saving faith

Luke 17:11-19, the story of the ten lepers, is a text which has proved relevant to us repeatedly over the last two years—most recently, at last week’s discipleship class. As we studied the story together, one young man connected its meaning to a sermon I had preached in the church last month. Just as there are “three tenses” of salvation in the biblical witness, so in this text there are perhaps “three stages” of salvation. These three stages correspond to, or rather may be derived from, three distinct words in the Greek, translated “cleansed” (v. 14), “healed” (v. 15), and “saved” (“made well”, NRSV) (v. 19). That is, after the ten lepers cried out to Jesus for mercy, Jesus sent them to the priests, on the way to whom “they were made clean” (v. 14); seeing that “he was healed”, “one of them turned back, praising God with a loud voice, prostrated at Jesus’ feet” (v. 16); this one, because he returned to give thanks to Jesus for his cleansing and healing, was also pronounced “saved” (v. 19).

What this summary shows is that there is both a close relationship of meaning between the words “cleanse,” “heal”, and “save” and a distinction between the three. Their unity lies within the merciful will of God as revealed in Jesus, that is, that cleansing of the skin and healing of the body is within the salvation that God intends for God’s creation. Indeed, the cleansing and healing of the leper were critical factors resulting in his salvation; physical cleansing and healing are not separate from salvation but within it. Consequently, any “salvation” that undermines the needs of the body is not the salvation that Jesus brings.

Even so, the very emphasis of the unity of cleansing, healing, and salvation reveals their diversity. Indeed, though cleansing may lead to healing which leads to salvation—that they are parts of one process—that very “leading to” prioritizes “salvation” as something more than the body—even if not exclusive of. The distinction is as important as the unity. This is so because the goodness of God cannot be limited to the health of the flesh. In other words, the faith to live, the declaration of God’s goodness to and love for his creatures, continues in spite of the suffering of the flesh. Though Job was stricken, yet he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25). Or Habakkuk:

“Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation” (3:17-18).

In spite of suffering in the flesh and famine in the physical world, these prophets perceived that life with God continues. “In the valley of the shadow of death” they perceived that they were not dead yet—that death was only that: a shadow (Psa 23:4). As long as they had breath, they had the love of God.

If the life that remained in the prophets in spite of suffering was enough to maintain hope in God, the life that remains for us in the resurrected Christ is surely enough to sustain us. Though the presence of suffering tests our hope no less than it did Job, we have the story even he did not. Even the flesh that died has been raised immortal, imperishable, incorruptible (1 Cor 15).

Just as the Samaritan leper kept the faith--thanking Jesus for his mercy--and so experienced salvation, so our faith of the same order will keep us for eternity.

-Joe

our great high priest

This is the summary content of the Bible Study portion of our February teaching at Bethany Bible School.

Leviticus 14:1-9 details the cleansing of one who is to be cleansed of his leprosy. He will be "brought to the priest", who will "go outside the camp" to "make an examination" to determine whether the "stroke of leprosy is healed" in the person. If the disease has indeed abated, the priest will command that two birds, cedarwood, two red cords, and hyssop be brought to him. Then the priest will slaughter one of the birds over a clay vessel filled with clean water. The blood of the slaughtered will mix with the water. Then the priest will take the living bird, together with the cedarwood, the cords, and the hyssop, and dip them in the mixture of blood and water. With the latter elements he will dash the mixture seven times upon the one who is to be cleansed of his leprosy. The living bird, carrying the blood of its slaughtered counterpart, he will release to the open field. Following this, the one who is to be cleansed will shave off all his hair, wash his clothes, and bathe his body. Then he can reenter the camp.

Upon reentry, however, the law dictates that he will "stay outside his tent" for seven days. On the seventh day, he will again shave, wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh, after which he shall be definitively, finally, clean.

Mark 1:40-45 also describes a scenario involving one who is to be cleansed of his leprosy. For his cleansing--"that which Moses commanded"--he was instructed to "show himself to the priest." The one who gave him such an instruction, however, had already cleansed him.

"If you want," the leper, begging and bending the knee, says to Jesus, "you are able to make me clean." "Moved with compassion and stretching out his hand to the leper," Jesus responds: "I do want, be made clean." "Immediately the leprosy left him."

Ignoring through his joy Jesus' warning to him not to tell anyone but to "show himself to the priest as a testimony to them", the cleansed one embarks to spread the word broadly, to the effect that Jesus is no longer able to move about freely in the city, so great is the demand on his time by the many who seek healing for their afflictions. Instead, Jesus finds himself "outside, in the desert place."

Taking upon himself the disease of the afflicted, the one who was so able to make the afflicted one clean, is himself now unable, cast outside of respectable society to dwell in the desert place. Like the bird contaminated by the blood of its slaughtered counterpart, Jesus is expelled to the field carrying the diseases of the people. In fact, like the bird which was slaughtered, Jesus too will be crucified outside the city, with the consent of the chief priests of his religion.

Yet the one who was cleansed will no more be able to return to the priests of his religion, so complete is his healing by the compassionate touch and loving words of the One who is able to make him clean.

For his sake--for ours--the Able One has been disabled. The Healthy One has become sick. The Just One has become a sinner: "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us in order that we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21).

-Joe