Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
October 12, 2025
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras

Pentecost 18C
Ten Lepers Redux

… As he was making his way to Jerusalem, passing between Samaria and Galilee; he entered a certain village where ten men suffering from leprosy met him: they stood at a distance and cried out aloud, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!” And when he saw them he said to them: Go and show yourselves to the priests,” and as they went they were cleansed.

Then one of them, when he saw that he was made healthy returned with loud voice glorifying God! He fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks to him; and he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed; but where are the nine? Was no one found to turn back and offer glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Arise and go your way, your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

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Today we are not only learning about a past event from the Lord’s earthly ministry, but we are participating in it by this divine liturgy. Today we are the 10 lepers. Today Jesus comes into the church to cleanse us from our sins just like he did the 10 lepers then.

If we listen carefully to today’s gospel we will find that it contains all the elements of Divine Liturgy by which sinners are united to Christ. Here we need to remember – because Old Adam is so stubborn – that our unity with Jesus is not just a matter of warm thoughts and sentiments. But factually takes place in baptism and that we are kept in the one true faith by this divine liturgy that we are privileged to participate in today.

What elements?

The first element for Divine Service is the Real Presence of Jesus. At this point we must state that such pure fellowship with Jesus can only occur in sacramental churches because non-sacramental churches by definition exclude the Real Presence of Jesus in their worship. Even when they do celebrate the Lord’s Supper they make a point of proclaiming his Real Absence by informing their worshipers that: this is only a symbol and a reminder of what Jesus did for sinners; and that the Lord is not present in this Bread and Cup. They further encourage their people to let their faith ascend to heaven, where Jesus is and must remain, until the second coming.

We do not speak this way to criticize others! Or to gloat! But only because the religious air that we breathe, and water that we drink in America is of that persuasion; and we are all affected by it because of family and friends; and because any public display of Christianity in America is of that school of thought.

And so, yes, without the actual presence of Jesus who enters the leper colony of the church; there can be no meeting of the two; nor will much healing take place.

The second element necessary to have factual union with Jesus is the presence of sinners. In our gospel Jesus is met by ten lepers. Without getting into the medical details, leprosy disfigures the body both internally and externally. It can break out from head to toe showing lesions, nodules, lumps and red patches of skin, often thickened and scaly. It is not a pretty picture and anyone presenting such symptoms would be socially ostracized. Moreover it is contagious and so a leper was left to suffer alone or in the miserable company of other lepers.

Leprosy is the perfect disease to teach us about our sins, because what the disease does externally, sin does internally. And while there is a medical cure for leprosy today, there was not then. Likewise there is not, or ever will be, a cure for the leprosy of sin except the blood of Jesus. The blood sacrificially poured out on the cross, sprinkled on us in baptism and given us to drink in Holiest Comm-union of all.

If you have a sharp eye you will also notice that the ten lepers teach us how to worship. Note that the elements of their liturgy in today’s gospel are the same as ours today.

First there was an invocation. St. Luke reports that they “lifted up their voices,” which is the biblical way of saying that they were calling out to the Lord at the top of their lungs. We do the same today. We invoke the Triune God as we assemble in the leper colony where the Great Physician comes to heal us.

There was also a Kyrie. Indeed we learn the Kyrie: Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy, from these ten lepers.

Lord have mercy! It is the shortest, but the purest and most powerful prayer any person can pray.

Lord have mercy. It is a prayer that our God always answers in the affirmative.

And so whatever troubles you today pray: Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy. Repeat it 100x if need be, or 1000x. You can never pray it enough. And soon the unmanageable will become manageable again, and your Lord will provide a way of escape for you.

We also find the confession of sins in today’s gospel, which was part and parcel of the disease. By showing themselves to Jesus they were in effect confessing their sins; because sin is the culprit behind ever illness and every trouble.

And there was an absolution: Go and show yourselves to the priests. That was the thing a leper did when he was cleansed of his disease. And so the instruction was the absolution: You are made well!

But as you know they never made it that far; nor did they need to; because in this act Jesus was once again showing the Old Testament sacrificial system is now defunct, and that there is only one Priest to whom we must come: Jesus our High Priest who stands at the right hand of God as the fountainhead of all Holy Mercy.

Then, as now, this meeting of Jesus and the lepers, is filled with praise. Though it was only one of the ten, the praise of God was thunderous and glorious. And so is ours today because we pray the same liturgy that they prayed; that was handed down to them; that they handed down to us. And so away with hastily scribbled orders of service composed by one man, or in one generation.

Canned spaghetti are they all.

There was also Holy Communion then as there is now. When it says the one leper returned to “give thanks,” the original Greek bible has the word “Eucharist.” And that is how Christians give thanks to God. By celebrating the New Testament as the Lord commanded his church to do.

And there was finally a Benediction. Go your way. You are released from your leprosy. You crimes against heaven are pardoned. You who were soiled and pungent, are now clean and fragrant in the nostrils of God through our Lord Christ who is the “sweet-smelling savor” before God.

Go your way your faith has made you well. Your faith has made you whole. Your faith has saved you. Your faith has embraced the crucified, resurrected, glorified, exulted, reigning and returning Lord. Your sins are gone. Go and sin no more.