Left Behind
Chapter 17 is another hard reading for us. We hear about the dangers of leading others astray, the healing of the lepers and the coming kingdom of God. On this day, I can’t help but think of the lepers. As we all absorb the significance of the votes taken yesterday in congress, it is interesting that our reading today includes a healing. It’s interesting that 10 are cleansed regardless of whether they turn back or not, and that there were foreigners among them. Nonetheless, it is again the Samaritan that does the right thing. The Samaritan shows gratitude. Do we always turn towards God in gratitude for our health and other blessings?
Hygiene
Jesus is rather aggressive in this passage towards people who are not only leaders in the religious traditions of his people . . . but are his dinner hosts! The main focus of this passage seems to be Jesus push to internalize our faith as opposed to our faith being primarily outward actions. To what extent is our faith merely things that we do?