Think You

Can you read the words on the screen?

What does it say?

How many of you think that I made a mistake?

What do you think it should say?

It is very possible that I made a mistake.

For the first word, you can switch out the vowel…and come up with different work: Thank

Thank you

If we were to go back 800 years if someone gave you a gift or helped you with something people would say “thank you” just as they do today.

However, in their minds they “thank you” was not simply a polite response after receiving a gift or after someone did a favor for you.

800 years ago, in Old English, the word “thank” had a very different meaning - it meant: a thought

So, saying I have a thank meant you had a thought. You were thinking about someone or something.

So, when they said “thank you” after someone giving them a gift, they would respond by saying “thank you” not as a polite gesture; but rather they were letting the person know “I will remember you and what you did for me”.

In other words, they wanted to let the person know, I will be thinking of you and your kindness.

I think looking at the original meaning of the word “thank” helps us understand what it means to give God thanks or to express words of thanksgiving.

When we give God thanks it is our way of thinking about God and his goodness.

Giving God thanks is a way of focusing our thoughts and minds on the fact that God has been so good to us.

Giving God thanks is not some warm and fuzzy feeling you have when you come to church; rather it is a concious effort on our part to think about God’s goodness, his work in our lives, and his undeserved blessings.

In our passage today we learn about 10 men who had an incurable diesease.

All 10 men were healed by Jesus.

However, only one of the men returned to Jesus to express his thanks.

Lucas 17:11–16 NIV

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

I am sure all 10 men were grateful to have been healed from this incurable skin disease.

They all experienced a miraculous healing.

However, only one man returned to thank Jesus to express with his own words the fact that he was thinking about Jesus.

What do you think the healed man said to Jesus?

He must’ve had tears in his eyes because he would finally be able to go back to his family.

This man was now able to get a job and have an income.

He would no longer be a poor beggar living in the outskirts of town because of his disease.

The other mean experienced healing, but did not take the team to think about Jesus and his goodness.

If they had, they would have come alongside this man so they too could express their thanks to Jesus.

There are two kinds of people in this world - and only two kinds.

There are those who experience God’s blessings and have never thought of thanking God for his goodness.

In fact, sometimes they start to think that they deserve these blessings or even that they should expect them.

They do not give God thanks nor recognize that they are blessings from God.

The other group of people are those that also enjoy God’s blessings but they live with a grateful heart, they give God thanks, they continually recognize God’s goodness and have an attitude of gratitude, just like the psalmist:

Salmo 136:1 NIV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.