The healing of the Lepers is often looked at as a parable about thankfulness, where 10 were healed but only one returned to say thanks. This is true but the essence of the parable is much deeper. The one who returned thanks to Jesus for the healing was a Samaritan. When that truth is left out, the power of the parable is lost! The Samaritans were the lowest of the low in Jewish Society.
They looked like Jews, spoke a similar language and worshipped like Jews but rejected the Temple in Jerusalem as being central in their relationship with God. They were more rural and had an orientation to the outside spaces for worship, centered at Mount Horeb.They were rural country people, the Jews had evolved to being urban. Samaritans were outside the control of the Temple clergy. The clergy poisoned the minds of the Southern Jews towards their Northern neighbours. It was this lowest person, a Samaritan with Leprosy who turned back to say thanks. It would be like a gay Moslem coming to some churches and giving thanks after having been anointed in a Christian Church. The Jews were scandalized! Who are the Samaritan Lepers of our society who we don’t want to recognize? What racism and phobias do we carry and practice with prejudice? We have privilege and racism in all strata’s of society.
Using Jesus’ teaching and example we need to look at ourselves to see our addiction to power and privilege in our own time. We need give thanks to God for all the Blessings we enjoy. At the same time, we seek to more profoundly examine our prejudices and cultural assumptions about ourselves and others. We need to always remember “God Loves all of God’s Creation. Whether we follow Jesus or not, God loves all of creation. For God, the world is "us".
