Proclaiming the Good News!

No Thanks

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” -Luke 17:11-19

As a child growing up, I was always taught to say “please” and “thank-you.” I could not just grab or take something without asking, and without saying “please.” I could not just receive something without saying “thank-you.” If I didn’t say “please” or “thank-you,” I would be told to say it. Reflecting on this years later, I appreciate this important life lesson. Perhaps a parent or caretaker did the same with you. Maybe you taught your children to do the same.

The text above is one of the traditional texts for Thanksgiving, which we will celebrate later this month. In the text, Jesus heals ten people who have leprosy. As they are on their way to the temple to be examined by the priests, they are healed. One of the men who realized that he was healed decided to turn around, and to thank Jesus. After the man thanked Jesus, the Lord asked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Out of the ten people who were healed, only one returned to give thanks to God.

While we might say “thanks” in our earthly lives, this text brings up a sobering question: Do we give thanks in our spiritual lives? Do we thank God for what He gives us? Who would we be in the story?

When we confess together the first part of the Apostles’ Creed (I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth), Luther notes that we confess this: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason, and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.”

It is overwhelming what our God does for us on a daily basis! It is amazing to think that He still does these things for us, even when we don’t thank Him. This Thanksgiving, we can give thanks to God for all that He does for us. We can give thanks for all that He does even we don’t give Him thanks. We can give Him thanks for Jesus, the One Who takes all our sin away. ~Pastor Nick Kooi

(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XIX, Number 4, November 2017)