An Attitude of Gratitude
Luke 17:11-19
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
I recently asked our Parish Youth what comes to their minds when they think about Thanksgiving. Their answer… “Turkey!” I must admit, that when I think about Thanksgiving, my first thought is that of food as well. Thanksgiving is often referred to as, “Turkey Day.” Many families gather around the television to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some even watch the Detroit Lions or the Dallas Cowboys. Many families gather around the table and fill their plates with grandma’s good cooking. And on occasion your aunt, or perhaps your grandma will force everyone to go around the table and say one thing that they are thankful for. Other than that, there is little talk of being thankful.
I hope to offer a word that might encourage you to look at the ways we can be thankful for what God has given us.
The theologian Karl Barth often said that the basic human response to God is gratitude – not fear and trembling, not guilt and dread, but thanksgiving.
In our text, Jesus is out near Samaria. He is beyond where most Jews go. Most Jews do not go anywhere near Samaria or Samaritans for that matter. There is deep conflict between these groups. I’m not talking about the kind of conflict that exists between Republicans and Democrats. This conflict goes much deeper. There is true animosity, bitterness, and hate between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus is out beyond the barrier of where most Jews go. He has pushed the boundary. He is too close for comfort.
On his way to Jerusalem, near Samaria, Jesus and his disciples come across ten people with leprosy. Leprosy, in that day, could have included anywhere between a skin blemish or a rash and an actual contagious disease such as leprosy. Lepers are not only afflicted with physical illness, but they are also seen as immoral and sinful. Therefore, people with leprosy lived in total and complete isolation. They were banished from their homes, their spouses, their children, and their whole community. These ten people had formed their own community together. These ten lepers banded together, and together they approach Jesus.
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” They call out to Jesus in hopes that they will be healed. They must have heard about the miraculous things that Jesus has done. He has fed the five thousand, given sight to the blind, and exorcised demons. Jesus can do it all. Surely, he can heal them.
Jesus tells the lepers to show themselves to the priests. Somehow, between their encounter with Jesus and arriving at the temple, they are made clean. They are miraculously healed. All ten of them are healed from their leprosy, but only one returns.
The one who returns is a Samaritan, a foreigner. He is despised by the Jews, but he bows down at Jesus’ feet, worships him, and gives him thanks. Jesus seems to completely ignore this act of praise and thanksgiving. Instead Jesus immediately asks, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?”
Can you believe that only one returns? The other nine go on their merry way. They feel no need to go and thank Jesus for this miraculous healing. They got what they needed and so now they can go on with their lives. They can return to life as normal.
Gratitude is an emotion that is seldom expressed. The truth is, I think many of us would be like the nine lepers who went on their way without turning back. If I had suddenly been healed from leprosy, I bet I would have gone around and greeted all my old friends and family. I would have searched out those that I love the most. I would have people to see and places to be. I wouldn’t bother myself with going back to thank Jesus. I would have a million other things to do first. Can we really blame the nine lepers for not taking the time to thank Jesus? Would any of us do anything different?
It’s interesting because these nine lepers received physical healing, but this one leper receives something more. Jesus offers the grateful leper healing that goes beyond the physical. Jesus finally addresses the act of thankfulness from the one leper by saying, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Jesus is telling us that this man was healthier than the other nine. Jesus is telling us that his gratitude has something to do with faith. As John Buchanan states, “Faith and gratitude are very closely related. Faith without gratitude is not faith at all. There is something life giving about gratitude.”
We know that healing doesn’t always take place in this lifetime. One can have all the faith in the world and still fall prey to death and disease. Physical healing does not always come. This passage, however, tells us something much more important. As we go on our way, we celebrate and give thanks to God in all things. We are to be grateful. We are to thank God in the good and in the bad.
So, as you are gathered around the table this week, I invite you to reflect on the faith of the one leper. Think about the ways that you are thankful for what God has done. May you have an attitude of gratitude.
