In the gospel of the day, where Jesus heals the ten lepers and only one returns to thank him, Jesus asks the one - the Samaritan - 'where are the other nine?'
On first analysis it can be said that Jesus is expecting a 'thank you' from all those whom he cures. However, the whole passage taken into account is to tell us a message to be grateful. Not discounting that important and powerful message, how justified is Jesus in asking that question to the Samaritan who returns to thank him? After all, he is the one who came back. Jesus should have stopped at praising him for his sense of gratitude. Why question him? It is like giving a serious reprimand about coming late for Mass, during the introduction to the Mass - but who are the recipients? Those who have come on time!
However, I think there is one possible circumstance which justifies Jesus questioning the only one who returned about those who did not. Just think of those ten lepers. They were living outside the village. Ostracised. Not welcome into the village. Surely the only people whom they could contact were the other nine lepers! They certainly were the only support for one another. None else. In such a circumstance their bond would surely have been strong. And when ultimately they did receive the cure, to think that they forgot all about their only 'friends' and 'family' is unlikely. Didn't or couldn't the one who thought of thanking Jesus spoken to the other nine and said, "Come let's thank him first!"
Or another scenario: Perhaps the other nine were fulfilling the one command of Jesus - Go, show yourselves to the priests. And then returning to thank Jesus! So it is actually the Samaritan, who broke ranks with the other nine and returned half way, without having met the priests. Who knows, the other nine were on their way to thank Jesus!
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| The cleansing of the lepers by Bicol Peryodiko |
However, I think there is one possible circumstance which justifies Jesus questioning the only one who returned about those who did not. Just think of those ten lepers. They were living outside the village. Ostracised. Not welcome into the village. Surely the only people whom they could contact were the other nine lepers! They certainly were the only support for one another. None else. In such a circumstance their bond would surely have been strong. And when ultimately they did receive the cure, to think that they forgot all about their only 'friends' and 'family' is unlikely. Didn't or couldn't the one who thought of thanking Jesus spoken to the other nine and said, "Come let's thank him first!"
Or another scenario: Perhaps the other nine were fulfilling the one command of Jesus - Go, show yourselves to the priests. And then returning to thank Jesus! So it is actually the Samaritan, who broke ranks with the other nine and returned half way, without having met the priests. Who knows, the other nine were on their way to thank Jesus!
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