A Gratitude Story

Why be grateful for anything?

Even though this event occurred over two thousand years ago, it reveals something true about the human heart even today.

Here’s the story.

See if you don’t agree with me that what it reveals is quite sad.

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

And as they went they were cleansed.

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.

Now he was a Samaritan.

Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:11-19 (ESV)

All the lepers were cleansed permanently.

This is an important point leading to the next equally important point.

Their healing was not retracted based on whether or not they returned to thank Jesus.

This is, I think, a good example to show how much better God’s love is for us compared with ours for him.

I believe he desires our love, but he isn’t whinny about it.

One in ten returned to give thanks.

Why is this?

The others who stayed their course toward Jerusalem could argue that Jesus didn’t tell them to come back.

One chose to return and nine chose not to without any obvious negative consequences. A reasonable conclusion, therefore, is that gratitude derives no obvious advantage.

I think this is correct actually, but I take it in a different way. I believe that gratitude, when truly from the heart, is not seeking more from the giver.

It is expressing itself in an open and vulnerable way — a way that opens up the opportunity to have a relationship, for two to be closer to each other than before.

Forgiveness is of the same nature.

Like yesterday’s post which happened to be taken from the story Jesus told just before this event is recorded, they have in common the importance of our having a particular attitude about who we are as humans compared with God.

The lepers were truly suffering while most of society was dermally doing just fine.

Nothing about their situation seems fair.

It seems the most common response when they were finally released from the physical bondage of leprosy was to conclude that they earned or deserved the healing they received. It was, in their way of thinking, the fair thing for Jesus to do.

Only one out of ten was able to see the situation from a completely different perspective. He could see that even though the affliction may not have been fair, neither was the healing.

One final observation. Samaritans were not welcomed in Jerusalem and Jesus did not require him to go and conform to religious practices he did not personally believe.

Here’s my take away.

Gratitude is a choice and has nothing to do with earning or winning anything.

It is an expression of love and appreciation for the kindness of another.

Most people by far lack much gratitude which I believe stunts their enjoyment of the life that God is willing to provide.