. When you are sick or in pain you cry like Job wanting to know why God is punishing you so. You question Saint Paul. If you are supposed to be constantly rejoicing than shouldn�t God give you a life that warrants such appreciation?
Jesus has mercy on you. The Lord also had mercy upon those ten lepers. But the lepers were no more noble or �spiritual� than you are. All ten of them wanted the Messiah of God to help them in a direct, immediate, physical way; they all wanted their daily lives to be made better. He saw and He knew that they had faith in Him. What kind of faith did the ten men have; did they daily recite the Nicene Creed and the Large Catechism? They had enough faith to cry out to Jesus for help. This presupposes that they thought this Rabbi from Nazareth could help them. They had enough faith to know that they could not do anything for themselves. The faith that God the Holy Ghost had given them put them where one needs to be: on one�s knees in abject poverty of spirit. They cried with all of you the words of the �Kyrie� �Lord have mercy.� Their faith did nothing except receive what the Christ gave. Their faith was not the reason He had mercy; His love, His Grace was the reason He helped the miserable.
Having robust health is wonderful; many pagans have vibrant energized bodies. Recovering from deadly diseases is a great thing; many Jews, Muslims, and yes, even Christians daily are healed from esoteric, chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Men are healed from leprosy. These are all beneficial things. You as followers of Messiah should never demean or take for granted all the First Article gifts God showers you with: �eyes, ears, senses, wife, children, home, etc.�
But, all who are healed will die, even as King Hezekiah later died after having been healed by the Lord through Isaiah. Jairus� daughter and Lazarus eventually died even after having been resurrected by the Christ. The ten lepers would all later die; their flesh rotting in the grave even as it had once rotted on their bones from leprosy. The wages of sin is death. The world of sin is not good.
Only Jesus is good. Only Jesus is Just and Righteous. Only Jesus is life. Only Jesus has mercy. Mercy matters for eternity not just temporarily in the �here and now.� Mercy is what forgives sins of those who should not be forgiven but rather punished: you. Mercy is what Jesus showed by coming in real flesh and actual �bloody�Mercy allowed Him to be dutiful and perfect in obeying commandment you don�t. Mercy allowed Him to suffer and die in your place at Golgotha.
Where there is forgiveness of sins all is put right again. Where Jesus remits trespasses Adam�s treason is cancelled out; your nakedness is covered. Where there is forgiveness of sins you are placed back in the loving arms of the Father; you are placed into the heart of Christ; into His holy wounds. You are placed into the Church with family, food, and festivities. Luther was correct because Saint Paul was correct: �where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.�
Will you continue to have difficulties at work and school? Yes. Will there be problems with your loved ones; wayward children, disaffected spouses, alienated siblings? Yes. Will you get old; sick; decrepit? Yes. Will you die before Jesus returns? I don�t know.
I do know that Jesus loves you. He gives you all that you really need in this physical life, yes; but He also gives you acceptance by forgiving you. He loves you with a love as big as a God Who left heaven to come to this disease-ridden world and soak up all the sickness into His own body. He loves you with the weight and heaviness of a full-grown man hung up by nails and rope on a Roman torture cross. He loves you so much that He gives you everything that really matters: Himself. He tells you He loves you and that you are forgiven. �Be at peace� He speaks; and He places that Word into your ears and from there into your soul. He shows you that you are now right with Him and His Father. He gives you His pledge in His Supper. He says to you that you are His brother, His sister, that Joy and Rest and Family belong to you. He tells you that though for a while you will feel like a leper, that in reality, you are clean�clean in Him. You are healed of your sinful sores. Life is yours: His life now and forever.
In the Name of The Father and of The + Son and of The Holy Ghost