Luke 17:11-19
A. INTRODUCTION
It seems to me that a sense of gratitude is one that gets short shrift in our society today. Some people just don’t seemed to be grateful for what they’ve got, or show gratitude for even some kindness given to them either. Indeed, it seems that we are so entrenched into the ‘what’s in it for me’ society, that even small acts of kindness go unnoticed.
For example, give a child a new toy and they don’t want that one they want something else. Hold a door open for someone to walk through and it’s as though you are not even there. Be a help to someone and it’s like they are thinking not what a great help that you’ve been but what else can they get you to do.
Of course, whilst some people don’t go out of their way to get a pat on the back or an acknowledgment for their efforts, nevertheless, we seem to have come a long way from a response of being grateful. Instead we expect and even demand things for ourselves without considering the effect on others and without any response being required from us at all.
Now this sort of attitude may be very evident today—evident in the normal things of life. And, in a sense, we may think that our society has reached an extreme. However, if we look at the history of our relationship with God, then we can see that regarding God this kind of attitude has been quite common. Indeed, in the Bible, we have story after story of people not being grateful to God at all. And in this passage from Luke’s gospel we have one such illustration of what I mean.
B. THE TEN LEPERS
The passage begins with Jesus on the border between Samaria and Galilee, and there he was confronted by a group of ten lepers. They were probably a mixture of Jews and Samaritans, who wouldn’t normally mix together. But with leprosy as their common bond, the normal social barriers between the two groups had well and truly broken down.
However, whilst the social barrier between the lepers, themselves, was non-existent, the barrier between the lepers and the rest of the world was well and truly in place. The lepers conformed to the law by keeping their distance, avoiding physical contact with normal healthy people, but staying just close enough to habitation so that they might receive a bit of charity, on which they had become completely dependent. And the lepers filled their days begging by the roadside leading out of the village.
Indeed they shouted at people as they went past as it was the only way that they could be noticed; they had to keep their distance and call out to passers-by for help. So, of course, as Jesus passed by, they shouted to him too. However, in this case, they recognised who he was, and they pleaded to him for mercy.
But what they were expecting him to do, we don’t know. And the response they got from Jesus would have left them in total surprise. Because Jesus didn’t give them the normal charity—a bit of food or some clothing, and he didn’t provide instant healing either. What Jesus did was to challenge them to make a leap of faith.
Now it was not normal to go to a high priest until after one had been healed—there would have been no point. The whole point of going to a high priest was so that they could certify that the leper had been cured. Then they could be restored to some sort of normal living. But in this particular case, Jesus didn’t provide instant healing, rather he challenged the lepers to take a leap of faith, to believe that they had been healed and to go to the high priest anyway.
As a consequence, you can imagine that the lepers may well have hesitated at Jesus’s command. After all, what was the point of going unless you’d been cured. But, evidently, they didn’t hesitate long. And as they began to walk along the way, they discovered that because they had put their trust in Jesus, they had all, somehow, received their healing.
And then comes the twist to the story. Because we’re told that out of all the ten lepers—Jews and Samaritans alike—only one came back to thank Jesus—a Samaritan. Only one out of the ten expressed his gratitude to Jesus. And he prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and worshipped him, not only as a response for restoring his health but, as a consequence, for restoring his place in society as well.
Now, these ten lepers weren’t a group of children who had been given new toys. They weren’t a group of adults who someone had opened the door for. No! This was a group of people who had depended upon charity for their very survival. And Jesus had given them far more than just charity; he had cured them of their disease. And in doing so he had restored not only their health, but their social standing too.
And yet, Jesus’s final comments are very telling. Weren’t all ten cured? Where were the other nine? Where were the Jews that he’d cured? And why was it that the only person who came back was a Samaritan? Where was the gratitude to God of the other nine?
It’s a rather telling story, but more so because of Jesus’s final response to the leper who had returned. Because regarding the one man who showed his gratitude and had returned to him, Jesus final words were, ‘Get up! Go! Your faith has healed you.’ For his gratitude, for his acknowledgement that it was God who had given him his cure, this one man, not only had received his cure (as they all had), not only had his position been restored in society (as they all had), but his relationship with God was restored too (which all the others missed out on).
C. IMPLICATIONS
It’s an interesting story, not least of which because it reflects so well the ‘what’s in it for me’ kind of attitude that is so prevalent today, where many people tend not to be thankful at all.
And because of that, there are a few points, about this story, that I would like to emphasise. Because just as Jesus helped those ten lepers, so too does he help us today.
1. An Attitude of Faith
The first thing is that just as the story of the ten lepers is a good example of where a group of people were asked to believe in faith that something has happened before it actually took place, even today we are asked to accept what God promises without any proof that his promise has or will be fulfilled.
Of course, at the time, it would have been easy for the lepers to dismiss Jesus as a fraud when they were not instantly healed. But they didn’t, they did what they were told—and they were healed. In other words, ungrateful bunch or not, having been asked to step out in faith, to believe that if they did, they would be healed, those ten lepers carried out Jesus instructions and were healed.
As a consequence for us, when it comes to a matter of faith, we need to remember that God may ask us to carry out certain things and to receive our reward in faith, before we actually see the results before our eyes.
With faith, things are not always predictable or as straight forward as we would like them to be. Faith is often a mystery which we don’t understand. And sometimes we are asked to trust that the promises that we receive will work out even though we are yet to see the results.
We shouldn’t, therefore, dismiss God’s promises to his people as a whole—to his local church or even to us as individuals—just because we cannot see immediately the results of the promise, or because it doesn’t fit into our own set of beliefs or our own expected parameters. Rather we should be prepared to take that step of faith trusting in God that he will do the rest.
2. An Attitude of Gratitude
Secondly, we need to remind ourselves that this story is not really about the ten lepers who were cured, but about the one leper who returned.
Because Jesus questioned where the other nine were. And the one leper who returned—a Samaritan—not only received his cure from leprosy (as had the other nine) but, in addition, because of his gratitude, he received something else beside. Indeed, in addition to his physical healing, and having his placed restored in the community, the Samaritan received spiritual healing too. The other nine might have had the faith to complete their physical healing. But without spiritual healing, their healing was incomplete.
As a consequence, it’s all very well to ask for help from God, but if we subsequently fail to show our gratitude then our faith is shown to be deficient. In reality we depend upon God for our creation, our continued existence, and we rely on him for our salvation too. But how often do we respond with gratitude? How often do we give thanks? How often do we join in worship of our God? And, yet, as the story illustrates, if we don’t do those things. Then our spiritual lives are likely to be quite deficient.
In other words, it’s not good enough just to take from others, or even just take from God, taking things for granted. It’s not good enough even to have the attitude of just taking what we feel we are owed or what is our due. We have to give something back. And with God that starts with the need to express thanks for everything he does for us.
3. An Attitude of Non-Discrimination
And thirdly, this story teaches that when we are faced with the situation where we have tried to help someone—and they have shown no gratitude for what we have done, whatsoever—then we need to remember this lesson of Jesus.
Because Jesus, faced with ten lepers, calling out for his help, didn’t ask who believed and who didn’t, so that he could only help those who had faith. He didn’t ask who was a Jew and who was a Samaritan. And he didn’t even try to work out who would be grateful and who wouldn’t. He treated them all with compassion. He treated them all the same.
The common denominator was that they were all in genuine need. He didn’t ask them to show that they were worthy, or means test them, or see whether they were going to appreciate what he could do for them before giving them their cure. Jesus was prepared to help them all, regardless of their response. And I think that has implications for us when we are called on to help others too.
Now it is true that some people are easier to help than others. Some are more grateful than others, and some make it impossible for us to give any help at all. But the reality is that in order to help one genuine person we have to be prepared to be used by others.
The lesson of Jesus’s example is that when it’s our turn to help, we should refrain from any discrimination. We should provide the same level of care to everyone; we should treat everyone the same, regardless of who they are; regardless of how we think they will respond.
D. CONCLUSION
So we live in a society which increasingly reflects a ‘what’s in it for me attitude’. And it’s often reflected in a lack of thanks for even the smallest acts of kindness. However, as Christians we are called on to have a more enlightened attitude.
The story of the ten lepers who received their healing illustrates well that when it comes to receiving help, from God in particular, sometimes we will be asked to take a step of faith, believing that we have already received God’s blessing, regardless of the lack of evidence before our eyes. And, most importantly, that when we do receive help that—regardless of how anyone else responds—we need to have an attitude of gratitude anyway.
And when we consider helping others, we shouldn’t, necessarily, work out in advance who is going to be grateful and who isn’t. Rather we should help those in need anyway.
Without a sense of gratitude our faith is incomplete, and we will be no different to the nine lepers who received their cure and were, probably, never seen again. Instead, we need to be like the Samaritan who did return. And he received an extra, spiritual, blessing for his trouble.
Posted: 4th October 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
