Musing about the space between

On
the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria
and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.
Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have
mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves
to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of
them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a
loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he
was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the
other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give
praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and
go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was
coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things
that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There
it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

~ Luke 17:11-21

There
is a region between home and the forbidden, states a friend and
colleague of mine. It's not a border in the NRSV, but a region, an
actual space that Jesus goes to. It's where the unwanted are.

Up till this point in the Gospel, Jesus seems to be telling people to
be quiet. "Don't tell anyone that I've done this," he seems to say.
Then he goes to the region between the place we think of as home and the
place we think of as forbidden because the unholy is there and, well,
who does he find? People in need of a priest.