The One
Read Luke 17:11-17.
I'm not sure who you would equate lepers with today. In the 80's, many would have equated them with AIDS patients, but today I don't think even those with that disease have the stigma that lepers had in the first century. Lepers were feared, despised, and worst of all, they were cut off from all polite society. They weren't allowed "in the camp," or in the city, for fear that their disease would rub off on someone else. They had to proclaim themselves as "unclean." They were truly people without hope.
Until Jesus came by.
In response to their request, Jesus healed these ten lepers and ordered them to go follow the proper procedure to "certify" their healing. Go to the priest, fill out the paperwork, and then you can get back to your lives. The way Luke tells it (and remember, Luke is generally believed to have been a doctor), they weren't healed right away. It's as they obeyed, even before they had evidence of their healing, that they were "cleansed." "As they went," as they obeyed, as they went to fulfill the law's requirements.
And when they noticed that they were whole, only one turned around and came back to thank Jesus. Preachers usually spend time beating up on "the other nine" who didn't come back and laud the Samaritan who did. But to be fair, they were healed "as they went." Perhaps he is simply the first one to notice his healing. It's possible the other nine weren't even aware they had been healed until they reached the priests. Or perhaps they believed Jesus didn't expect thanks; he was just doing his duty. Or perhaps they were teenagers—as the parent of a teenager now and having had another teenager not that long ago, I realize that "thanks" is a word not often heard. It's not that they aren't grateful; they are. It's just that they often don't think about it.
But then again, neither do adults. We don't hear "thank you" very often from others. When I have been in the hospital, I've made it a point to always thank the nurses and technicians and doctors who come to care for and work on me. As they finish, I've learned to always say, "Thank you," simply because I know they don't hear it very often. A lot of work in those professions goes unthanked—exactly what Jesus experienced. Now, am I really thankful that they stuck yet another needle in my arm or that they took one more x-ray? Maybe not right at that moment; but ultimately, I am because it's part of the healing process. So I've taught myself to express gratitude even if I don't "feel" it right then.
Maybe the Samaritan had done the same thing. We don't know; there's a lot to speculate on here. Did any of the other nine try to find Jesus later? Did they "pay it forward"? We have no idea. But we do know Jesus praised the one who came back to express thanks—and that his story is the one we're called, two millennia later, to emulate.
What about this: during this week of thanksgiving, find someone each day to say "thank you" to, even if you're not feeling gratitude that very moment. Follow the example of the Samaritan and learn to express gratitude as soon as you notice something has happened. If we do it every day for a week, it will begin to become a habit. And in all things, express gratitude to the one who made everything possible in the first place.
I'm not sure who you would equate lepers with today. In the 80's, many would have equated them with AIDS patients, but today I don't think even those with that disease have the stigma that lepers had in the first century. Lepers were feared, despised, and worst of all, they were cut off from all polite society. They weren't allowed "in the camp," or in the city, for fear that their disease would rub off on someone else. They had to proclaim themselves as "unclean." They were truly people without hope.
Until Jesus came by.
In response to their request, Jesus healed these ten lepers and ordered them to go follow the proper procedure to "certify" their healing. Go to the priest, fill out the paperwork, and then you can get back to your lives. The way Luke tells it (and remember, Luke is generally believed to have been a doctor), they weren't healed right away. It's as they obeyed, even before they had evidence of their healing, that they were "cleansed." "As they went," as they obeyed, as they went to fulfill the law's requirements.
And when they noticed that they were whole, only one turned around and came back to thank Jesus. Preachers usually spend time beating up on "the other nine" who didn't come back and laud the Samaritan who did. But to be fair, they were healed "as they went." Perhaps he is simply the first one to notice his healing. It's possible the other nine weren't even aware they had been healed until they reached the priests. Or perhaps they believed Jesus didn't expect thanks; he was just doing his duty. Or perhaps they were teenagers—as the parent of a teenager now and having had another teenager not that long ago, I realize that "thanks" is a word not often heard. It's not that they aren't grateful; they are. It's just that they often don't think about it.
But then again, neither do adults. We don't hear "thank you" very often from others. When I have been in the hospital, I've made it a point to always thank the nurses and technicians and doctors who come to care for and work on me. As they finish, I've learned to always say, "Thank you," simply because I know they don't hear it very often. A lot of work in those professions goes unthanked—exactly what Jesus experienced. Now, am I really thankful that they stuck yet another needle in my arm or that they took one more x-ray? Maybe not right at that moment; but ultimately, I am because it's part of the healing process. So I've taught myself to express gratitude even if I don't "feel" it right then.
Maybe the Samaritan had done the same thing. We don't know; there's a lot to speculate on here. Did any of the other nine try to find Jesus later? Did they "pay it forward"? We have no idea. But we do know Jesus praised the one who came back to express thanks—and that his story is the one we're called, two millennia later, to emulate.
What about this: during this week of thanksgiving, find someone each day to say "thank you" to, even if you're not feeling gratitude that very moment. Follow the example of the Samaritan and learn to express gratitude as soon as you notice something has happened. If we do it every day for a week, it will begin to become a habit. And in all things, express gratitude to the one who made everything possible in the first place.
So very true.
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