The Thankful One

It’s Thanksgiving!

Many don’t know the history of thankfulness that has been shown on the shores of America over the years. I few years ago I shared a chronology of thankfulness to God that began in…

1541 - The first recorded Christian thanksgiving in America occurred in Texas on May 23, 1541 when Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, and his men held a service of thanksgiving after finding food, water, and pasture for their animals in the Panhandle.

1676 – Thanksgiving moved to Massachusetts, the traditional understanding of the American Thanksgiving with William Bradford who recognized the need to be grateful to God. He wrote:

…fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions: …that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him;

1789 - George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation established it within our newly formed government. “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;”

1863 - Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation standardized the holiday and the date.

… no human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowldeged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States…to set apart and observe…a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

Only in the Thanksgiving proclamations of Nixon, Ford, and Obama were there no references to God. Those weren’t very good administrations:>)

9 Out of 10 Healed Lepers Ungrateful

Our national fathers had the wisdom to see the goodness of God and respond with thankfulness. Unfortunately, some will not recognize the goodness of God, even when they have had the opportunity to receive God’s blessing.

In the 17th chapter of Luke there is a healing of a group of people. One 1 out of that group will truly appreciate the healing that Jesus provides:

Luke 17:11–19 NIV

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.”

This event is really a summation of about 3 chapters of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus has been sharing the good news that God is with men and that mankind must acknowledge Him and repent to be saved. We see a growing divide between the disciples and the religious elite. As Luke contines and Jesus neared the Cross, there would be fewer and fewer who would follow Him. Michael Wilcock says it this way:

The Pharisees, who, though privileged in this way, do not respond with acceptance and gratitude, represent the majority. But always there are some who, like the penitent sinners and tax collectors, do respond wholeheartedly[1]

Clearly, Luke shares this healing because he wanted us to see the importance of gratitude.

Getting to the Heart of Gratitude

Gratitude leads to glorifying God and growing in godliness, whereas ingratitude yields ignorance of God and idolatry against God. – Moody Publishers

The Lepers Were Aware of Their Situation

The first thing that really jumped out at me as I read this account was the fact that the interaction took place from a distance.

Luke 17:11–13 NIV

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!”

Cindy and I went to India in the mid 80’s and saw the devastating impact of leprosy. In those days a trip into town led to the poorest beggars (some with leprosy) surrounding us in hopes of some money. Leprosy had taken fingers and toes. Some couldn’t walk.

These lepers couldn’t be nearby. The instructions were clear in Leviticus.

Leviticus 13:45–46 NIV

“Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.

Lepers were outcasts. They were unclean. They were separated from family and friends. They were helpless. This sickness starts as a skin disease, then the fingers and hands, and feet are affected and fall off at the joints. SIN IS LIKE THIS DISEASE BECAUSE: ... Sin separates from God. It makes one unclean.... Because of sin, man must be born again. He must be changed by God’s power. There is no cure aside from God’s intervention (Heb. 9:22).[2]

Hebrews 9:22 NIV

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Jesus Did Not Leave Them Helpless

Jesus willingly bridged the distance! Leprosy is still a modern problem. In 2017 there were 126,00 new cases in India alone. Rachna Kumari was diagnosed at the age of 24. “Soon after her diagnosis, her husband passed away. She was shunned by her family and forced to live almost in isolation from relatives and from the community. For fear of infecting her two children, she left them with her parents...” In her words she writes, “I suffered social exclusion, stigma, and discrimination. It was harrowing. I went into depression and lost the will to live.”[3]

Can you imagine? These lepers weren’t just flannel graph characters, they were people with families, communities, hopes and dreams, pain and suffering.

Jesus took pity. Jesus healed each one of them.

Jesus, being who He is knew what would happen but that didn’t prevent Him from healing all 10 of the lepers regardless. As we approach Christmas and realize that He is Immanuel, God with us, He always comes for all.

The Thankful ONE

Thankfulness is, unfortunately, rare. As we know from the story, 1 did return to give thanks to Jesus:

Luke 17:15–16 NIV

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.

Luke records that this man’s response was praising [express warm approval of or admiration for], throwing himself at Jesus’ feet [referring literally to physically falling or figuratively to indicate abandoning beliefs or commitments], and thanking Him. The Greek language reserves this type of thankfulness to God alone.

Christian songwriter Andrae Crouch captured the essence of salvation by faith when he wrote, “I didn’t think it could be until it happened to me. And you’ll never know that it’s true until it happens to you.” (From Andrae Crouch and the Disciples: Live at Carnegie Hall. Light Records, a division of Word).

Until someone has had a spiritual experience with Jesus Christ, their concept of salvation will be built on a foundation of works. The natural mind has no concept of grace and faith. The Christian believer’s experience validates the truth of this line from a great hymn: “Just as I am without one plea.” You will note that the rendition does not say “Just as I will be,” but “just as I am.” Hallelujah! We can not add one thing to our salvation. Christ comes to each one of us … just as we are.[4]

Oh, what joy this Samaritan man must have experienced! But he united his joy with his Savior. That is true thankfulness! Where were the other 9?

Unique Faith

In some ways, ingratitude is the worst of all sins. For it is selfishness sinning against the light of unselfishness. - H. Wheeler Robinson[5]

If all were made well, why was this ONE singled out with faith? For me, this is the most remarkable thing about these miracles. Jesus calls it out…

Luke 17:17–19 NIV

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.”

There were 9 other lepers walking the streets and embracing their families again but it is to this one extremely grateful man that Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well.” There MUST BE a discriminator. Something is different.

King David asked in Psalms, “Why do the arrogant seem to have no struggles? Why do they seem to have no burdens?” (Psalm 73:4,5). It occurred to me that obvious blessings in people’s lives do not mean that they are spiritually well. One commentator echoes this thought:

There is one other lesson in the exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan man. God’s grace, even though it is extended to all, does not mean that all gain salvation. God blesses humanity in a general way, but only the responsive who appreciate what he has done in Christ receive his full blessing and acceptance. Among the ten former lepers, only the Samaritan hears the comforting words “Your faith has made you well.” His gratitude has revealed his faith. Jesus commends him for his response and assures him that the appreciation he expressed is also appreciated.[6]

Many are thankful for jobs, health, marriages, homes, wealth…on and on. They, like the 9 lepers, are blessed but they are not spiritual well. They have not acknowledged Jesus. They have not fallen at His feet. They have not praised Him, and they have not abandoned their beliefs. Faith in Jesus has not changed their commitments. They are blessed but are not yet whole.

Ecstatically Grateful

Christians ought to be ecstatically grateful. Jesus took the leprosy of sin away. We have returned to Him this morning in our worship, in prayer, and in reading the Holy Word of God.

Bart Simpson, America’s favorite cartoon kid, when asked to say grace before supper, said, “Dear God, we pay for all this ourselves. So thanks for nothing.”

It would be unfair to say that the 9 ungrateful lepers would have agreed with Bart..but they sure didn’t go out of their way to find Jesus. We have to disagree with Bart’s writers. We owe everything to Jesus. We ought to praise Him. Fall at His feet. Live changed lives!

I want to conclude with a typical Pilgrims prayer from 1621:

O Lord our God and heavenly Father, which of Thy unspeakable mercy towards us, hast provided meate and drinke for the nourishment of our weake bodies. Grant us peace to use them reverently, as from Thy hands, with thankful hearts: let Thy blessing rest upon these Thy good creatures, to our comfort and sustentation: and grant we humbly beseech Thee, good Lord, that as we doe hunger and thirst for this food of our bodies, so our soules may earnestly long after the food of eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Prayer for salvation. Prayer for a heartfelt thankfulness. Prayer of thanks

[1]Michael Wilcock, The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 166. [2]Croft M. Pentz, Expository Outlines from Luke, Dollar Sermon Library Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1976), 43. [3] United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2019/07/leprosy-survivor-rachna-kumari-every-person-has-right-live-life-dignity [4]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Practical Illustrations: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians(Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2001), 123. [5] John Stott, The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott, ed. Mark Meynell (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018). [6]Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), Lk 17:11–19.