Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 23, October 12, 2025: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-11; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19
Jeremiah is, as always, telling the people things they do not want to hear. This is a message to the “elders in exile”, so it’s a message to the people who last week were grieving and angry “by the waters of Babylon”. Jeremiah’s message is “Get over it, get on with life, you’re here for a while”. And maybe instead of thinking about bashing the heads of the children of Babylon on the rocks, “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile”.
It’s hard to believe the people we heard in last week’s psalm singing this week’s:
Be joyful in God, all you lands; sing the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down before you, sings to you, sings out your Name.”
Come now and see the works of God, how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.
The God celebrated here is wonderful not just to the people of Israel, but to *all* people.
We see the wondrous generosity of God is the focus of today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke. We’re still on our way to Jerusalem. As he and his disciples entered a village, ten lepers approached him. They kept their distance: leprosy was considered contagious, so lepers were isolated. But they praised Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us“. How did they know about Jesus? How did they recognize him? We don’t know. And in this story of healing, Jesus does not touch the sick. He does not say “Be healed”. He just says, “Go and show yourselves to the priests“. And as they go, they are indeed made clean.
One of the ten, recognizing that he had been healed, turns around and praises God “with a loud voice“. He returns to Jesus, prostrates himself at his feet, and thanks him. It’s very dramatic. And then Luke observes that this was a Samaritan. We know about Samaritans; they were outsiders. Jesus then asks why only the foreigner came to give thanks. Once again, Jesus’ followers are asked to acknowledge their shared humanity with the outsiders.
Jesus does not punish the nine, he just wonders. Healing was not conditional on saying thank you. And before we go all judgmental–“If I were healed by Jesus I’d say thank you”–how often DO we say thank you for the amazing gifts we have received from God? Have you given thanks for the clear air and cool temperatures today? Have you given thanks for the water you have used to wash, or to swim in? God’s creation is a great gift to all living beings, a gift we often take for granted.
For a few years, I had a gratitude app on my phone, which prompted me every day to give thanks for three things. It became mechanical, so I eventually stopped, and deleted the app. But it’s a good reminder to think of all the things that make our life possible, most of which we don’t give thanks for regularly.
What happened to the other nine? They went on their way to show themselves to the priest, as they had been told. They had had confidence that Jesus could heal them, and he had. The received the gift of healing from a loving and generous God. But they did not stop to give thanks. Creation is an extraordinary gift, and it is not conditional.
Most of us are, most of the time, a lot like the nine who did not turn around. As we move through the week, may we find time to acknowledge all generosity we have experienced from our loving God. The gifts we have received–of life, food, friends–are not conditional. But it is good to stop and give thanks.
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