“Always More to Give”

Here’s a sermon we’ve all heard before (and I’ll wager lots of people are going to hear again this morning): “Jesus runs into ten lepers. Actually, they are looking out for Him. Have heard about Him. Heard He can work miracles. So they’ve got an eye out for Him and when they see Him they shout, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

“And Jesus pauses as He walks on by and says “Go show yourselves to the priests!”. This wasn’t just a good idea. It’s the law! The law of Moses that is, required the priests to determine officially whether anyone with leprosy was really healed and so could return to society. They strictly quarantined lepers in those days, you know. And as they went to the priests, they were healed. Interesting way to heal people. Quick, efficient and you’re long gone by the time they realize what you’ve done for them. [File that away in the back of your mind, though it won’t factor into this model sermon we’ve all heard before and most will hear this morning].

“But one of the ten, a Samaritan, [another good Samaritan! File that away in the back of your mind too. Interesting] just one of the ten, the social leper of the actual lepers, comes back to find Jesus. Wasn’t easy probably. By the time they found the priests who pronounced them healthy, Jesus was far away. But this guy is determined. He goes back because he needs to thank Jesus.

“This is the point, Christian friends!: It’s important to say thanks! Important to be thankful. But all too rare, which is why our sermon it entitled “One in Ten”. Only one in ten was thankful. Only one in ten had the gratitude to go back and say “thanks!” Only one in ten wasn’t raised by wolves, but had a momma who brought him up with manners. So be that one in ten. Be that good Samaritan who travels far to say: “Thanks, Jesus!”

“Because God has done tons of neat stuff for you. He’s given you so much! Nice family. Nice house. Nice job. Nice car. Nice life. Good weather too. And are you grateful? Chances are, you aren’t. You probably take all this good stuff for granted. Probably think it’s your due, what God owes you. You’re probably the 9 out of 10 who just takes, takes, takes, takes without ever saying a sincere “Thanks!”.

“For instance, why did you come to church today? Did you come to say “Hey, Jesus! You’ve given me so much. Tons of neat stuff! And I just wanted to stop by Your house (even though it’s kind of a long drive for me, and I really like to sleep in on Sunday) I just wanted to come by anyway to say thanks. Like that Samaritan dude. To be that one in ten that shows gratitude. Because it’s important to be grateful, really, truly! A huge deal. Yes, sir!”

And after going on like this for a while, and making everyone feel good about feeling bad for not being grateful, the pastor will finally say “Amen”. Probably have the band crank up some praise music, get some grateful feelings going, and show Jesus how much we really love Him. And most everyone will leave church feeling like that was a pretty good sermon. A pretty good Sunday. Pretty much what was expected. They’ve heard it before.

I’ve heard that sermon dozens of times. Chances are, I would have probably heard it again last week at pastor’s conference, except I was the one preaching for a change. But I didn’t preach that sermon Tuesday. And I’m not going to preach it today. It’s a popular sermon. It’s what people expect to hear. It has everything going for it except these two little drawbacks: 1) It’s not what Jesus put me here to preach and 2) it’s not what the Gospel reading actually says. Other than that, it’s a really good sermon.

I can’t preach that “One in Ten” gratitude sermon—first off, because Jesus called me to preach the Gospel. And that sermon about being grateful is not Gospel. It’s all Law. Start to finish. It’s all about me, what I do for Jesus, how I feel, how I show my good feelings in life and action for Him. It’s inspiring, the Law is, but it kills. It kills everyone—well, it kills all sinners and that’s all of us here this morning. But Jesus put me here not to kill but to give life. And the only Way to give life is to proclaim, in His stead and by His command, the life-giving Word of Absolution, the absolutely free forgiveness of all your sins for Jesus’ sake alone, by His grace alone, through the faith He alone grants. That’s what I’m called to do, and by God’s grace, that’s what I intend to do this morning again.

The sermon I’m going to preach to you now (see how short it’s going to be?—half the usual!) is called “Always More to Give”. Because that’s what our Gospel here actually proclaims of Jesus. Not that we should be grateful to God and always remember to give thanks (as if that’s the be-all and end-all of Christianity) but rather that Jesus always has more gifts to give us poor, sick sinners.

How do I know that’s what this text really says? A couple reasons. First of all, Jesus says in John 5:39 that we search the Scriptures because in them we think we have life but these are they which testify of Him. So if you don’t find Jesus as the indispensable center of the reading, then you simply haven’t read it right. And who is at the center of the gratitude sermon? Is it Jesus? Nope. It’s a grateful leper. In the end, it’s you and me. We’re the center of attention in that sermon, what we do and how we respond to Jesus. It’s all about me—Jesus is just peripheral.

But the actual Gospel actually centers entirely on Jesus. So that “gratitude” reading of it just can’t be right. Which is the second clue as to what the text is really saying: why is Jesus bummed that only one leper out of ten healed came back? Was it because He needed to be thanked? Was it because He needed the attention and adulation? Come on! Jesus isn’t needy like that. Oh, human beings like us are needy like that! But Jesus is not needy. He made a point of being long gone by the time the lepers were cleansed precisely so He wouldn’t have to be thanked, fawned and fussed over. Jesus has no interest in fawning, flattery, or fussing.

What is He interested in? Sinners. Finding sinners and saving them. For their sake, not His. That’s why He’s disappointed only one came back. Because Jesus always has more gifts to give! This is in the last line of the Gospel when it is properly translated. Our text has Jesus say to the former leper as he worships “Your faith has made you well.” Wrong! 10 points off your Greek homework, translators! Because the Greek is seswke se which is saved you. The leper asked for physical health and got it. But when he came back, Jesus gifted him with eternal salvation. Unasked. Unexpected. Better.

Which is what Jesus is all about. He always has more to give. He doles out health, happiness, and humbly scurries off to hide, so that the leper will seek, and seeking, will find, and finding Jesus will get more and better Gifts than he’d ever think to ask…

Jesus hides so that you will seek. And seeking, will find, and finding Him, hidden in Gospel Word and Sacrament, you’ll receive more and better Gifts than you would ever think to ask. There’s always more to give with Jesus—all of His for all of you—His body and blood, His life and death, His never-ending Kingdom: which bestows Peace that surpasses understanding, guarding heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.