Trinity 14 The Sunday of the Ten Lepers September 14, 2017

Trinity 14
Luke 17:11-19
September 14, 2017

“One Sinner of Ten Who Chose the Right Way”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

I have a friend back home in ———— whose father died a couple weeks ago. He was a wonderful man and a faithful Christian. He was one who was able to see that his time on this earth was very limited. Some people, of course, don’t always see death coming. It comes suddenly. But others are more aware that it’s coming. So a few weeks before he died, my friend’s father started telling his son things that he wanted to pass down to his children. Wisdom from a father to a son. For instance, one thing he told him was to pray the Lord’s Prayer all the time. And don’t just mutter the words, but truly consider each petition of the Lord’s Prayer and what we’re asking. There were many other things, but that’s really a cool thing—a father passing down wisdom to his children.

And it hit me that that’s exactly what we have in our reading from Proverbs today.  In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon does the exact same thing—he passes down wisdom from a father to his sons.  That’s why he says, “Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom.” King Solomon had learned a lot in his life—both good and bad. God had given him wisdom more than any other person that had ever lived.  Yet even he, wise King Solomon, struggled to stay on the right path. He wanted his sons and his daughters and all his family to stay on that right path. That’s why he gave his proverbs.

And isn’t that what all of us want? You’ve maybe already done this before—but imagine that you yourself had a moment to tell your children or grandchildren, or your future children and future grandchildren, what you hold most important before you died—what would you say? What would you most want for your children? What proverbs of wisdom would you pass down? Would we not want the exact same thing for them—as Solomon wants for his children? To stay on the right path?

“Do not enter the path of the wicked,” Solomon says, “and do not walk in the way of the evil.”  Paul does a good job showing us in the Epistle today from Galatians 5 what the path of the wicked looks like. He gives us a long list, “Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”  Are those the things you would want for your children and grandchildren? Does that sound like a good list to pass down to them? Of course not.

The path of the wicked is everywhere around us and we’re tempted to go its way. Solomon is calling out to us, “My children, don’t go there.  Don’t go there.” Greed. The love of money. What would you tell your children about money? To get as much of it as you can? To believe all the ads that are flashing all around us on our phones, TVs, billboards, telling us we have to have this and we need that? Or would you tell them that the world holds so many better and more important things than money?

Or what about pornography and the constant barrage of sexuality in the media? Would you not say, with Solomon and with Paul, “Don’t go there?!” Would you tell them all this emphasis on sex in our culture is harmless? Would you tell them that those pictures and movies are good?  That it won’t hurt anyone? Or would you tell them that purity is a better way? That reserving all things sexual for your husband or wife is the best path? A more joyful path?

What would you tell your children about gossip? Would you tell them that everybody loves a gossip? That it’s great to spread other people’s miseries and embarrassments? Or would you rather tell your grandchildren to be a friend that protects other’s reputations?  A friend that stands up for others when their name is being tarnished? A friend that protects secrets.

What would you tell your children about selfishness and narcissism? About only caring about ourselves and not other people? Would you tell your children this is a good path? That they should only care about themselves and take care of themselves first before anyone else? Would this be wisdom you’d pass down? Would you tell your children this is a good thing when you expect everyone to cater to your little whims and fancies? Or would you rather tell them the virtues of patience and goodness? Or putting others before ourselves? Of loving our neighbor?

When you put it this way—isn’t it pretty clear? I mean, which of those two lists in Galatians 5 today do you want for your children and grandchildren? Which of those two lists do you want for yourself? This one—sexual immorality, idolatry, jealousy, anger, envy, drunkenness and so forth? Or this one—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? Which list? Yet why then are we so pulled and drawn toward the wrong path? The wrong things? The way of the wicked? Why?

Do you know what King Solomon’s sons did with all his wisdom? Their father had the distinction of being the wisest man on the face of the planet. On top of that, their father not only passed down a few good nuggets of wisdom and advice—but he put them all into a book. A big book. The book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes and the book of Song of Solomon. You’d think his sons would get it, right? They ought to be some pretty good and wise ones, right?

Wrong. They didn’t get it. After Solomon died, two of his sons fought for power for years. Rehoboam and Jeroboam. That’s when the kingdom divided into north and south—Israel and Judah. And did these two sons follow the right path? Fearing the Lord and running away from wickedness? No, they did not. They both went after other gods. They built altars to other gods. They lived immorally. They did not follow in the footsteps of David or Solomon. They did not listen to their father’s wisdom.

In my office, I have a big chart of all the kings and prophets of Israel. It’s helpful sometimes because I have a hard time keeping them all straight. It also has this helpful little list of all the kings and whether they were good or bad. Because if you read the books of Kings or Chronicles—they’re usually really clear whether the King was good or bad. Some were good first, then bad. But most were either/or. And I looked at the list after Solomon. Here’s how it goes: Rehoboam – good at first, then bad; Jeroboam – bad; Nadab – bad; Abijah – bad; Baasha – bad; Asa – good, then bad; Elah – bad; Jehoshaphat – good; Zimri – bad; Jehoram – bad; Tibni – bad. You get the point, right? How hard it was, for a king with much power and much money, to go down the right path?! It was hard.

But it’s hard for you and me, too. And it will be hard for our future children and grandchildren and on down the line. The right way seems always to be the boring way. It doesn’t seem as much fun as the path of the wicked. Going to church every Sunday, reading God’s Word, praying, staying faithful to your husband or wife, sitting down with your kids and teaching them the Bible, speaking well of people instead of gossiping, keeping our eyes and heart pure—all of this seems boring to our sinful hearts. We’re continually being drawn to the dark path of the wicked. The greed, the selfishness, the sexuality, the drunkenness. What will ever keep us on the right path? The wise path? Only One can—Jesus.

And in the Gospel reading today—one sinner got that. One out of ten got it. That Jesus—Jesus—is the right path. He is the Way for us sinners. Ten lepers begged Jesus for mercy. He told them to go to the priests and on the way they look down at their skin and see that they’ve been healed. The leprosy is gone. Now what? Do they keep going or do they go back and be with this guy Jesus who healed them? One of them chose the right way.  He went back and feel on his face at Jesus’ feet—praising Him.

Friends in Christ, Jesus is the right way. Jesus is the right way. When you are healed of your sin by the Word of Jesus (just like the lepers)—in your Baptism, in the Lord’s Supper, in His Word—when that Word of Jesus takes your sin away and gives you new life—He sets you on the right way. He gives you His Holy Spirit to help you choose the right way. The right path. It’s the path of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The world says that’s the boring way. The old-fashioned way. The uneducated way. The way for fools. But you know—just like Solomon knew, just like Paul knew, just like many of your parents and grandparents knew—that the way of Jesus is the right way.

So get yourself to the feet of Jesus. As often as you can. Get here to Church every Sunday. Do your devotions every day. Pray every day. Sing hymns. Memorize the Psalms. Read the book of Proverbs. Teach your kids the Bible stories. Be the one sinner out of those ten who chose the right way. It’s the good way.  Walk by the Spirit that has been given to you in your Baptism.

What wisdom will you pass down to your future children and grandchildren? Do you not want them, of course, to stay on the right path? Then lead them to Jesus. Show them by word and deed that the right way is Jesus Christ. The way of the Holy Spirit. The way of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. King Solomon says, “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.