Unworthy

 

Luke 17:11-19

 

      When I was eight years old I tried out for the little league baseball team.  Back then not everyone made the team. I was one of the fortunate ones that was chosen but there were some boys who went home crying that day.  The unspoken message, you are not good enough.

 

      At the beginning of my first semester at Texas Christian University I went through fraternity rush.  After the first round of parties invitations were issued for the second round.  I didn't receive one invitation.  The unspoken message, you do not belong, you are not worthy.  That is a message that hurts.

 

      On Wednesday evenings at WOW there have been a group watching the movie Simon Birch.  There is a scene in the movie that takes place during a worship service.  The minister, Rev. Russell, begins to discuss the activities on the church calendar.  He invites people to join him and his wife and children for coffee and doughnuts after church. 

 

       At that point Simon Birch, a very tiny boy who has to stand on the church pew to be seen, blurts out, "What does coffee and doughnuts have to do with God?  Whoever said that the church needs a continental breakfast?  If God makes the church bake sale a priority we are all in a lot of trouble."

 

       At that point Rev. Russell dismisses all of the children to Sunday School.  Simon is told to sit in the corner by his teacher who then asks him, "Don't you think you owe Rev. Russell an apology?" 

 

       Simon sits there for a moment and then says, "I'm thinking."

 

       To which the teacher responds, "You can sit there until you are ready to apologize."

 

       Finally Rev. Russell comes in and asks, "Are we ready to apologize?" 

 

       Simon does not and Rev. Russell tells the teacher to keep him as long as it takes.

 

       She becomes exasperated and questions Simon?  "Didn't your parents ever teach you how to sit in church?  Your parents don't go to church, do they?"   When Simon doesn't answer she speaks once more, "Your parents don't belong here and neither do you." 

 

       It is one thing to not make a little league baseball team because of lack of ability or to not be invited into a fraternity because people think that you are not the kind of person they are looking for.  It is something else to hear it from someone who is supposedly part of the people of God.

 

       Basically the Sunday School teacher was saying, "Simon, you are not worthy of God."  I can't imagine many words that would be more difficult to hear.  You are not worthy of God.

 

      There are plenty of examples in Scripture of people who were treated as if they were not worthy of God.  The Samaritan woman at the well, the man born blind in the 9^th chapter of the gospel of John, the man known as Legion who lived among the tombs.  In every case there was a man named Jesus who reached out to them, who offered them living water, sight, new life.

 

      The lepers are another example of people who have been excluded by the people of God.  And it is another occasion on which Jesus would reach out to people no one else would have anything to do with.  They ask Jesus to have mercy on them and he does, he heals all ten.  But only one returns to give thanks and it was the one who would still be excluded because he was a Samaritan.  He would be excluded by the religious community but he would not be excluded by Jesus.

 

       I love what Jesus does here.  He deflects attention away from himself.  Basically he says, "Don't thank me, praise God."  And then he tells the Samaritan that his faith had brought him salvation.  It appears that ten lepers are healed but only one is saved.  What is interesting is that the other nine were obedient.  They went to the priest as Jesus told them too.  But there was something missing.  They went through the religious motions, they did the right things, but they were not thankful.  They did nothing to establish a relationship with Jesus.  It was like they deserved to be healed.  The Samaritan leper received the healing as a gift to rejoice over. 

 

       The Samaritan was able to rejoice because Jesus let him know that he was worthy.  He was worthy because of what Jesus was doing for him.  Isn't that the message that should be heard by whoever enters the church doors?  You are worthy because of what Jesus has done for you.  There may be places in the world that you will not be accepted.  You may be told by some that you do not belong.  But you belong here because you are a sinner just like us and we all need Jesus.