1. I like that the lepers demand Jesus' attention with a declarative sentence and exclamation point! 'have mercy! In our English translation we miss the implied action in mercy- have empathy for us, great. but more than just having empathy- do something! I like the lepers' insistence that Jesus gets involved.
'you know our being separated from our family and friends isn't right! do something!
2. I like that Jesus responds with looking at them 'he sees them' vs.'hearing them.' I like that Jesus' response to them is to be present to them, look at them, face them.3. I like that the Samaritan noticed something was happening to him. He actually looked at himself, reflected on the change and integrated that awareness into action.
4. I like that that the phrase 'he was saved' (inaccurate translation of Greek) is actually present tense in English. wholeness is our present state of being. it is our current way of experiencing life. it is heaven in the here and now.
5. I particularly like that the writer of Luke must have flunked geography- Jesus left Galilee and entered Samaria, so being on the way to Jerusalem, he cannot now be in Galilee (courtesy of Chris Haslam).When you look at your life, your work, your family and your friends,
who or what do you see?
And how does that awareness make a difference in your life? For the Samaritan it was the difference between being healed and being whole.
