Psalm 37:1-9 / Luke 17:5-10

In recent Sunday’s, our readings from the Gospel of Luke have challenged us with strange parables and called us to be faithful in serving God in a sometimes overwhelming world. This week, we hear a miracle story about a healing. But it is really a gratitude story.

Read Luke 17:11-19.

Whenever we read about “the region between Samaria and Galilee”, we are reading about a hostile borderland. The Jews of Galilee and the Samaritans were religious rivals. Think about today’s hostile borderlands in Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestinian territories, China-Taiwan, “red” states and “blue” states, etc. Who is your “us”? Who is your “them”?

What role does gratitude play in this story?

What role does faith play in this story?

How did Jesus challenge “us vs. them” thinking?