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November 25, 2004
Thanksgiving Day
Luke 17:11-19
Pastor Ben Berger

Raise Your Voice, Leper!

Many people think that I am a loud person. They tell me that I'm a loud preacher and teacher. I'm loud cheering in the stands and even louder coaching from the bench. Some have even gone so far as to call me obnoxious. Now I think that's too far, but you can decide for yourself. Isn't interesting how and when we use our loud voices? Many of you join me in raising your voice to cheer on the sports teams. Most people would scream for help. Too often we yell in frustration or anger. On the other hand, many tend to use quiet voices when it comes to religion. The same kids who were just screaming on the playground barely speak when reading a passage for class. Once we turn about 12 we start to sing under our breath. When we have a chance to talk about Jesus, we say nothing at all. Today Jesus raises his voice to speak to us. He wants and encourages us to raise our voices to him. Raise Your Voice, Leper! 1) to cry out for mercy 2) to shout thanks and praise.

Lepers had no choice but to raise their voices, and they certainly needed mercy. Leprosy was a terrible disease. It began by attacking the skin; turning it white and flaky. Then it attacked the rest of the body - even taking away one's voice and then life itself. Leprosy was also contagious. Because it was so deadly, lepers were forced to live outside the city, apart from everyone else. Whenever they saw someone without leprosy, they had to raise their voice to announce their disease: LEPER, LEPER! Then they had to keep their distance.

Sin is very similar to leprosy, a terrible disease. It begins by attacking the mind, then eating away at the soul, and eventually taking all life. Every one of us inherited this deadly and contagious disease from our parents. This disease forces us to keep our distance from God. We are not allowed to live in his city or even approach his presence. Rather, we must announce our disease. SINNER coming! Right here, disrespect in the flesh. Ingratitude, whining, complaining, discontent. Stay away, I'm contagious. I'm waiting to die and go to hell.

The ten lepers did what the law commanded them. When they saw Jesus, they stood at a distance. They announced the presence of leprosy; they also cried out for his mercy. Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us."

The ten lepers asked for Jesus' help because they truly believed he could help. Maybe they heard about what Jesus had done for others; maybe they had even heard him speak or saw one of him miracles themselves. Whatever it was, they thought Jesus could and would help them. They had nothing to lose, so they raised their voice for mercy.

We sinners also want to raise our voices to cry out for mercy. No one cries for help unless they think they need it. The lepers saw the disease eating away their bodies. They felt the pain of isolation from everyone else. We sinners will only cry out for mercy if we see sin eating away at our bodies and souls. We will only ask for Jesus' help if we feel the pain of separation from God. We will desire help only when we understand the depth of our sin.

And, we will cry out for mercy only if we believe Jesus can help. Jesus assures us that he can and will help. The Bible is full of God's promises to help us. He promises to be with us, to give us nothing more than we can bear, to work out all things for our good, and to save us from our sin. The Bible is full of proof that God keeps his promises. Jesus himself is proof that God keeps his promises. He didn't have to become man, but he did for us. Jesus didn't have to put up with betrayal by friends and countrymen, disrespect from kings and armies, or death on a cross, but he did for us. Jesus didn't have to leave behind his word or his Spirit, but he did for us.

Jesus also gives us other examples of his desire to help, like the ten lepers. When asked, Jesus was more than willing to help the lepers. And all he did was speak. When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. Jesus raised his voice, spoke the word and they were cleansed. He didn't walk up to them, he didn't touch them, he didn't do anything but speak, and they were cleansed.

We too can trust Jesus' voice. When he sees us, he has mercy on us. He says, "Your sins are forgiven. Go, show yourselves to my Father. He will declare you holy." When Jesus speaks, we know that his Father listens. The Father said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." The Father listens to Jesus because Jesus did everything necessary to earn forgiveness for our sins. As a result, we can trust Jesus anytime he speaks. When he promises to provide, to protect, to be with us, to work out everything for our good, he means it. When we raise our voice to cry out for mercy, we can trust Jesus' voice to heal.

After we hear Jesus' voice, we will want to raise our voices again - this time to shout thanks and praise.

Although the law demanded that lepers raise their voices to announce their disease, no one demanded that they announce the cure. After Jesus spoke the word, all ten lepers were cleansed. All ten must have realized they were cleansed. Their skin would have looked different; perhaps they would have felt different. They must have stopped to look at themselves and one another. They must have rejoiced that they had been healed. But, we can't be sure because only one announced the cure. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan.

Wow! That one leper was excited! He didn't just turn back, wave and say thank you to Jesus. He ran back, fell at Jesus' feet. The whole way he was raising his voice, shouting in a loud voice "Thank you, thank you! Glory be to God! Thank you!" When he finally reached Jesus, he fell on his face and kept thanking him. At that time nothing was more important than thanking Jesus. The other nine? They were more interested in getting to the priests. They wanted to get back to their lives. Not the one leper. He just had to stop to thank Jesus. I imagine he eventually made it to the priest. He surely went home and told his family what had happened. What a story he had for his friends. In fact, he probably gave thanks by telling everyone he ever met for the rest of his life.

Are we sinners, we believers, like the one or the nine? All lepers of this world, all sinners, that is, all people, have been healed, right? God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son to die on the cross. And we have recognized that God forgives our sins. By the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, someone told us about Jesus. We know that he died for our sins, your sins and my sins. Every week in worship, every time we receive the sacrament, every time we confess to our neighbor, Jesus announces, "Your sins are forgiven; depart in peace." We know that we're healed, but do we announce that we're healed? Do we return thanks?

Raising our voices to shout thanks and praise is the most important activity we have to do right now. We are so like the nine lepers who just wanted to get to the priest and get on with it. We want to get back to our lives as soon as possible. Yes, we're willing to come to church - but it better not last more than an hour because I have better things to do. No, we don't. We have nothing better than to run to our Savior, fall at his feet and give thanks with the loudest voices we can muster. "Thank you; thank you, Jesus. Thank you for living a perfect life for me, for dying on the cross for me, for rising from the dead for me, for sending your Spirit, for giving your word and sacrament, for everything. Glory be to God; thank you!

We can also thank God in our lives. We will eventually get back to our regular lives. That's when we have a chance to tell our story. We can tell family, friends, and everyone we know. We simply tell them what God has done for us. Tell them how sin was eating away at our bodies and souls. Tell them how sin separated us from God. Then tell them how we raised our voices to finally acknowledge our sin. Tell them how Jesus spoke and fulfilled his promise to forgive our sins. We will often have a chance to speak when others see the way we live. When we display peace in times of trouble or joy in times of sorrow, when we spend our time differently, when we refuse to act in the ways of the world - people will notice and will want to know why we're different. Tell them your story. If you need to, begin with the story of ten men who had a terrible disease.

Jesus raised his voice one more time. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." So Jesus raises his voice to us. "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." He wants us to live that faith in our lives. He want us to raise our voices in faith 1) continuing to cry out for his mercy and 2) always returning thanks and praise. He wants us to raise our voice because we trust his voice - for salvation.