There’s a lot that’s lacking in my education. When I go to the theatre and see a Play, or go to an Arts Gallery and view some works of art, I am always impressed by those people who have taken in much more than myself. Let’s say that I get the headline stuff but miss the small-print. Our Bible reading today has a headline, and some small-print. The headline is that Jesus cured ten men who had leprosy. Leprosy was a particularly nasty disease in that it not only caused great physical trouble, but it also isolated the sufferer. These ten men were outcasts, forced to beg from a distance – seemingly cursed by God and rejected by society. It is, therefore, no wonder that Jesus had particular compassion for them. Their healing is the headline news of the Bible passage. The small-print focusses our attention on one of the ten. 

According to the story, only one out of the ten returned to thank Jesus. Full of thanksgiving and praise, this man threw himself at Jesus’ feet. We are given the spectacle of a Samaritan being full of praise for his Jewish healer. As a Samaritan, this man would have been very familiar with being marginalized. Samaritans and Jews had no time for each other. But maybe the effects of his Leprosy had made this man realise just how crazy it is when people fall out with each other and reject each other’s company. Maybe he had come to see how wasteful it is when days are spent being at odds with your neighbour, whatever their creed. In the face of real suffering and deprivation, a different light is shed upon life. We begin to see what things are of real value. In his isolation as a leprosy sufferer, maybe this Samaritan dwelt on the foolishness of healthy people who create barriers between themselves and others – unnecessary self-isolation. On being healed, this man was not going to let anything prevent him from connecting with the world around him, beginning with his Jewish healer.

Who do we have no time for? Who do we ignore? Who do we see as ‘different’ to the point of avoiding them? Sometimes, sadly, there are good reasons why we fall out with one another. Sometimes there are hurts that run too deep. Our Christian faith, however, challenges us to make sure that we are reconciled to as many people as possible. Being at odds with many people is suffocating. Getting on well with people helps us all to breathe more easily.