Have you ever done something for someone who showed no appreciation? Have you ever gone out of your way to do something really nice for someone – and they couldn’t even take the time to say “thank you”? You were probably disappointed. It’s not that you did whatever you did just to get thanked for it – but it would be nice to know that the other person appreciated what you did for him or her.
In tonight’s Gospel lesson, Luke records that an experience like that happened to Jesus. The lesson focuses on ten men who suffered from the disease of leprosy. All ten of them were miraculously healed by Jesus. But only one returned to thank Jesus and praise God. Jesus asks him, probably with a trace of disappointment in His voice, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?”
It’s clear that the lepers who didn’t return to thank Jesus did have faith. They all cried out, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us!” It was a cry for help. It was a cry for deliverance and salvation. It was a cry that covered all of their needs – a release from their disease, a release from their ceremonial uncleanness, a release from their separations from both their families and from their opportunities to worship in the Synagogues and Temple. All ten lepers knew what they needed, and all ten saw Jesus as their one and only hope.
Jesus responded to their cries. “Go and show yourselves to the priests,” He told them, sending them to the place where they would formally and officially be declared clean. They went to do exactly what Jesus told them to do, so there’s absolutely no doubt that all ten believed in Jesus. With their bodies still showing all the ravages of leprosy, they went to show themselves to the priests and they were healed while they made their journey. There’s no reason to believe that they didn’t rejoice over what had happened.
But only one of them remembered just who it was who had healed them. The only one who remembered was an outsider, a Samaritan who would have been shunned and detested by good Jewish men and women even if he had not been suffering from leprosy. This one man saw God in this Jesus of Nazareth and returned to thank and praise Him. He rejoiced because diseases like leprosy were often seen as a punishment by God for sin – and in his healing, his sins had been forgiven. He rejoiced because his healing made him part of a community again. He was reconciled to God, forgiven of his sins, and given a new life. The Samaritan leper’s prayer for salvation – “Jesus, master, have mercy on us!” – had been answered. Jesus tells him to continue on his journey: “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” The salvation he prayed for had been accomplished.
Tomorrow many Americans will give thanks for their material blessings. Tomorrow is officially labeled by the United States government as a “National Day of Thanksgiving,” and even people who normally have little or nothing to do with God will invoke His name and say, “Thank you.” But when Thanksgiving day is over and their bellies are full from overeating the turkey and dressing and green bean casseroles, will they continue to thank God? Maybe they’ll remember God in some time of personal, family or national crisis. But then again – maybe not. Even you and I sometimes slip up and forget to thank God for our blessings. We tend to be better askers than thankers. So we ask God to perform for us. “Feed us, God. Smooth things out. Defend us from our enemies. Make us happy.” Too often we don’t even think about God’s promise to feed and for care us – but just take it for granted. We’re really good when it comes to asking God for our daily bread and even expecting Him to give it to us, but we’re not so good when it comes to thanking Him for it.
Remember the ten lepers from our Gospel lesson? Jesus healed all ten of them of a terrible, incurable disease. But only the Samaritan recognized the healer behind the healing. Only one of the ten recognized the giver behind the gift. Only one believed not only that God would healed him – but that this God was Jesus of Nazareth. This foreigner – this outsider – this detested Samaritan – believed. He was the only one who returned to thank and praise God. And in his thanksgiving, he fell on his face and worshipped the Son of God.
I doubt very much that Jesus has healed any of us from a disease like leprosy. But He has healed us from something far worse, for by His death we have been healed of the incurable diseases of sin, death and the devil. You and I, who suffer from the always-fatal disease of sin, have been healed, have been washed clean, have been purified. That’s more than enough reason to thank and praise God! And that’s why we gather tonight in this worship service.
So what are we thankful for? There’s almost too much to count or too much to remember. All of our material blessings – the freedom to gather together to worship the one true God – the gift of being declared forgiven children of God – these are but a few of the gifts for which we offer our thanks and our praise.
As Jesus healed the ten lepers, so does He give His good gifts and blessings to the thankful and the unthankful alike. Like the Samaritan leper, we praise God not only for His gifts, but for the faith that enables us to thank Him for each and every one of our blessings. And on this Thanksgiving Eve we join with believers of all ages in proclaiming these words from Psalm 118: “Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”
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