READING 9 - THE ORTHODOX READINGS - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
"[And the Lord passed by before Moses and proclaimed:]: The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin..." [Exodus 34:6-7].
When Jesus speaks of love, He is not softening anyone or speaking of some "Love and Peace" slogan, a kind of remote babacool guru. We have often seen Him as such in our days and this is still the case quite often. We are like friends, just friends and so full of mutual love that we cannot even mature and grow up and make real decisions, like in some famous series. Friends that cannot marry and then look for themselves can hardly share nor be alone because they are in need of a presence and the spiritual search never shows up.
Love is deep and strong as death, or even stronger as suggest some commentaries of the Song of Songs [8:6]; "My love for You [God] is so strong that I endure death for its sake" as the famous Jewish commentator Rashi wrote about this profound verse.
The same applies to Jesus Christ. He is the only One who fulfillled the commandments of the Torah and He referred to them all as He spoke to the lepers: "Go and show yourselves unto the Priests" [Luke 18:14], which means that these lepers have to go to the Temple of Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests as prescribed in the Book of the Levites or Leviticus, Chapter 3. The priests shall pray and then they will make the sacrifice of offering for their cleansing.
Please do note that Saint Luke quotes this episode which collaborates what Saint Matthew has accounted about Jesus' sayings: "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled. And whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven [Matthew 5:18-19].
Jesus used to teach every day in the Temple when He was in Jerusalem. This account shows that He was really obedient to the commandments of the Law as mentioned regarding the fact that He was subject to the Law from His birth [Galatians 4:4]. Therefore He sends the lepers to show themselves to the priests in Jerusalem. And the lepers did obey Him and were cleansed.
Only one leper came back, fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus giving thanks to God. This means that the nine others were normal Jews. They heard what the Master had said and, being cleansed and cured they do not return to praise the Lord in the person of Jesus Christ. The Lord said: "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found one returned to give glory to God, save this stranger [a Samaritan]" [Luke 18:17].
In fact this is quite normal: the Samaritans worshipped God - as still today - on Mount Garizim. The leper knew that he has been cleansed and he returned to Samaria. But he makes something unusual: he kneels and worships God in the Person of Jesus Christ. The nine others were not able to do so. As faithful Jews they did what was prescribed and said even by the Lord. The Samaritan knows that, at that time, he was considered as a heretic to the Jewish faith. He has been cured but it is difficult to estimate his act. Does he really recognize in Jesus the Son of God or does he confess what Jesus told to the Samaritan woman: "You worship what you know not what; we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews" [John 4:22].
In this episode we cannot even say that the situation is comparable to the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman when He said to her: "The hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father" [John 4:21]. To worship God in spirit and Truth [John 23].
Jesus paved the way to the salvation of the lepers by His Word. "Word" is common today. It is also a computer product to open, write or read a file as a scroll on the computer. It is the "brand" name for different items and a therapeutic technique to heal mental disease. The Bible - much more than the Gospel - shows how the outspoken word or words of confidence can heal. And people need to speak, and to speak out their thoughts. The Orthodox tradition considers that it is a sin to carry on a monologue using unuttered words coming to the mind. For either we should speak to
another human being or to God and, if possible get used to practice both attitudes!
The Hebrew word for "leper" is "DeVeR". Of course this illness affects the skin and thus the body but it was supposed to show the inner instincts and behaviour.
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