A Grateful Heart

From the great theologian, Charlie Brown, “We have another holiday to worry about.” Yes, Thanksgiving Day is upon us and with it comes the official kick off of the holiday season. Every year, I make a solemn promise to myself that this year I am going to do things differently. This will be the year that I simplify things, but already my calendar is quickly filling up despite my best efforts to say no.

Let’s face it, the holidays can be overwhelming and it’s easy to get lost in the details forgetting why we are even doing it. For grins, I asked Google why we celebrate Thanksgiving, and it responded that this holiday is celebrated to give thanks for the blessings of the past year.

That’s actually a very good answer, and as I have thought about it, my mind went back to my childhood and the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers:

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 he 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 nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

I can see us now sitting in our little chairs while our Sunday school teacher held up the picture as she told the story. The best that I can recall is that she summed it up by telling us that we always needed to say “thank you” which is not a bad thing for kids to learn. However, as an adult, I see that Jesus used this miracle for more than just a lesson on manners for his disciples.

Luke tells us they were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus’ time on earth was drawing to a close and he was trying to prepare the disciples for what was ahead. Soon, he would no longer be with them, and it would be their job to spread the gospel and minister to others. Thus, he took an encounter with ten lepers to show his followers the power of faith.

Leprosy was a cruel disease. Today it can be treated with antibiotics, but then it was curse. In fact, those with leprosy were so despised and feared that they were not allowed to live in the community (Numbers 5:2). They were literal outcasts; therefore, they would form their own colonies where they lived until they either got better or died. It sounds cruel to our modern ears, but this was the only way to contain the spread of a disease that had no cure.

Oddly enough there was a Samaritan with this group. Jews and Samaritans would normally not live together, but as the old saying goes, misery loves company. All ten were outcasts so what possible difference would it make to have an “unclean” Samaritan with them when they were all considered “unclean.” 

Somehow or another, word must have reached them that there was a rabbi who was healing the sick, and when they saw that he was passing by, they cried out to him, “Have pity on us!”

When others failed to see Jesus for who he was, these men recognized his authority over their disease, and despite their hopeless condition, they cried out for his mercy. They trusted that he could heal them, and Jesus commanded the men to go show themselves to the priest.

Did you catch though what Jesus didn’t say? He didn’t tell them that they were healed, nor did he touch them or spit in the dirt and rub it on them. He simply told them to go show themselves to the priest, which was in accordance with Levitical law (Leviticus 14). It was the duty of the priest to decide if a person was healed of leprosy or not.

I wonder who was the first to move? If you think about it, this was a huge act of faith to take Jesus at his word. He didn’t offer any explanation. He didn’t tell them they would be healed by the time they got there. He simply offered them an opportunity, but left it up to them to accept it or not.   

This story is so engrained my mind. I can still visualize the picture the teacher held up of nine men running away in the distance but one coming back to Jesus. As a child, I did not understand the significance of the only thankful one being a Samaritan. However, the disciples must have been stunned to witness God’s chosen people running off without even a backwards glance while he came back shouting, “Glory to God!” I have to think that they stood there with their mouths hanging open in shock.

I hope to meet this man in heaven one day, because I want to ask him what made him turn back. It would have been logical for him to have followed his companions to the temple to find the priest. How long had he dreamed of being declared clean; to be restored to the community and the ones he loved.  However, instead of thinking only of himself, he alone recognized God’s healing hand. He understood that he had been in the presence of holiness and he responded in worship and praise.

In his actions, we see the words of the psalm:

Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts. (Psalm 107:21-22)

What an incredible picture this is! By coming back to Jesus, the man received something far greater than physical healing. This man was saved from his sins! Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19) The other nine were declared clean by the priest, but only the Samaritan was declared saved by the Son of God!

I don’t know about you, but this story makes me feel pretty good about myself because I always put myself in the roll of the Samaritan. I just know that I too would rush back to Jesus and worship him.

But would I?

I grimace at the thought of how many times I have taken my blessings for granted. If I am like anyone in this story, I’m the spitting image of the nine men running off. Time after time I have grabbed my gift without so much as a glance at the Gift Giver.

Therefore, it’s time to try something new. Psalm 105:1-2 tells us: “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.”

Friends, if you are also in need of a “gratitude” adjustment, a good place to start is by telling your story. Yes, we need to let the world know what Christ has done for us. We need to tell people when he answers our prayers. We need to talk about the times he was with us in the fire and how he provided for our needs. We also need to ask people how we can pray for them and then rejoice when God answers their prayers too.

How does this help? When we tell people, God is gloried and it pleases him when he hears his people lifting up words of praise for the wonderful things he has done (Psalm 107:8).

I now have a new plan this year. Unlike Charlie Brown, I’m not going to waste my time worrying about the holidays. Instead, I’m going to try gratefulness. I’m going to take time to tell my story as I am enjoying my turkey dinner, and most importantly, like the Samaritan, I am going to remember who I am thankful to.

Have a blessed and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving!  Lisa

Discussion Questions

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? How has God answered your prayers this past year?

Can you remember a time that you took God’s gift and didn’t thank him? If so, take time to thank him now. It’s never too late to come back to Jesus.