Scripture Focus: Luke 17.11-19
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy h met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Reflection: Jesus on the Border
By John Tillman

The lepers healed “as they went” is a miracle I’ve often tried to picture… What must that have been like? Devout Jews knew that one showed oneself to the priest when healed of dangerous diseases. This protected the community and enabled immediate praise to God for healing. But Jesus sent them before he healed them!

Imagine that. Jesus says, “go,” but nothing happens. He just points toward the Temple. So you go, trudging toward the city, knowing that before you get there someone will chase you away, cursing you for coming too close. Then, as you walk, you feel stronger. With each step, deadened skin tingles and comes back to life. You remove the rough coverings from your most unsightly sores and see healing skin. You suddenly realize that missing fingers have returned…

Showing yourself to the priest before would have been nearly impossible, painfully humiliating, and pointless. Now it will be a joy! Then imagine deciding instead to turn back to the man who, at first, seemed to have done nothing. It must have been a shock to realize that the God who heals wasn’t waiting in the Temple for your sacrifice but on the road behind you…

Jesus made no distinction in healing between the Samaritan and the others. But there was a distinction in their reactions. While dying of leprosy, the men were as one. They spoke with one voice and acted as one. But once they were healed, there was a division. Something happened. 

Surely the Samaritan did not simply run back without discussing it with his friends. Did they reject him? Perhaps the Samaritan felt he wouldn’t be accepted at the Temple?

There is healing for us in Jesus for many different ills and infirmities. (Isaiah 53.4-6) Institutions, like the Temple or the Church, play a role in our healing. But institutions can’t heal us and, in some cases, they might harm us because they are subject to the divisions of this world. Jesus is not. 

We often find Jesus “on the border” (Luke 17.11) between those who reject and harm one another. Whether Jew or Samaritan, Red or Blue, or any other worldy division, Jesus stands calling everyone to acknowledge him.

He expects us to realize that healing doesn’t come from institutions but from him. Be careful not to give glory to an institution that belongs to God.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me. — Psalm 66.14

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 35 (Listen 4:31)
Luke 17 (Listen 4:22)

Today’s Reading
Exodus 36 (Listen 4:47) Luke 18 (Listen 5:27)
Exodus 37 (Listen 3:14) Luke 19 (Listen 5:29)

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The first Spirit-filled workers in the Bible spoke not with words but images. They taught understanding through symbolism and space.

Scripture Focus: Luke 15.31-32
31 “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” 

From John: Today we revisit this post from 2019 and the prayer for the older prodigal brother based on yesterday’s reading. Every time I read this parable, I’m stunned by the kindness the father shows to both his sons. May he show that kindness to us.

Reflection: Prayer for Older Brothers — Guided Prayer
By John Tillman

Christ’s parable of the prodigal son could be considered the parable of the prodigal sons.

One son refused to stay in the home due to sinful rebellion.
One son refused to enter the home due to sinful unforgiveness.
One son squandered his father’s wealth.
One son coveted his father’s wealth.
One son was humiliated by his own scandalous behavior.
One son was humiliated by his father’s scandalous grace.

Beginning our faith journey, we struggle to understand how God could love us and adopt us into his family despite our sinfulness. But after living comfortably as a member of God’s family, we soon struggle to understand how God could adopt anyone else.

There are limits to what is restored to the son who returns. His inheritance is spent and will not be restored. He will be financially dependent on his older brother. But in every other aspect, he is restored. He is restored to full fellowship, full honor, and full trust. These things are indicated by the sandals, robe, and ring. His identity is restored. His authority is restored. He is not a second-class family member.

Pray this prayer for older brothers. God the Father will come out to you, and beg you to rejoice at the scandalous sinners he has adopted as his children.

Prayer for Older Brothers
God, your mercy is a mystery to me.
I see the sins of others and I am scandalized.
How could such a one be accepted?
How could such a one be loved?
How could such a one be forgiven?
How could such a one be trusted?

You come out and embrace me, Father.
You invite me to celebrate
The sinful repentant,
The wanderer returned,
The prideful humbled,
The scandalous purified.

Over your shoulder, I see the celebration.
And I remember…
The day you celebrated me, repentant.
The day you celebrated me, returned.
The day you lifted me up when I was humbled.
The day you purified me from my scandalous sin.

The party is not for my prodigal sibling but for me.
The celebration is not for his sins but for your mercy.
Put your arm around my shoulder, Father.
Lead me in, to celebrate mercy shared.
Lead me in, to rejoice for sinners changed.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for my hope has been in you. — Psalm 25.20

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 34 (Listen 5:48)
Luke 16 (Listen 4:27)

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Scripture Focus: Luke 14.1-6, 12-14
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. 
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say. 

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Reflection: Healing the Swollen
By John Tillman

Entering a banquet held by a “prominent Pharisee,” Jesus sees a man with edema or abnormal swelling. The Pharisee was following the letter of the advice Jesus would give later in this chapter; he invited the sick and lame to eat at his banquet. (Luke 14.13-14) This Pharisee had no power to heal. What more could he do? Was he doing something wrong? Was the swollen man there out of altruistic hospitality? Perhaps not. Luke tells us Jesus was “being carefully watched.”

Many times the Pharisees set up situations to ask controversial questions. This time, seeing the man placed strategically in front of him, Jesus asked before they had a chance: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” They would not answer. Even after he healed the man and defended his action, they remained silent. The Pharisees saw Jesus without seeing him and heard him without hearing him. They listened not to understand, but to oppose.

The Pharisees opposed Jesus’ interpretation of scripture even though they could not refute it. They opposed his methods even though they could not deny his miraculous power and prophetic status. Naturally, they are the antagonists of the gospel accounts.

I recently heard an audio recording of a dramatic performance of the life of Christ. Many portions were excellent. The portrayal of the Pharisees, however, was outlandishly evil. They sounded like cartoon villains I would watch on Saturday mornings between bowls of cereal.

I recently played an outlandish villain, Zoser, in the musical Aida. It’s a great deal of fun as a performer to lean hard into portraying villains. But actors (and audiences) must always remember that most villains see themselves as heroic.

When reading the New Testament, especially as modern western Christians, we need to keep in mind that the Pharisees are our closest theological and political analogs in scripture. They are confident in their scholarship. They are engaged in “culture war” issues against the Romans, Greeks, Samaritans, and less devout Jews. The Pharisees are the heroes of their own version of the gospels. They want to save their country. When we see them as villains, we might catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror.

Jesus cared for Pharisees swollen with pride. He can heal us too. As we read about the Pharisees, we should remember this, and ask the Holy Spirit to confront us and heal us.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me. — Psalm 70.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 32(Listen 5:47)
Luke 14(Listen 4:36)

Read more about False Dilemmas
I used to read Jesus’ answers as “burns” and “mic drop” moments…But instead of intending harm, Jesus intended healing.

Read more about Stretch Out Your Hand
The man with the shriveled hand seems to be there only so the leaders can see if Jesus will break one of their interpretations of Sabbath law. It’s a trap.

Scripture Focus: Luke 13.23-24; 31-34
23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” 
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ 
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” 
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

Reflection: Enter While You Can
By John Tillman

The Pharisees’ warning about Herod was a lie. They wanted to kill Jesus. Herod didn’t.

Herod was trying to see Jesus, not kill him. (Luke 9.9) Yet, so far as we know, Herod never saw Jesus until Pilate sent him to Herod. (Luke 23.7-11) Jesus, however, knew he was on the way to see Herod.

Jesus told the Pharisees to report to Herod that miraculous things were happening and that he was coming to Jerusalem, just like other prophets. The door was open for them to see and believe. Just prior to this, Jesus warned the Pharisees and the following crowds that the opportunity to enter the kingdom was narrowing. The door, now open, would close. (Luke 13.24-25) Warning everyone, Jesus said, “make every effort” to enter while they had the opportunity.

But Jesus also knew that powerful kings and self-righteous religious leaders often killed prophets who told the truth. You can’t tell some people the truth without them wanting to destroy you. When sin is pointed out two things often prevent repentance: power and self-righteousness.

Many reject repentance which requires losing face, power, or position. This is why leaders (and pastors) caught in scandals often refuse to step down or stay out of power. But we don’t have to be in a position of great power to refuse to repent when it costs us.

We are familiar with religious self-righteousness in scripture and in our lives. We recognize those who reject or minimize their need for repentance based on scriptural knowledge or by comparing themselves to “real sinners.”

But self-righteousness isn’t exclusive to the religious. Our culture strongly believes that humans are innately good, innately “righteous.” It is self-righteousness that explains evil as an aberration or excuses it as being caused, not by choices, but by situations or systems.

We recognize these failures in others but do we recognize them in ourselves?
How often do we stand, like the Pharisees pointing at Herod, with sin in our hearts?
How often do we wait, like Herod demanding to be wooed by God with magic tricks and blessings?

Let us expect, like Jesus did, that our prophetic duty will cost us. The first thing it will cost us is repentance. Our own repentance is the first step toward calling others to repentance. The open door will close. Make every effort to enter and bring others with you.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Love the Lord, all you who worship him; the Lord protects the faithful, but repays to the full those who act haughtily. — Psalm 31.23

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 31(Listen 2:32)
Luke 12(Listen 5:02)

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