Rejected to accepted
by Sonia Hulme
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Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no-one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? (Luke 17:17,18)
In our house, we have a rule. When dinner is over, everyone who ate should stick around and help clean up. That’s how we show gratitude to the cook. It’s amazing, then, how many nights the cook can identify with Jesus’ question in today’s story of the healing of the ten lepers. In our family, it translates to ‘Were not all seven fed? Where are the other six??’. Yes, despite the rule and without us noticing, children seem to slip away and must be retrieved from all over the house to wash, dry and put away the mess of the day. The very act of coming back shows gratitude, especially if they do it without being forced (we’re still working on that!).
The leper who returned to give thanks after receiving miraculous healing from Jesus was an outsider on not one but two counts. Firstly, he was from Samaria. According to the Jews, he was not included in God’s family. Secondly, he had an illness that resulted in complete social rejection. So, he really did know about life on the edge of society, and his gratitude is correspondingly heartfelt.
Over and over, Jesus specialises in going to the margins, to the outsider and drawing them in, including them, making them whole. In response, those who have been healed of much, forgiven much and loved much respond with great gratitude. I, too, was an outsider before Jesus came to me. Perhaps I still feel on the edge, rejected by others, invisible, unlovely in my own – or others’ – eyes. I am exactly the one he comes to touch and heal and love. He is not afraid of my wounds, sins, and shame. He embraces me, makes me whole and delights in my grateful response. My gratitude is a gift to him and a witness to the world of just how much he has done for me. I truly am a recipient of amazing grace!
Before you came along, I, too, was an outsider in your kingdom. Help me look with eyes of compassion on those who are still lingering on the edge of your love. Let my gratitude show itself in my love for those who are unwelcome because they are different. Amen.
Sonia lives in the north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide with her husband and five children. She works part-time in a support role at Good Shepherd Lutheran School and as a spiritual director, helping people discern God at work in their lives.
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