Healed vs Whole

Luke 17:11-19 is now our subject of interest. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. In a certain village, he is hailed by a group of ten lepers. This village was in an area associated with Samaria and Galilee. In that regard, the writer thought it appropriate to mention that one of the ten was a Samaritan – as if the other nine were not.

All ten of them, as a group, cried out, 'master, have mercy on us'. There is nothing particularly special in this account; it is wholly a matter of human nature to call for help when in difficulty. It is human to seek out and implore the one thought to be able to render said aid. It is, as I say, human nature. How, then, can we look at this account and not include ourselves.

When we pray to God in our difficulties, we beg his mercy. Like the group of lepers crying aloud, we bring attention to our own needs and desires, asking, 'master, have mercy on me'. Many of us have some real issues to work through. We could definitely use some help. To whom do we turn? We turn to the one who has the power to help. Since, at that point, we have yet to see the effective power we seek, since we lack empirical evidence, it must be accounted a matter of hope and faith.

Those ten lepers might never have seen Jesus heal another person – they weren't exactly the social type. It was part of their stigma to stand afar off. If people wandered close to them, it was required that they loudly proclaim their disease. That made it hard to even be a beggar.

So Jesus agreed to heal them; he said to them, 'go and show yourselves to the priests'. They asked for nothing more, but turned and headed for the priests. If Jesus had told them to do back flips, they would have – that is desperation. When human nature calls out under dire circumstances, it is in the spirit of desperation. To be done with and past some of our problems, we would jump through flaming hoops.

It is important to note that when the ten lepers turned to leave, they were not yet healed. Their first steps were steps of hope and faith. It was within the parameters of the exercise of faith that they were healed. When we consider that spirit of faith upon which ten lepers acted, we must also see the concomitant spirit of obedience.

What spirit do we find ourselves in? When we hope for relief and call to God in prayer, is our spirit of hope in any way connected to a spirit of faith? Do we act upon our faith? Obviously, there is no Jesus standing before us in the flesh. There is no corporeal master to instruct us. Yet, we have at our disposal literal volumes of instruction. Do we act on our hope and faith? Do we seek the instructions we need from the Bible?

It is true that thousands upon thousands turn to God in prayer. It is also true that many of us, like the ten lepers, receive an answer to our desperate pleas. Like the nine, we keep plugging along in the same direction. I'm not saying we are wrong to continue forward if it is in the spirit of obedience. But, let us examine a case of disobedience.

Ten men asked for help. Ten men received instruction. Ten men moved forward in obedience. One man turned back. On the way to show himself to the priests, one man saw that his body had been healed. It is safe to assume that the other nine did, as well. What did the other nine men do? If they continued forward in obedience, they showed themselves healed to the priests. What if one or two of the men, in their excitement, instead ran back to their families and lives? Would that have completed the spirit of faith that healed them?

In this scenario of healing, the spirit is vital. The spirit of faith belongs with the spirit of hope. The spirit of hope stems from the spirit of desperation. The spirit of obedience must, therefore, be seen as inseparable from the other spirits. This is human nature. When I say 'spirit', the reader should know that I mean 'mind'. The mind of desperation leads to hope and faith and, yes, obedience.

So, what about the Samaritan? What was on his mind? Certainly, he did not complete his march to the priests, as instructed. Instead, he did just the opposite. Why? Had he been healed of his disease by the local MD, it would still have been his duty to show himself to the priests. Jesus told the lepers nothing special. They would have had to do that, regardless.

Yet, the spirit is vital. Jesus gave them ordinary instructions. They obeyed. The spirits of obedience, faith, hope, and desperation come as a package deal. They are all part and parcel of human nature. They belong together.

There is, however, one spirit we have yet to deal with in this study. As a spirit, it is just as connected to faith as hope or obedience. It is the spirit of thanksgiving. The Samaritan who turned back turned back in the spirit of overwhelming joy and humble thanksgiving. He felt that Jesus and God deserved something personal from him.

How often are we humbled by the answer to a prayer? How often do we turn back to give personal and real thanksgiving? How often do we see the person who was instrumental in our succor as more than just a person? There is something very important in the spirit of thanksgiving that we must absolutely take note of. When the Samaritan threw himself on his face and thanked Jesus personally, Jesus himself equated the act with giving glory to God. You have to get it; the two are the same.

The spirit of thanksgiving and the spirit of giving glory to God are the same. That does not only apply to Jesus, otherwise, his message and work could not have continued through his disciples. Anyone who saw an apostle of Jesus as 'just another fallible person', closed himself off from the message and work of Christ. The spirit of dismissing just another fallible person negates the avenue through which the spirit works. It sets you outside the loop so that whatever mind you have – be it desperation, hope, obedience, thanksgiving – they are all disconnected from the source of spiritual power which provides the spirit of faith that heals. At that point, don't even bother.

When the Samaritan gave thanks to Jesus for the healing which his own faith delivered, Jesus said this: “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Jesus did not say that the man's faith had healed him, that is altogether different. He was healed along the way with the other nine.

The concept of wholeness, especially that of spiritual wholeness, speaks of a completeness whereby all the necessary parts and connections are in their proper places. The Samaritan completed that spiritual circuit in a way the other nine did not. To give no more than an off-handed or perfunctory “thanks” just isn't enough to complete the circuit. To be whole, one must take it to the personal level.

No matter whether the answer comes to you via Jesus or a follower, or even the Bible, if you do not practice real thanksgiving, and thus, giving glory to God, you are not whole.

The Thing About Faith

Luke 17:5-10 offers us an opportunity to consider our faith. Many of us know the part that goes, 'if you had the faith of a mustard seed'. It is that small thing that works wonders and miracles. We know the part about moving mountains (or Sycamine trees) and casting them (or planting them) in the sea. Faith can move mountains. Right?

Realistically, however, there is not one recorded instance of a person performing such a miraculous act. It is still wholly a matter of faith. But, that's the thing about faith – some see it one way, others discount it altogether. Among those who see it, I fear it is often misinterpreted.

Man often sees the attributes of God in man as a supernatural state. To be perfect, for example, necessitates a flawless state bordering on that of the superhero. At the very least, it establishes arbitrary lines which the normal human may not pass. I have often heard arguments from the non-Christian, such as, 'you can't smoke and be a Christian', or, 'you can't drink', etc. Even the Catholic church sets such lines when it tells it's monks and nuns they may not have relationships.

From practicing Christians we get similar limitations, such as, 'I'm just a sinner saved by grace'. Seems everyone equates being good with self-limitation. We set the standard so arbitrarily high that nobody can reach it. I think the same is true for our interpretation of faith. Many Christians, in their prayers, ask for faith in the same way the apostles did in Luke 17:5. It is seen as a thing in itself that may be given, intact, as a gift.

But in his answer, Jesus said, 'you have to work for it'. Let's look at his answer to a request for faith. It appears the apostles believed they had faith which Jesus could just 'miraculously' ratchet up. And yes, Jesus did tell them a little faith can work wonders. I think what he meant by the mustard seed was not so much the quantity, or the power per quantity, but rather something that grows, becomes, accrues, etc.

After his statement about faith, Jesus made this point – and he made it loud and clear: if you want faith, you have to work up to it. There are no short cuts, just the long way around. What is the long way around? Essentially, it consists of all the pennies that add up to a dollar.

This is what Jesus told them. Luke 17:10, “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

The servant coming from the field cannot reasonably expect his master to set aside the order of things to elevate the servant beyond his station. There are still a lot of little tasks that must be completed before the servant can reach his desired goal.

Christians know the parameters of their service to God. The many small and ordinary tasks are laid out in black and white. These tasks are where we are at. We must focus on the little things. If we want faith from God or an increase in faith, we must approach it on our own – by the numbers. A dollar is achieved one penny at a time. Perfection is a goal we may come to, not by avoiding the commands of God, but by attending each and every one.

Christians assume that perfection is outside the normal reach of man, but it is not. This is what the Bible tells us about the perfection of man. Matthew 5:44, 45, and 48: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

These are some of the small and ordinary tasks the Christian must remain focused on. You may obtain faith, and even perfection, by working for it. Focus on the commands of God and do not try to get ahead of yourselves.

What is Little?

In this study of Luke 17:1-4, I begin with the salient points. Point one: Jesus is directly addressing his disciples. Point two: there will always be offenses in the world, that's a given. Likewise, it is a given that those through whom the offenses come will suffer greatly. Point three: in the making of this statement, Jesus points his finger directly at his own disciples by saying, “Take heed to yourselves.”

Just how bad that suffering will be is addressed in point four. Jesus tells his disciples that it would be better for them to tie millstones around their necks and cast themselves into the sea. Who is affected by the offense is part of the same statement, it is “these little ones.” Please note the use of the word 'these'.

Point five: is the example of trespass and forgiveness. Many people only see that the good Christian is someone who forgives no matter what. There is more to this example. What I would first like to note is the possibility that the words 'trespass' and 'offense' are applied as different concepts, that the offense is not the trespass but, rather, the failure to forgive the trespass. Second is the possibility that the expression “these little ones” does not apply to children but to adults struggling with faith, and who need forgiveness to grow spiritually.

The strongest points in my list of five are that Jesus directly addresses his disciples (one and three), while the most confused and confusing point is that of the interplay between trespass and forgiveness (five). The concept of 'offense' is not a point in this study but, rather, an outcome of the points in general.

What do we as seekers need to understand in regard to this study? We need to know the meanings of the words 'offense' and 'trespass'. We need a spiritual take on the expression “these little ones.” We need to understand where the word 'rebuke' fits into the repertoire of the forgiving steward.

The definition of the word 'offense' is a breach of a law or rule. One synonym for the word offense is 'sin'. However, this definition is by no means so two-dimensional. There is much more to sin than just breaking the law. A secondary definition involves the connection between 'offense' and 'trespass', and not only that but also the connection between the one who trespasses and the one who forgives.

It goes like this: annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one's standards or principles. You can easily see, then, that offenses and trespasses are normally found on the personal level. Some connected synonyms are anger, indignation, exasperation, displeasure, vexation, and animosity.

These mindsets, or spirits, stand opposed to the will of God in that they effectively negate the possibility of spiritual growth in the people we have set ourselves against. As an example, the Salem witches may have been struggling with their faith and had the good Christians rebuked and forgiven them, they might have moved forward spiritually. They might have become upstanding members of their community and pillars in the church.

We see in the examples given by Jesus in this study (point five), there is no option for wrath, or anger, or destructive actions. The only thing allowed here is a rebuke. Rebuke is defined as an expression of sharp disapproval. Some related synonyms are reprimand, reproof, and admonition. These actions go hand in hand with forgiveness as an outlet for spiritual growth for those who struggle with their faith.

Those who are weak and small in their spiritual stand may be considered the little ones that Jesus brought to his disciples' attention. Ask yourselves, who was it, mostly, that followed Jesus through the open countryside night and day? The multitudes that followed Jesus were comprised mostly of men. It was, after all, a patriarchal society. Of course, some women and children followed the men, but they were for the most part managed by men, possibly kept behind the press of men.

When Jesus mentioned offenses against the little ones, he used the word 'these'. Imagine, as he said this, that he gestured with his hand – a sweeping motion that took in all those with enough muscle to get a good seat. Imagine the jostling to get in close enough to hear the Rabbi. Imagine the men with their families in tow, concerned for their safety.

What is Little? I ask that in a spiritual sense. Jesus said the physician came not to heal the healthy but the sick – that is, the weak and ailing. That case is a case of a spiritual physician concerned with the spiritually weak and struggling. These little ones are you and me, who struggle with our faith, who make daily blunders and seek to be set right again.

The offense is to interfere with our spiritual progress in any way or for any rationale. If someone makes you angry or displeased, if someone vexes you, exasperates you and brings about a condition of animosity – rebuke them. Always. That should never be the end of the matter. Ignoring or avoiding them is not a state of forgiveness. The forgiveness must follow for there to be spiritual growth. The two must work hand in hand.

Ignoring or avoiding is just as much an offense as murder. Anything that keeps your brother from reaching his spiritual potential is an offense. This study concerns a warning issued to those who seek and serve God. If you are zealous about the tenets of your faith, then as a steward, you are called upon to rebuke trespasses, forgive the trespasser, and by all means at your disposal, facilitate the spiritual growth of your fellow man.

The Two Covenants

I am going to deal, here, with the parable of the beggar Lazarus found in Luke 16:16-31, but not so much with the parable as certain comments upon which this parable depends.

We all know the parable. Lazarus dies and goes to heaven; rich man dies and goes to hell. To the studied, this parable is about how the tables turn.

The statements upon which this parable depend are indicative of the two covenants, that is to say, the old and new testaments. This, then, is the framework within which the parable is presented.

The old covenant is represented by Moses and the prophets while the new covenant is portrayed, from the time of John the baptist, as the preaching of the kingdom of God. The two covenants, after a manner, are set against one another. There is, however, an addendum that highlights one particular fact about the difference between the two covenants.

It is this: the new covenant is not a departure from the law. As an example, Jesus states that if you commit adultery under the new covenant, you are still guilty. The old covenant laws are still fully binding. Yet, Jesus paints a picture of a mass-mental-migration from an old mold to a new, from an old standard to a new.

He said, “and every man presseth into it.” So then we must ask, what exactly are we pressing into? Is it into the preaching? Is it into something novel and different? Is it all about the new set of characters, or might it be, rather, a new mold – a new approach to the same desired end?

The parable shows us how the rich man with everything ended up in a reverse situation. Likewise, we see that Lazarus finds his situation reversed. We must remember that earlier in this chapter, Jesus told the Pharisees who derided him exactly the difference between the worldly and the heavenly. Everything is exactly the opposite.

If you know want in this life, you will know plenty in the afterlife. If you know plenty in this worldly plane, in a higher plane you will know want.

Believe it or not, the parable of Lazarus is a new covenant construct. It is the preaching of the kingdom of God. It is exactly what we would expect to hear from a John or a Jesus or any number of apostles, disciples, and the like. Although many of the old testament persuasion believed in a reward after death, and a place with Abraham in glory, that was not the focus of the older frame of mind.

The old testament focus was on the observance of the law in this present life. It was a bottom-rung frame of mind. In opposition, the frame of mind that everyone was pressing into, as Jesus spoke, was a top-rung frame of mind.

The point in all this is to say there was a predisposition to find a way around the law. The Pharisees found there way around the law by using the law. The ones who followed John and Jesus would, naturally, be attempting to make a break from all the Pharisees represented – that is the darker points of rule and oppression through law-mongering.

For the average Joe, pressing into the new, quite possibly for relief from the Pharisees always having their way, the law actually took a backseat to the needs of daily life. We may picture these average Joes by comparing them to modern day Joes. Sure, they go to church on Sunday, but what about the rest of the week? Strife and relief from strife. They strive to obtain a means upon which they might subsist, but for the sake of respite, they will spend much of it in bars, at dances, in theaters, and at worldly sporting events.

The point of the parable was to say that the law would always apply. Don't throw the law out with the wash. In the new covenant construct, the rich man asks that Lazarus be sent to his brothers thinking that if they were approached by one from the dead, they might repent and avoid the reversal of fortune.

The final say and ultimate answer for those pressing into the new is a stark rebuttal found in verse 31, “if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Of course, one did rise from the dead, and many of us press gladly into the resurrection of Jesus. But are we persuaded? Have we at all paid any heed to the will of God, to his law, or even to things just and wholesome? How many Christians say they believe in the Ten Commandments, yet regularly fail to observe the Sabbath of God? How many of us fail to honor our parents? How many of us totally ignore the needs of the less fortunate?

What is the divorce/adultery rate for our day and age? Just what is it that we are so blindly pressing into? It is the stewardship of our Father's goods which we gather to ourselves and withhold from our brothers. These are all simple bottom-rung matters, but we just can't seem to pass the test. Fail. Fail. Fail.

Our failures in simple matters have an outcome. We always prove who we are by word and by deed. What are the true colors of those pressing into what Christ offers? Bloodlust and the black smoke of war. The gray cloud of approaching enemies and the red flames of hell licking up from our eternal abyss.

When You Fail (Part Two)

We continue in Luke 16. Jesus had more to say on the matter of our last study. Here, I refer to verses 10 through 15. Are there more comparisons to make? Refer back to the previous study for a definition of the word unjust.

In verse ten 10, Jesus compares the concept of 'unjust' with the concept of 'faithfulness'. In other words, faithfulness is the antithesis of all that is self-serving and gratuitous. It all actually boils down to two sets of behavior. There is behavior that can be justified and there is behavior that is unjustifiable. We must, therefore, know the meaning of the word 'justification'.

Justification: Merriam-Webster calls it an acceptable reason for doing something. An unjust steward can be considered a steward whose actions (diverting his master's goods toward self-serving ends) cannot validate his purpose as a steward. If what you desire is not part of the deal, you should not try to wring them from the deal by hook and crook. Either accept the deal or go elsewhere.

Jesus continues, in verse 11, by saying the steward is also one of the mammon of unrighteousness. He is one of them – no different. Anything the mammon needs to borrow from the rich man who lends, the steward needs also. We are all so impoverished that we must borrow from the same source. The difference in the case of the steward is that he has been entrusted to faithfully dole out those things we all require.

That being said, Jesus places all of us on the bottom rung of the cosmic ladder. We must work our way up. A universal law is applied: if we can be faithful in the small things, we can be faithful in the big things. We must first prove ourselves in the small things. The reverse is equally applicable. If we prove ourselves unjust in the small things, we would not suddenly become faithful in matters that really count. The fact is that faithful people practice faithfulness, thus becoming even more faithful. The unjust also practice their self-serving ways. They will only ever become better at the thing they practice.

The bottom rung. It is a place for the things that belong to others. We may not be presumptuous. If we are unable to prove ourselves in the things that belong to others, we will never come to a place where something actually belongs to us. If we work hard, show integrity, we may advance our careers to a point where we are finally the boss and not the lacky. But, before we can be a boss, we have to keep our noses to the grindstone.

That is the common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, daily, dog-eat-dog business model. It's just good business, they say. You have to crack some eggs and all of that. It's the way things are. That's just how it's done. I'm not saying anything new here.

There is a higher level to consider, though. There is a comparison to be made between two of the statements made in this section of text. The first statement, found in verse 12, is that if you can't be faithful in the dog-eat-dog business model of all our day to day unrighteous mammon, in the bottom rung where things belong to everyone but you, then there will be no one to hand off to you those things, which in a future time, should have belonged to you. Your own unfaithfulness impedes the system that brings you to your own.

The second statement is found in verse 11. It is the higher level, based by way of comparison, on the lesser of the two models. If you can't be trusted with ordinary worldly riches, who will entrust to you the true riches that surpass all worldliness? If you cut me, I bleed. Nonetheless, I am a spiritual being. I strive toward an outcome on a higher level of spirituality.

As Jesus said these things, the Pharisees (ever on Jesus' heels) being described as covetous, derided him for his statements. They mocked, scoffed, ridiculed, and poked fun at his statements. All that he said sort of painted them in a bad light – as the failed steward being called in to account for his unjustified actions. They were covetous – but of what? Of the admiration and esteem in which the people held Jesus? Of the office of steward to the God of Israel? Of the personal advantage of said office – which the rogue Rabbi threatened? Even the religious subscribe to a dog-eat-dog model.

The bottom line of this study is the bottom rung of the ladder. Nothing is yours yet. You are simply the steward. You have a place on a higher rung, but you must first prove yourself down here. To move up, your stewardship must find justification. By this, I mean true justification, not self-justification. When the Pharisees derided Jesus, he answered them in this manner.

You, the stewards of your God, have no justification for your stewardship. You merely justify yourselves before men. They see the outside, But God sees your spirits. All the things you covet are of the mammon of unrighteous, and therefore an abomination to God. Everything you seek to have and everything you fight so desperately to hold onto, none of that belongs to you.

Are you of the mammon of unrighteousness? Of course, you are. We all are. It is the bottom rung. Are you a steward of the riches of God? In a way, all of us are. Do you take your stewardship seriously? You must either practice faithfulness or expect to fail. Do you covet all the material and worldly facets of the bottom rung? You are doing all the wrong things. It is not for you to speak for God. You are a servant only. Forget about the power, the fame, the station. Do not seek to place your will above others. Changing things around is not the business of a steward. Not even a prophet may speak for himself, but all of us, as faithful servants, must bend to the will of a spirit who is above all worldliness.

Will we fail? Many of us will, but that only tells us this one important fact: we should have seen from the beginning that we are on the bottom rung where everything belongs to everyone else. From the beginning, we should have cared for them more than for ourselves.