Brief history lesson - Moses led the people out of Egypt. Moses received the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. You can sit down in the comfort of your own living room and watch one television program and watch all ten violated. The commandments were so significant they guided the Hebrews in everyday life. They were nomadic so they built the ark to keep the commandments safe while traveling with them. At every major stop they put up a tabernacle - a mobile temple - to hold religious ceremonies, worship God and where the ark lived while in that spot. The tabernacle was at the center of communal life. Fast forward to King David. In an effort to unify the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah he declared tabernacle will always be here on the hill in the middle of Jerusalem. He wanted to built a permanent temple, but God told him no. Eventually King Solomon was allowed to build a temple. How many times was the temple thrown down since then? Then re-built? When is the time for letting go? This is not just for the Jewish people and their desire for a temple...

The Saduccees and Pharisees continue to desire to find fault in Jesus. This Sunday's gospel lesson has them examining a rule about marriage that is pretty irrelevant, but brings to the forefront an extremely important question - who do you belong to?

Have you ever seen a movie with a bunch of guys in prison and there is almost alway a rat; who tells the jailers everything about everyone. That's Zaccheus. He was short and did need to see by climbing up a tree, but he also needed to be on guard because as a tax collector he was despised by pretty much everyone.

He is bright, well educated, very conscientious, responsible and capable. Definitely a leading citizen and a man of the church. Yet he just exudes a sense of superiority. Jesus, referring to the tax collector, says “I tell you that this man (the tax collector), rather than the other (the Pharisee), went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ~ Luke 18:9-14

Here is the thing about the bright, well educated, very conscientious person. It is so easy to look at them and say, “Yes…I know that person too…I know someone just like that.”
But, if they are really as smart as we think they are (and they are), if they really seek to follow Jesus the way they believe they should, how can they be so blind to their excessive pride and self-confidence?

May 6, 2023 King Charles the 3rd will be coronated at West Minster Abbey. Only 1 hour in length. Guest list is down to 2,000 people. Already in England new coins being struck, new stamps printed, and anthem changed to God Save the Queen to God Save the King. 8 months in advance. There will be no doubt, no guesswork on who the King of England is, not so with the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God does not come by counting the days on the calendar.

At the time of Jesus if you were a leper it didn't matter your social status, your religion, your sex. Leprosy did not discrimminate. You could not have contact with a leper. Today we know that leprosy is a bacterial infection that is contagious, but not that highly contagious, and can be cured with antibiotics. Think about people during COVID - isolated, especially those in LTC. How isolating many people's COVID experience was. Those people isolated longed for mercy. The lepers in Luke's gospel called for Jesus to have mercy on them. Called for his pity, not healing, but pity. There's usually a lot of emphasis on the appreciation of only 1 of 10. The Samaritan who comes back to express gratitude. The highest civil authority in Israel is the priest. The priest decrees leprosy and forces the leper to isolate with other lepers. And, only a priest who can cleanse you and declare you clean of leprosy. The priest was the authority. Samaritans were outcasts, thus this one might have been more thankful. However, as a Samaritan he would not have been allowed to see priest.