What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... giving thanks.

 He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin-disease. They stood at a distance and shouted, “Jesus! Master! Take pity on us!” Jesus saw them and said to them, “Go and let the priests examine you.” On the way they were made clean. When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. Jesus said’ “There were ten men who were healed; where are the other nine? Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?” And Jesus said to him, “Get up and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17: 11-19

Keeping our distance from people we are suspicious of is nothing new. In them days when Jesus walked this earth people with leprosy had to keep their distance from other people.  People used to throw stones at them to keep them at bay. Did you know that Jesus had every right to throw stones at the leper to stop him coming near? In those days it was the done thing. You threw stones to warn the leper not to come too near you.

Can you imagine how lepers felt? Cast out of society. Thrown out by their families. No where to live. No job. No friends. No food. And eventually death by starvation or worse.

One day they were perhaps successful at their job, a family man, raising children and looking forwards to the future. The next day, they contract this terrible illness and they are cast out of this world. Through no fault of their own.

In this story, Jesus heals ten lepers and only one comes back to say thank you.

Why? What about the other nine? Were they bad people, evil and selfish?

I'd like to think that they were so overcome with joy at being healed that they ran to their family to meet them and hug them and rejoin society once again. They were just absent-minded. So overcome with joy that they forgot to say thank you.

A bit like us really! How often do we forget to say thank you when someone does something nice to us? Does that mean we are evil? Selfish? Bad people? No... just absent-minded.

When is the last time you said thank you to God for all the things He has done for you and continues to do/ How about thanking Jesus too. Now there's a thought ...

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

NOTE: This post is the LAST of a series of articles entitled "What Jesus said about ..." If you click the label "What Jesus said" at the end of the article you'll be able to access all the articles.

All the articles in this series will feature in a book of devotionals I am currently writing. More news on publication date here soon.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. God bless you all.