Romancing The Saints

COY

Definition
coy [ koi ] - a feigned, flirtatious shyness

Description

Jesus acts coyly, feigning that He wants the ten lepers He healed to go and show themselves to the priest, when it’s clear He’d rather they stay. It’s something lovers do when romancing their beloved.

Whether Jesus spoke Aramaic or Hebrew His words were influenced by another ‘language’ – what we might call the language of love. His use of words and choice of phrases are often romantic in the sense that they speak to the heart of a person about His love for them.

The story of the ten lepers is a case in point. It’s an illustration of Jesus’ use of romance. He clearly and distinctly, in either Aramaic or Hebrew, told ten lepers, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Nine of them complied; one of them started to comply, then stopped, returned to Jesus, and fell down at His feet. Jesus clearly and distinctly, in either Aramaic or Hebrew, said to him, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”

Hey, Jesus – the nine are doing what you told them to do! Or were they?

You see, even though Jesus told them to “Go,” it’s clear He wanted them to stop and return to Him.

It’s confusing - unless you factor in a romantic element. This is a kind of language only lovers understand. Go, but don’t go. Start off, but stop and return.

The romantic trait in this passage is best described by the word coy. It implies a feigned, flirtatious shyness. Jesus was flirting – spiritually speaking – with the ten. The one who returned understood the language of romance.