Taking the Time To Say Thanks

 

“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.’”

 

–Luke 17:15-16a (read vv. 11-19) (NIV)

 

In those days, lepers were quarantined in colonies because their disease was so awful and contagious. That’s why the ten lepers “stood at a distance” and“called out in a loud voice” for Jesus to have pity on them (vv. 12-13). Upon hearing them, Jesus prescribed for them to follow the Law of Moses and go see the priests, who would determine their fitness to  rejoin  normal society.

 

Amazingly, their miraculous healing from their horrible condition occurred as the men obeyed in faith (v. 14, 19). However, only “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” (vv. 15-16a). What’s even more striking is that this man “was a Samaritan” (v. 16b; cf. v. 18). Samaritans and Jews had long been at spiritual odds, and yet this man bowed gratefully to Jesus, a Jew. His response to Jesus’ good gift was the only right one (v. 19)!

 

The failure of the other nine to do the same (vv. 17-18) is a powerful depiction of the ugliness of ingratitude. Rather than thinking of thankfulness as a nice little virtue among many, God wants us to know that ingratitude is actually the behavior of  those  outside  of  Christ  and  an  invitation  to  His wrath (Rom 1:18-21). Thanklessness is even a sign of the “terrible times in the last days” (2 Tim 3:1-2)! Christians, on the other hand, are to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18; cf. Eph 5:20).

 

God wants us to be like “the one” who returned. However, we can sometimes see ourselves among those nine lepers, can’t we? We’re anxious to receive but careless about giving thanks in return. I can imagine those nine lepers each having a reason for not returning:“I was waiting to see if the cure was real. I wanted to see if it would last. I thought I’d see Jesus later. I must not have really had leprosy to begin with. I would have gotten well anyway. The priests were the ones who really healed me. Any rabbi could have done it. I was already getting better. I was too embarrassed to return. I just followed the crowd. I forgot.” What a contrast between that and the one who took time to promptly give sincere thanks to the Source of his blessing. Will you be like “the one”?

 

To Discuss and Do: What does it feel like when people“forget” to say thanks for something special you’ve done for them? Is there something you’ve “forgotten” to thank God for? Today is the perfect day to do it!