"Who Bothers To Thank God?"

Thanklessness Is a Problem

Ten Met Jesus. They called Him Master. Ten were healed and undoubtedly rejoiced

The Ten were told to “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” The point, so that they could officially be declared clean and reenter the community.

Then one, only one, thinks of who made it happen, stops, turn, ans see Jesus still standing there on the road. Despite his eagerness to be declared clean by the priest, he turns and runs back to Jesus, falling on his face before His feet, giving Him thanks.

Like the nine, we, too, often display a selfishness that is enamored of things that benefit us and that cares not at all for the God who supplies our every need.

Thankfulness must come from the heart. It must be a genuine and spontaneous expression. The problem of thanklessness is a problem of the heart. The nine thankless lepers has a problem much more serious than their leprosy. Their deepest problem was that of a sinful heart.

In Scripture, sin is often associated with the maladies of life. Isaiah describes the sinfulness of the people of Israel in this way ():

Isaiah 1:5–6 NASB95

5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.

“Your head is a massive wound, your whole heart is sick. From the soles of your feet to your head, there is no spot that is unharmed. There are only bruises, cuts and open wounds...”

Sin is likened to a contagious disease that has infected the whole human race. St. Paul writes ( ):

“Just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned...”

Sin is the selfish, greedy attitude of putting self first and foremost.