Shepherd of the Springs
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

The Ten Lepers Sunday
"What You Need to Walk in the Spirit"

Proverbs 4.18-19; Galatians 5.17-18; Luke 17.15-16

From the Old Testament of the Day: But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.[Proverbs 4.18-19]

From the Epistle: For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to teach other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [Galatians 5.17-18]

From the Holy Gospel: Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God, with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now, he was a Samaritan. [Luke 17.15-16]

One of the constant warnings that Dr. Martin Luther gives to his hearers is not to turn the Scriptures into a rule book, a sort of handbook of do’s and don’ts for the good and proper life. Why does Luther give such warnings? You see, when you turn God’s Word into a law book, you turn Christ into the new and ultimate law giver. You turn Christ into "a new Moses," as Luther often puts it.

The Word of God is the Word of Life, not because it gives you instructions on how to live, but because it gives you Christ -- who is your life -- and it gives you the forgiveness of sins and peace before God in this world and in the world to come.

"Okay, that seems to make some sense to me," you might say. "But, what about the life we have to live in this world, as Christians, as forgiven sinners. Isn't there any role the Scriptures play in informing our daily life?"

Yes, there is! And Scriptures, properly understood, play this role without turning Christ into a "new Moses" in the process. We see God's Word at work in the realm of guiding you in wise living in the texts for today, indicating "What You need to Walk in the Spirit."

I.

In the Holy Gospel for this 14^th Sunday after Trinity, you are presented with the narrative of our Lord’s encounter with ten men who are stricken with the horrible disease of leprosy, the gradual rotting away of skin and muscle, while the victim is still alive. This encounter occurs, from afar, at shouting distance, because those who are lepers are isolated, by law, from their families and their communities, and they cannot come near to any one, other than another leper – they must stay at shouting distance.

And so, when Jesus on His way to His final and ultimate journey into Jerusalem and onto the holy cross, He is passing through a small village located on the border between Galilee and Samaria. Outside of this village 10 lepers scrounge for a meager existence from the rubbish left by others. They see Jesus, and they shout, or in the language of St. Luke, "they lifted up their voices, saying, ‘ Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

And He does have mercy on them! He instructs them to do what any person must do who is miraculously cured of this incurable disease. He must go to Jerusalem, to the temple priests, to be examined, to be declared healed, to give the proper thanksgiving to God as outlined in the Old Testament Law, and then to be certified as "clean," able to enter society again.

Now, they weren’t healed in that moment, but heeding the Lord’s instruction, they headed toward the holy city. On their journey, they were healed! Now, their journey has a life-changing purpose, to be declared clean, to return to their homes. And nine of the ten eagerly pick up the pace, on to Jerusalem.

But the tenth did not do so. He really didn’t need to do so, if he stayed within the bounds of his home territory of Samaria, because Samaria was not part of Palestine at that time, and it was not under the control of the priests at Jerusalem. He leaves the nine, but not for his own home. He turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks!

And Jesus praises him for this response, and He notes that the others who were healed that day did not, in His words, "return and give praise to God." This man, this foreigner, put his finger, now newly cleansed and covered with fresh and smooth flesh, on the nature of Christian living, the nature of what the Scriptures call "Walking in the Spirit." He is at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks! And to this response, this humble faith and trust in God, Jesus responds, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

II.

The texts for today highlight three truths about the Christian life, about "walking in the Spirit." First, "walking in the Spirit," is living by faith. This is not just any faith, any sort of trust, and version of hope. Living by faith is living in the promise that God makes to you, a promise that says that God the Father declares you, an incurable sinner, to be forgiven. He declares you righteous, for Christ’s sake. Now, this is a verdict, and declaration of judgment, and it is made by the Father, upon the shed blood of God the Son on your behalf.

To live in this declaration, though, takes more than just hearing it – it takes believing it. And that belief is not based on logic; it is based on being persuaded by the Spirit to hear the verdict and to cling to it, to trust it. This is what the Scriptures mean by "faith."

Faith itself is a gift of God, created, stimulated, and sustained by the promise and verdict from God the Father. That verdict does more than declare, it creates and sustained faith in what it declares. The Christian life, walking in the Spirit, is living in this trust. Walking in the Spirit is what the Samaritan did when he headed back to Jesus – he was now alive in trust and living in that trust.

The second truth about walking in the Spirit that you find in the lessons for today is this: this walk is always a struggle, a conflict. This conflict is a real, inner experience to Christians, and Scripture tells you why this is so: "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do."

Original sin, the sinful nature, remains a potent force in Christians. It will not win, but it will create a constant battle within you. And so walking in the Spirit is no cake-walk. God allows this condition because it is He that the Christian is to follow, not simply the Christian’s own thoughts, desires, and inclinations. So St. Paul writes, "These are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the thing you want to do."

Therefore, the struggle, the frustration, the experience of weakness and faltering in the Christian life is not some strange thing that is happening to you. It is the evidence that you are, indeed, redeemed, forgiven, called, converted, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. The struggle is the message that walking in the Spirit is constantly leaning on your Lord Jesus Christ.

Lastly, walking in the Spirit is an advancing thing, it is a progressing thing, as you heard in Proverbs – The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. God is working on you and through you, and this is a progressing thing. HOWEVER, it is never a measurable thing – you don’t see advances in your life, getting brighter and brighter – because in the trenches of daily warfare against the flesh, the law always and rightly accuses you and faith continually must cling to Christ and to the forgiveness of sins.

While this advancing thing is a promise of God – it is not measurable, as if you can find yourself moving from 50% to 60% righteousness. It is not measurable experience. Rather, it is an article of faith! It is a promise of God! It is a glimpse, a foretaste of the glorious and everlasting walk in the Spirit that is yours in the world to come!