The Danish Lutheran Church of Vancouver, B.C.

Sermon for January 26, 2025 – 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany

Matthew 8:1-13

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.

Sermon

When the leper came and knelt before Jesus and asked for healing, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. 

Oh, oh … danger.

First of all, lepers were supposed to keep their distance. They were considered a threat, not only to physical health but also to spiritual health. It’s unclear whether this leper had what is now called Hansen’s disease — which is the truly dangerous infection that can cause terrible suffering — or simply a skin disorder; for in that time and place there was no distinction between the various kinds of disorders and diseases whose symptoms included unhealthy skin. 

If your skin looked bad, you were a threat. It was as simple as that.

Lepers were banished from the flow of ordinary life to colonies on the margins of society. They were required to remain physically distant, and to call out, “unclean, unclean,” if uninfected people happened to draw near. Of course, their families could continue to care for them by providing food and clothing and other necessities. But otherwise they were required to live apart — not for their sake, of course, but for the sake of the well-being of the broader community.

But look what happens here: this leper sees Jesus coming, and rather than keeping his distance and calling out “unclean, unclean,” he approaches Jesus and kneels before him. I imagine he is desperate. And in Jesus he recognizes God’s presence and God’s ability to remedy a desperate and otherwise unfixable plight: “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.”

Jesus doesn’t pull away. He doesn’t even cringe. Instead, Jesus reaches out and touches the leper. For the sake of this poor soul who is deprived not only of his own health but his social stature, Jesus potentially risks his own health. And although it’s not apparent at this point in the gospel story, he is also risking his spiritual reputation and authority. For the religious leaders are watching, and they see that Jesus has defiled himself ritually; he transgressed the boundary between spiritual purity and spiritual pollution.

But then, what would we expect from Emmanuel, “God with us?” In Christ, God is coming near not only to those who are healthy, whole, and apparently spiritually pure, but also to those who are ill, disordered, and spiritually polluted. God is coming near for our sake.

Jesus reaches out his hand, touches the leprous man, and says, “Be made clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus and his disciples continued on their way. They entered the city of Capernaum, where in his adulthood Jesus had established his own home. A centurion approached him. 

Once again, this looks like a high-risk situation, perhaps even dangerous. The centurion was a career-soldier in charge of a troop of 100 or so soldiers. He was what we might call a “non-commissioned officer” who had earned his position by faithful, long-term service, and has risen through the ranks. 

Of course, the centurion was part of the Roman occupation force. Imperial Rome had conquered Judah and Israel. Army posts were established throughout the country to maintain Roman rule and order. In particular, the army was on constant watch for anything that looked like a popular uprising. So, no surprise that a centurion had his eye on Jesus, who came into Capernaum with a band of followers.

But look! This centurion approached Jesus not to confront him but to plead his help, for the sake of his servant who was paralyzed and in terrible distress. 

Although St. Matthew does not tell us anything about the crowd’s reactions, it’s not hard to imagine that as the centurion approached Jesus, every breath was sharply drawn, and every voice silenced. But when they heard the centurion’s speech — not a challenge but a request of Jesus to exercise his divine power to heal — jaws must have dropped. 

And when Jesus immediately replied that he would indeed visit the home and administer healing, then surely paralysis overtook everyone: amazement on the part of those who simply marvelled at the displays of divine power in the person of Jesus; and shock, resentment, and anger on the part of the nationalistic zealots who interpreted Jesus’ willingness to heal as cooperation with the enemy.

But a bigger shock was coming. Jesus had offered to go to the centurion’s home in order to heal the servant. To which the centurion — who was accustomed to the voice of authority — replied, “Only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Listen again to what happens next: “When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” 

And then Jesus directed the centurion to go, for by his faith in Jesus’ life-giving power, his servant had been healed.

As we read in today’s First Lesson from the book of Deuteronomy, when the Lord God had given the Law through Moses, God had promised to be impartial, to take no bribe, to execute justice for the orphan and the widow, and to love strangers, providing them with food and clothing. And then God had directed the people of the covenant to do the same: “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” 

Because, like us, God’s people in ancient times inevitably turned inwards, seeking comfort in familiarity and “normalcy” and sameness — especially in times of stress — they forgot that God was blessing them in order to be a blessing to all people. That ran contrary to God’s will, as expressed in the covenant. 

God could have responded with terrible wrath, executing judgement for the people’s failure to obey. But instead God sends Jesus, born in the humblest of circumstances among those from whom no-one ever expected salvation to arise. 

God sends Jesus to administer forgiveness, healing, and acceptance of those who are typically regarded as the little, the least, the lonely, the lost — outsiders according to those who establish and preserve the norm. God sent the Only Beloved Son even for those whom we regard as enemies. 

God sends Jesus to create a new community, where there are no insiders and outsiders, but one people united in faith and common purpose, trusting God to lavish steadfast love and mercy upon one and all, precisely because of the Only Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

This new life begins right in our own midst, as we read in our Second Lesson for today, an excerpt from St. Paul’s letter to the congregation in Rome: “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

To this we might add, according to the same Good News: with eyes of faith let us lift our sights to the world beyond. For God wants all people in right relationship with God, with one another, and with the entire creation. God desires good for all.

God bless you with confidence and courage. God grant you vision for broad horizons. God grant you the peace that only God can give.

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