Father, we come now to think upon your word.
We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would move and work in our lives
so that the very best of our minds, Father, might come to listen and attend to your word,
that we might have a humble spirit, Father, so that you might teach us,
that we might learn, that we might, if necessary, be rebuked, change how we think.
We ask, Father, that you help us to use the best of our mind.
We ask that you humble our minds so that our mind might be changed.
We ask that you make us hungry to know more of you and know more of your truth.
And at the same time, Father, we ask that you would grant us that even deeper humility, Father,
that acknowledges that unless you draw us to yourselves,
even the most brilliant mind will not understand you or know you in a saving way.
So, Father, we ask that you would do this wonderful work in our lives as we think upon your word,
and now all these things we ask in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
So, it's good to be back.
If God wanted people to believe in him, why doesn't he do more to prove it to them?
Why doesn't he do miracles?
Why doesn't he show up?
Why doesn't he reveal himself?
And it's a very, very common idea, and I have to confess that for a long time I sort of thought that as well.
I sort of wish that God would show up in some particular way,
that there'd be some dramatic miracle that would make it easier for me to believe in him
or maybe help me to start to believe him for the very first time.
It's a very common thing.
Maybe some of you have thought that.
Maybe some of you are thinking that right now.
The Bible story that we're going to look at today has some interesting things to say about that, believe it or not.
Sort of some interesting observations in the form of a story.
So, it'd be a great help to me.
The words will be on the screen.
We're doing a sermon series called Real Jesus, Real Miracles.
We're going to look at a miracle story,
so something where Jesus shows up, where he does a remarkable miracle,
and we see how that impacts different people.
So, it'd be a great help if you have your own Bibles to open them up
because it can be very helpful to make notes in your own Bible
or just to see it in the one that you actually use yourself for reading.
And it's Luke chapter 17, verses 11 to 19.
That's the story that we're going to look at.
And it's interesting.
All of the other miracle stories that we've been looking at,
that we will look at over this series, are in several Gospels.
This story is only told in Luke.
Luke, but if you are an old Anglican, old in spirit, maybe not in body,
and you're used to the old lectionary,
this story actually is one of the stories that's read every year
in the cycle of the readings.
So, the prayer book thought it was an important story,
and that's one of the reasons I put it down,
even though it's the only miracle story we'll look at
that's only found in one of the Gospels, not all of them.
And just before we look at this story as well,
just to understand a little bit about it,
what we're looking at now,
you know, I love saying this,
you probably start to fade out when I start to say it.
It now is in the Bible,
and it all looks fancy and fancy paper,
but what we're reading when we're reading the Gospel of Luke,
look at how it begins, look at how Acts begins.
There was a doctor who was a pagan,
who became a Christian,
and he decided that he would write a biography of Jesus
based on eyewitness testimony.
And that's what we have in front of us.
It was probably written in the mid to late 60s,
so it was written within 30 years of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
It was written while there were many eyewitnesses around.
You could have just said,
sorry, but that's not right.
You got that wrong.
That didn't happen.
And it's an eyewitness biography
written while many eyewitnesses were alive,
and that's what we're reading,
and here it goes with verse 11 of chapter 17.
It starts this way.
It says,
on the way to Jerusalem,
Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.
Now, just pause here for a second.
If you go back, remember this is a story.
It's a biography.
It's a story.
And the way that Luke writes the Gospel,
the story,
is that in chapter 9,
Jesus reveals to his disciples,
he's been with them for a couple of years,
but he reveals to them in chapter 9
that he's going to start going to Jerusalem,
and that he's going to go to Jerusalem,
and this time when he goes to Jerusalem,
something very different is going to happen.
This time when he goes to Jerusalem,
he's going to be captured,
he's going to die on the cross,
and he's going to rise from the dead.
And everything that happens in the Gospel,
in this story from Luke chapter 9,
right up until he actually gets to Jerusalem,
it's all Jesus walking towards Jerusalem.
And it's all,
it's going to be reiterated time and time and time again
to the disciples.
By the way,
we're going to Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem,
I'm going to die on the cross,
and I'm going to rise from the dead.
And so he's on his way to Jerusalem.
And there's an interesting thing here,
which isn't translated into the English,
and it happens twice in this story.
There's a word,
a phrase,
in the story,
which isn't translated into English,
because it messes up the flow of the English.
But what it is,
is it says,
it happened that.
I was just,
on Friday,
when I was working in a certain coffee shop,
on my sermon,
one of the people who talks to me regularly,
come up and says,
well,
what are you preaching on this week?
And so I started to tell him the story
that I was going to be preaching on.
And he said,
well,
we know that that can't happen.
There's no miracles can't happen.
So is it an allegory?
Is it a myth?
Like,
what's going on?
And I just paused.
I said,
like,
one moment here.
Here's the ground rule.
This fellow that talked to me,
he's written several books
of a sort of a cultural analysis.
Those are the types of books that he's written.
And so I said to him,
listen here,
hold on for a second here.
You have to understand something.
And he had one of his books
right with him on the table.
I said,
if I took that book of yours
and started reading it
and said to you,
this is wonderful poetry,
you'd be offended.
You'd say,
it's not poetry.
You don't know how to read.
It's a work of cultural criticism.
Or if I said,
this is a wonderful myth.
He said,
no,
it's not a myth.
I'm giving you history.
I'm giving you sociological facts.
It's not a myth.
You'd be offended
if I said that it was a type of writing
that it isn't.
So I said,
what you need to do
is you need to extend that
same
respect
to the story.
And I can tell you that Luke,
and I said,
you go back,
just the same thing
I just said to you.
69 times
in the Gospel of Luke,
he says,
and it happened that.
It's a marker to say
that I'm writing history.
It's not once upon a time,
it's,
and it happened that.
And if you read the beginning
of the book,
he says he's writing a biography.
So here's the thing.
I almost said his name.
Here's the thing,
Bob.
You might say that he's full of bleep.
You might say that he's a liar.
You might say all sorts of things,
but what you can't say
is that it's a myth or an allegory.
He's claiming he's writing history,
and you have to deal with it
on that level.
And this is one of those times
he nodded and said,
well,
that makes a bit of sense.
I mean, he's a writer.
He understands that.
So he still thinks
it's a bunch of hooey.
He thinks it's wrong,
but at least he now understands
that it's history.
And so that's what happens here.
Luke is recording this story.
And once again,
on the way to Jerusalem,
and because you haven't been reading
from the beginning,
you don't,
there's this reminder why
the first time Jesus said
he was going to Jerusalem,
he told them,
I'm going there to die.
So now,
okay,
he's going there to die.
And he was passing along
between Samaria and Galilee.
Verse 12,
and as Jesus entered a village,
he was met by 10 lepers
who stood at a distance
and lifted up their voices saying,
Jesus,
master,
have mercy on us.
Now,
just sort of,
you want to pause.
I don't know if there's any lepers
in Ottawa.
I mean,
like literal lepers.
There's lots of social lepers
in Ottawa,
but that's a separate type of thing.
People who aren't sort of welcome
in polite society.
And,
but,
there's still,
I think it's,
I looked it up on the internet,
so it has to be true.
I think it said something
about somewhere between,
actually,
it's one of those things
that has to be true,
but I saw two different numbers
on the internet.
There you go.
100 to 200,000 cases
of leprosy
are diagnosed
every year.
New cases are diagnosed
every year
in the United States of America.
United States.
All in the southern states.
And there's a,
I can't remember what it was,
but it was like
several million new cases
of leprosy
are diagnosed every year.
Over half of them
in India.
But it's a,
it's a terrible disease.
It's now curable.
And in fact,
the World Health Organization
funded through
richer countries,
primarily the United States,
of course,
but also probably Canada
in a small way.
Anywhere in the world
that a person's diagnosed
with leprosy,
all the medication,
drugs are free.
And it doesn't reverse
the problem,
but it will at least
heal the problem.
But in the ancient society,
and it would be
probably the same now
if you've seen pictures
of lepers
with their blindness,
the disfigurement
of their fingers,
the disfigurement
on their feet,
maybe missing limbs
as well altogether,
they were outcasts.
They weren't allowed
to be part,
and especially in this Jewish
and in Samaritan culture,
they weren't allowed
to really be part
of the community.
They had to live separate.
They could no longer
live with their wives,
their wife or their kids.
They couldn't go to events.
They couldn't go to parties.
They had to live separate.
They were unclean,
not able to be part of society.
So when they're standing there
from a distance,
it's not because
they're just sort of like
heckling Jesus
as he walks by,
you know,
hey, dude,
you know,
or anything.
No, it's not like that.
They're just,
they're respecting
the social norm
because bad things
would happen to them
if they disregarded it.
And it's very interesting.
It's important to the story.
Remember I said how this,
I began by saying
how people
sort of think,
why doesn't God
just show up
in a very powerful way?
And if he did,
then I'd believe in him.
And in this particular case here,
they say,
it's a very odd thing.
They say,
Jesus, Master,
have mercy on us.
And it's the only place
in all of the New Testament
that the word Master
is found,
but it's a completely
non-religious term.
It's boss.
Hey, boss.
Boss man.
Hey, boss.
Have mercy on us.
And have mercy on us
is an indirect
and polite way
of saying,
could you heal us?
They've heard about him.
They're not making any claim
that he's a rabbi,
that he's special.
They're just calling him boss.
Very neutral term.
And they ask indirectly
that he'd heal them.
I don't know how many of you
have seen a wedding
that I've done.
I have lots of fun
at the rehearsal
when I explain something
to the couple
that's getting married.
And if you've been
in the wedding,
sometimes I say something,
sometimes I don't.
But I like to say
that there's an Anglican
polite,
indirect way
of saying,
you may kiss the bride.
And I say,
if you've ever heard
a wedding that I've done,
I'll say,
you may now greet each other,
which means kiss.
But it's just,
it's a bit of an indirect,
it's a very old
prayer book
way of referring to it.
And here,
they're indirectly
making a request
for healing.
And obviously,
if he's going to heal them,
it's going to be
an act of mercy
on his part,
that he's paying attention
to them,
he's showing them mercy.
But they're asking
for healing.
So what does Jesus do?
Does he go over?
Does he touch them?
What does he do?
No, he keeps
the same distance
in this particular case.
Look what happens
in verse 14.
When Jesus saw them,
he said to them,
he would have had
to yell back,
go and show yourselves
to the priests.
And as they went,
they were cleansed.
Now,
they hear what
he asked them to do
and they go.
Now,
they've asked for healing
in an indirect type of way.
And Jesus says,
I'm going to heal you
in an indirect way.
Because what they would
have known
is that the only way
that they could rejoin
society,
that they could go back
to making money,
having businesses,
getting married,
playing sports,
going to the temple,
going to whatever,
the synagogue,
the only way
they could do that
is if a priest
authenticates
that the leprosy
is gone.
So they would hear
Jesus saying,
go to the priests
and show yourselves.
And they would take it.
But that means
that somehow or another,
they don't know how,
that they'll be healed
as they go.
And as they go,
they're cleansed.
You'll see in a moment
that that also means healed.
That actually,
they're healed
the leprosy is gone
and that they're now
clean.
They're now able
to rejoin society.
That's what Jesus
does for them.
Now you might wonder,
how is it that they know
they were cleansed?
How did they know?
Well, there's two things
that went on here probably.
And the first thing,
which had to be there,
it has to be there.
If it's not there,
it's not a healing
or a cleansing.
And this is actually sort of,
if you just try to picture it,
I don't know if you have
an imagination
that you could try to picture
what would happen,
it would be that
they're walking along
and all of a sudden
as they're walking along,
I'll take off my sand,
all of a sudden
as they're walking along
they hit something
and they go,
ow!
And then there'd be
this pause.
And one of them said,
did you just say ow?
And you go,
my foot hurts.
I'm healed.
Experiencing pain
would show them
that they'd been healed.
Over a third of all people
with leprosy,
loose,
have numbness
and no longer feel pain
on their face,
their arms,
and their legs.
It's one of the main reasons
why they end up
having stumps for fingers
and losing limbs
because they can have
their hand in the fire
and not feel the fire.
They can drop a large rock
on their foot
and not feel it.
They won't feel
the pain of the infection
to have it clean.
They don't feel pain.
And so,
incontrovertibly,
one of the ways
that they would know
as they're walking
that they'd been healed
is when they go,
ouch!
In fact,
it could have been
a very, very funny situation.
It could be that
all of a sudden
you'd see them,
you try it!
And they kick a rock,
ouch!
That hurts!
And before you know it,
they're crying with the pain
and laughing
and it would look like
the weirdest thing
in the world.
Ten guys hurting themselves
and cheering
and high-fiving
and laughing
because they're healed.
They feel pain.
The leprosy's gone.
Now, it could very well be
as well
that at the same time
that they feel pain
that Jesus does
this other miracle
as well
that
the fingers
that were gone
are there.
The toes
that were gone
are there.
The eye
that was blind
can now see.
The Bible's not clear.
It could very well be
that that's also part
of what the miracle is.
But it's also really important
to understand
that if
their fingers
were regrown
and their eye
was remade
and their foot
was regrown
but there was no pain,
they would only be
in deeper despair.
Because how much despair
would it be
to have your fingers
regrow
but you know
that the leprosy
is still there
and you're going
to be banging
your finger
and banging your toe
and before you know it
you're back
to all of the disfigurement.
You haven't been healed.
So whether or not
Jesus actually
regrows fingers,
I think he did.
I think he,
all of a sudden
there were fingers,
there were toes,
there was an eye
but at the same time
to cure the leprosy
there was
the restoration
of the nerve endings,
the disease is gone,
they feel pain.
That's what they do.
Remember I said to you
that what Luke
is writing here
is he's claiming
this is a true story.
This is something
that really happened.
If Luke was able
to come
and be here
amongst Canadians
he would say
that if you could have
a time machine
and go back in time
you would see this
happen yourself as well.
If I took you
to the right village
you would see
this happen yourself.
This really happened.
It's a remarkable miracle.
It's not a spell.
It's not medicine.
It's not prayer.
Jesus doesn't say
Father heal them.
He doesn't come
and touch them.
He doesn't do anything.
He doesn't do anything
like the magicians
and the sorcerers do
that would have been
present in Jewish
and Samaritan
and pagan culture.
He doesn't do anything
that a doctor
would have done.
He doesn't even do anything
like an Old Testament saint
or you and I
would do where we pray.
He merely wills it
from a distance
and the leprosy
is gone
the nerve endings
are restored
and quite likely
the limbs
are remade
all merely
by willing it
and it
is so.
Remember I said
why doesn't God
just show up
and do a remarkable miracle?
I've shared the gospel
with so many people
and they don't seem
to come to faith
right then.
Like why isn't it
that he just doesn't
give me that ability
that I could say
here cut off your fingers
I'm going to pray for you
they're going to grow
right back.
You know
why doesn't he do
something like that?
Like you know
surely if he did
something like that
all sorts of people
would become Christians
and that's what we think
but what happens
in the story?
Well let's see
what happens
in the story
verse 15
then one of them
remember ten of them
are healed
one of them
out of the ten
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
only one
and it's very very
interesting
in the language here
the three things
he's giving thanks
praising God
and the falling on his face
is an act of worship
he praises God
he starts to
to worship Jesus
and giving him thanks
I think it's like 37
the word for thanks
there is the word
that we get Eucharist from
and all the way
through the New Testament
it's only
that word is only used
when it's in a reference
to God
it's one of the small
indirect ways
that the Bible
affirms that Jesus is God
he praises God
he worships Jesus
and he gives thanks
to God
for what's happened
and he's a Samaritan
now we're all
very well instructed
in the Bible
but one of the things
you have to remember
if you ever tell a story
like this to a non-Christian
is that for non-Christians
when they hear
the word Samaritan
if they understand it at all
they're liable to think
that Samaritans
are the good guys
why?
because one of the few
Bible stories
that most non-Christians
might know
is the story
of the good Samaritan
Samaritans are good
and so one of the things
you have to understand
about this is
and this is a Canadian
analogy here
I'm not making this
as
I'm not making any type
of political content
but this is just how
most Canadians think
okay
so the analogy
I would say
no you have to understand
that from a Jewish perspective
Samaritans are the bad guys
that's the whole point
of the story
they're the unclean
they're the unwashed
they're the ones
you don't want to go near
they're the ones
who are confused
they're heretics
they don't think
the right way
it's a story
of you know
a really really good
social justice warrior
getting hurt
and by the side
of the road
and you know
the liberal
goes by
and the NDP
goes by
and the Green Party
person goes by
and then
a good old boy
with a big fat gut
with a
I love Trump
and an NRA sticker
on his truck
he stops
and helps
the social justice warrior
for Canadians
that's the Samaritan
the good old boy
Trump loving
NRA supporter
for a Canadian
we don't like
those people
that's a Samaritan
it's a shock
but one person
out of ten
the other nine
they go on
they
they go to
get cleansed
so they can go
and start making money
so they can start
making babies
so that they can
they can get back
to worship
that they can go
traveling
that they can play sports
like whatever it is
all those things
good things
in and of themselves
they go on
to do all those things
it's only one person
and it's the worst
possible person
out of the ten
who comes back
and acknowledges
Jesus as God
and gives him thanks
as if he's God
so what does Jesus say
verse
six
verse 17
then Jesus answered
we're not ten
cleansed
Jesus makes the point
if we've forgotten
that nine of them
saw something remarkable
it's saying something
very important
about our heart
that what we can
understand is this
and there's constant
stories like this
in the Bible
time after time
after time
the thing that
keeps us from Jesus
isn't that God
doesn't do a miracle
in front of us
now the rest of the
gospel is going to
talk about that more
but in a powerful
story level
it makes it very
clear to us
for nine of the ten
ninety percent of them
the miracle made no
difference in their
lives whatsoever
zero
zilch
verse 17
again
then Jesus answered
we're not ten
cleansed
where are the nine
was no one found
to return and give
praise to God
except this
foreigner
now just sort of
pause there
that word
foreigner is the
only place in the
New Testament
that that word is
found
and it sounds a
little bit like
it's a bit of a
racist thing for a
lot of Canadians
when they hear it
it sounds like a
bit of a put down
but it's actually a
really significant
word
because
Josephus reports
and the Jewish
readers of this
gospel would have
understood
that if you went
to the temple
to pray
you come to an
important gate
and it would say
no foreigners
allowed to enter
and the exact
same word
that bars
non-Jews
is the word
that Jesus
uses here
and so
Jesus
well look what
he says in
verse 19
he said
rise and go
your way
your faith
has saved
you
your faith
has saved
you
it's talking
about some
completely new
thing that God
is doing
in a sense
it's not a new
thing
it's just really
going back
to what God
had said he was
going to do
through Abraham
if you read
Genesis 12
verses 1 to 3
it's not that
salvation is going
to come through
the Jews
for the entire
world
and we see
this Jewish
boy Jesus
and through
him and what
he has done
and what he
accomplishes
it is through
him that a
foreigner
who before
is kept
far from
God
is now
able to
come and
be at the
very feet
of Jesus
and to be
made right
with God
it's not a
put down
word
it's a
word that
for Jewish
readers at
the time
would have
gobsmacked
them
Jesus
carefully
picks the
word that
was on the
walls of
the temple
and says
this person
is saved
now what
do some
of these
things all
sort of
mean for
us
you know
I was having
a conversation
with somebody
this week
and one
of the
things I
tried to
get across
to him
is this
he was
having
here's the
thing I was
trying to
get across
to him
I said
to him
you know
what
if life
and death
are both
natural
why is it
that you
that we
all sense
that life
is good
but not
death
if health
and sickness
are both
natural
why is it
that we
pay lots
of money
to doctors
to heal
people
but if there
was somebody
else
in fact
there's a
case in
the paper
right now
about a
man who
was intentionally
having
unprotected
sex
with other
men
intentionally
to give
them AIDS
to make
them HIV
positive
so why
is it
we throw
that guy
in jail
but we
give the
doctor
and the
nurse
lots of
money
but if
they're both
natural
because that
isn't that
true like
in nature
you have
health
and you
have
sickness
you have
life
and you
have
death
you have
light
and you
have
darkness
you have
kindness
and you
have
hatred
it's
all
natural
so if
these things
are all
natural
why is it
in a sense
that we
sense that
there's
something on
one hand
that's good
and proper
and right
and good
and the
other we
want to
say
shouldn't
be
like why
is that
have you
stopped to
think about
it
and he
tried to
then make
this claim
that from a
Christian point
of view
he said
George you
can say
that but
the problem
is that
that means
that God
has created
all those
evil things
and I
said no
no it's
not like
that
in fact
we had
this odd
conversation
and here's
one of the
things to
encourage you
I wish I
could tell
you he
said that
and right
away I
had this
perfect
reply
and before
you know
it he
was in
tears
and fell
on his
knees
in the
Starbucks
and gave
his life
to Jesus
and we
all go
hooray
no that's
not how
it worked
we did
have a
conversation
but it
was only
when I
was driving
home that
I came
up with
the analogy
that I
should have
given him
and the
analogy that
I should
have given
him is
that I
said you're
trying to
the mistake
you're making
is this
it's as if
I invite
my son
maybe who's
come from
another city
and he's
come back
from Calgary
my son
Jacob
and I
say I
got two
cottages
and you
can have
your choice
of one
cottage
or the
other
and in
one
cottage
everything's
broken
the fridge
is filled
with meat
and the
meat's
all rancid
and all
the vegetables
are rotten
and you
could choose
that cottage
you can choose
this other
cottage
and this other
cottage
everything works
there's air
conditioning
the lights
work
there's stocked
with great
food
you just
choose which
one of them
I've made
both of them
for you
you just
go ahead
and choose
and I said
that's not
how it works
you see
what the
Bible says
is this
is that the
Bible understands
and teaches
that God
that in a sense
if you think
about it
that all
things
I did use
this part
of it
that all
things came
to be as a
result of
light
life
and love
the Father
the Son
and the Holy Spirit
John's Gospel
compares them
with love
with life
with light
and light
life
and love
creates
all things
and one of the
reasons that
God made
human beings
is that so
we would love
him
that we would
have companionship
with him
and you can't
have love
and you can't
have companionship
without freedom
and if you
give somebody
freedom
there is
always a choice
that they will
use their freedom
not for love
not for companionship
for something
very different
I did use
this analogy
I didn't think
of the cottage
analogy
which is what
I should have
thought of
so I said
this is what
I would say
now if I could
go back in time
I'd say
so what you
have to understand
is it would
be like my son
Jacob coming
to spend
some time
and I say
oh you can
go use this
cottage for a week
and in the cottage
it's all perfect
the air conditioning
works
and the water
is clean
and the fridge
is stocked
with great food
and stuff
to drink
and then
Jacob goes
and he turns
off the fridge
and he makes
all the meat
rancid
and he pisses
in the stuff
and he makes
everything broken
and he doesn't
have anything
which is good
but I made
it all good
and you
threw out
the good
you made
the good
foul
you broke
things
and I said
that's
how it is
we've used
our freedom
and so
what we see
in this story
if you could
put up
the first point
is that
we now know
that we live
in a world
with brokenness
and evil
and death
on one hand
it's completely
natural
but we know
that it's not
really natural
it's not good
and so
what we see
in this story
is this
only health
himself
can do
what Jesus
did
only life
himself
can do
what the man
Jesus
did
and it's
really interesting
because when I
was writing
these things
I had to
keep fighting
I was writing
himself
but as I'm
writing himself
I want to
not make it
himself
I want to
make it
impersonal
I want to
say only
health
itself
can do
what Jesus
did
only life
itself
can do
what Jesus
did
as if
it's
something
impersonal
and I'm
greater
because a
person
a human
being
is greater
than the
impersonal
I'm
greater
than
electricity
I have
mind
intelligence
and I
want to
keep
putting
in
itself
but what
is being
revealed
here
only
health
himself
can see
a leper
and merely
by willing
make the
leper
well
only
life
and it's
not in
itself
health
is revealed
as a
person
life
is revealed
as a
person
and if
this story
really
happened
it means
that life
himself
stood
before the
lepers
health
himself
stood
before
the lepers
if you could
put up the
next point
and so
what we see
in this
story
is that
life
himself
has invaded
his dying
creation
to begin
to put
things right
and deliver
his fallen
image bearers
health
himself
has invaded
his sick
creation
to begin
to put
things right
and deliver
his fallen
image bearers
that's what
we see
that's
you see
the bible
is in
the course
of the
story
through a
narrative
the bible
through a
narrative
I mean
like in the
book of
romans
it might
just give
you certain
doctrinal
points very
clearly
but what
the story
does
is the
story
helps us
changes
our
imagination
our
consciousness
our
categories
in a way
that just
having like a
creed
doesn't do
it
and that
as we
realize
that's what
happened
you see
life
invading
life
himself
invades
and when
life
himself
invades
his dying
creation
he gives
life
he gives
health
he begins
to put
that right
now
how should
we then
live
we're just
going to
close with
the next
couple of
minutes
about a
couple of
very important
things
this first
point
or the
third
point
if you
could put
it up
right now
Andrew
this is
really
important
for us
as
Christians
I think
it's
statistics
are that
2-3%
of Ottawa
the population
of Ottawa
are evangelicals
and I
you know
if you're
a guest
here
and you're
non-Christian
and this
might be
a bit
of a
surprise
to you
but let
me tell
you
often
if I
was to
say to
people
that I'm
an
evangelical
Christian
at a
party
of my
neighbors
they
smirk
or they
get
like
often
in lots
of
settings
I'm
a
leper
so what
should
we do
so in
this city
should we
just say
ah the
heck
with them
you know
let them
all go
to hell
in a
hand
basket
let
everything
fall
apart
like why
should I
do any
no no
or should
we just
like
only if
we want to
feed the
poor
do you
only feed
the poor
who are
actually going
to listen
to the
god
no
what does
this gospel
text tell
us
in this gospel
text
Jesus heals
ten people
nine of whom
have no regard
for him
whatsoever
afterwards
and he
doesn't say
well I'm going to
take it back
I'm not going
to do that
again
the story
teaches
this in a
very significant
way
it teaches
us
it teaches
us
that if
Jesus
bestows
blessing
and grace
on those
who do
not trust
in him
or have
regard
for him
so will
I
in a
very
powerful
way
this
story
is
saying
you know
what
if you
start
a
business
do
your
business
really
well
if
you
work
in
the
government
work
really
well
be
the
man
or the
woman
in your
office
or in
your
that
really
cares
about
your
employees
who
cares
for
the
other
people
who
are
with
you
do
the
best
you
can
if
you
do
a
business
start
a
business
go ahead
we want
you to
make
money
but at
the
same
time
do
make
business
in
such
a
way
that
people
are
really
blessed
that
services
that
they
really
need
that
they
get
to
receive
them
that
people
are
treated
with
respect
be
a
blessing
bestow
grace
be
the
one
who
turns
the
other
cheek
and
do
that
and
it
doesn't
matter
if
they're
a
satanist
an
atheist
a
Christian
a
Catholic
a
Muslim
a
Hindu
a
Buddhist
doesn't
matter
if
they're
rich
or
they're
poor
be
a
blessing
that's
how
you
should
live
and
why
should
you
live
that
why
because
if
Jesus
heals
nine
who
pay
no
regard
to
him
and
he
is
my
master
so
will
I
that's
how
we
should
then
live
but
it's
not
just
about
doing
good
because
in
this
story
Jesus
says
something
I
don't
know
if
you
noticed
that
he
says
something
very
significant
he
said
only
one
the
one
who
comes
back
only
he
does
he
say
to
him
your
faith
has
saved
you
the
implication
is
that
the
other
nine
are
lost
they're
not
saved
if
you
could
put
up
next
point
Paul
later
on
the
Bible
another
author
he
sort
of
captures
what's
happening
in
the
story
in
the
conclusion
of
the
story
he
says
but
God
being
rich
in
mercy
because
of
the
great
love
with
which
he
loved
us
even
when
we
were
dead
in
our
trespasses
made
us
alive
together
with
Christ
by
grace
you
have
been
saved
you
see
everything
in
the
story
in
this
story
here
all
of
its
lead
remember
I
said
it's
all
about
Jesus
going
to
Jerusalem
to
die
upon
the
cross
and
so
what
this
story
is
helping
us
to
understand
is
this
how
on
earth
could
a
man
who
can
regrow
limbs
how
could
he
ever
possibly
die
on
the
cross
like
how
could
he
like
the
he
could
just
keep
healing
himself
that's
even if
he
didn't
want
to
use
his
power
just
to
get
off
the
cross
but
he
could
just
keep
healing
himself
he
loses
blood
through
his
head
and
through
his
arms
and
through
his
feet
he
just
creates
new
blood
and
necrosis
begins
to start
up around
those
wounds
he
just
creates
new
flesh
like
he
could
be
at
the
cross
he
would
never
die
how
can
life
die
how
can
health
die
only
if
he
dies
out
of
love
for
us
and
so
what
the
bible
is
showing
us
is
that
on
the
cross
not
just
a
clean
person
but
the
clean
itself
the
clean
himself
dies
for
the
unclean
health
himself
dies
for
the
sick
life
himself
dies
for
the
dying
light
itself
himself
dies
for
those
of
us
in
darkness
that
is
what's
happening
on
the
cross
and
it's
offered
to
the
lepers
to
the
samaritans
to
the
trump
supporters
to
the
social
justice
warriors
it's
offered
to
the
gay
activists
the
heterosexual
activists
the
abortionists
the
anti
abortionists
it's
offered
to
the
good
the
bad
the
ugly
and
everything
in
between
Jesus
dies
for
you
health
himself
dies
for
those
who
are
sick
if you
could
put up
the
final
point
if
Jesus
made
clear
that
he
came
and
lived
and
died
to
save
those
who
trust
in
him
so
will
I
so
will
I
please
stand
father
we
ask
that
you
would
bring
this
story
home
to
us
at
a
very
deep
and
powerful
level
father
that
you
would
bring
this
story
to
our
heart
father
I
confess
that
I
don't
know
why
you
don't
say
yes
to
all
of
my
prayers
I
don't
know
why
you
don't
say
yes
to
all
my
prayers
father
I
wouldn't
pray
it
if
I
didn't
want
you
to
say
yes
but
father
I
thank
you
so
much
for
this
story
that
you
reveal
to
me
that
you
are
health
you
are
life
and
you
hear
and
you
are
love
and
you
died
for
me
and
if
you
don't
answer
my
prayer
the
way
that
I
wish
you
would
answer
my
prayer
it's
not
because
you're
bad
it's
not
because
you
are
wisdom
and
I
am
not
you
are
light
and
I
am
not
you
are
life
and
I
am
not
you
are
love
and
I
am
not
you
know
and
I
don't
and
so
father
we
thank
you
so
much
for
this
story
bring
it
home
to
our
heart
grant
us
father
a
great
love
for
this
city
help
us
father
to
be
a
source
of
blessing
and
grace
that
is
bestowed
upon
all
whom
we
meet
and
at
the
same
time
father
we
help
you
ask
us
to
we
ask
that
you
would
help
us
to
understand
the
lostness
of
the
lost
and
the
importance
of
the
gospel
that
just
as
that
Samaritan
father
did
not
understand
everything
about
who
you
are
and
all
of
the
work
that
you
would
accomplish
but
still
he
trusted
in
you
and
all
those
works
that
you
would
do
in
this
life
father
help
us
to
share
the
gospel
knowing
that
you
are
still
drawing
people
to
yourself
and
all
these
things
we
ask
in
the
name
of
Jesus
your
son
and
our
savior
and
all
God's
people
said
amen