Luke 17:11-19
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other men? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to him, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”
Many years ago, when our boys were very young, we were all sitting in our family room watching TV on a Sunday evening. In those days we had several family rituals that we practices almost every Sunday night. We would make milk shakes, read through Sunday school papers, have popcorn, watch half an hour of “Wild Discovery” and have a short family prayer time.
I still remember one night where our four boys, then age 7, 5, 2 and an infant, and I were lounging on the couch or the floor, quite comfortable, watching TV, when Lorene went in to make popcorn. She came back with individual bowls of popcorn for all of us; which we received like ancient Mesopotamian kings without ever removing our eyes from the TV.
None of us thought to say, “Thank you,” except the 2 year old, who, after receiving his bowl of popcorn, cheerfully called out, “Thank you Mommy!”
Recognizing that his spontaneous and genuine gratitude stood in stark contrast to our own silence, the older boys and I immediately began to stammer out our own day-late-and-dollar-short expressions of gratitude.
“Yeah, uh thanks hun!”
“Thanks for the popcorn mom.”
But our words rang just a bit hollow!
In this beautiful story from Luke’s gospel, Jesus heals ten lepers of the dreaded disease. But, of the ten, only one returned to say, “Thank you.”
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other men? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to him, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”
I can’t tell you how many times I read or heard that story and thought to myself, “How could those other 9 guys have been healed from leprosy and still not return to say ‘thanks’ to Jesus?”
I thought that until the popcorn story happened. Then I realized that more often than I want to admit I am just like those 9 ungrateful former lepers. Far too often I fail to return to give thanks.
Maybe I’m busy and don’t take the time.
Maybe I just forget.
Or maybe I just assume that somehow I am entitled to whatever gift or blessing I received, and that no thanksgiving is really necessary.
Whatever my excuse, the result is the same; an ungrateful heart.
I’ve always thought it curious that Jesus doesn’t declare the man to be “well” until after he returned to give thanks. Maybe Jesus is saying that even though the man had asked for and received healing for leprosy, the greater healing took place in the man’s heart.
Lord,
Forgive me for so many times when I fail to return and give thanks. Forgive me for asking for your blessing, for your help, for your favor, then forgetting to thank you for your many gifts. Teach me to bow my head and bend my knee in gratitude for all your goodness; and heal my ungrateful heart!
Amen
Pastor Brian Coffey
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