Preached by Gregory W. Lee
26 November 2006
I. Introduction
-- Turn in Bibles to Luke 17
11. Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
12. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance
13. and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
14. When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
16. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
17. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18. Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19. Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
-- we are entering one of my favorite times of the year -- a time of the year when we slow down and reflect on all that God has done for us and offer up our thanksgiving and praise to Him -- not only did we just celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday, but we are also on the cusp of a new year in the Christian calendar
-- I don't know if you were aware of this or not, but in the church we separate our year into distinct liturgical seasons revolving around the life of Christ -- it helps us focus our worship throughout the year on the important facets of His life
-- this is the last Sunday in our annual Christian calendar -- next Sunday marks the start of Advent -- the season of preparing our hearts for the birth of Christ -- that is followed by Christmas -- then Epiphany -- and then Lent, Easter, and Pentecost -- the season that we are finishing up this Sunday is called "Ordinary Time" or the "Season after Pentecost"
-- so, since we are at the beginning of a new year and are looking forward to the holidays to come, I thought it would be a good idea to spend a few minutes this morning thinking about the topic of thankfulness -- of giving thanks to God for all that He has done
II. Unthankfulness in our lives
-- I know that we don't really like to admit it, but most of us go through life with very little thoughts of thankfulness -- towards God or others -- I think this is especially true here in America, where we are so wrapped up in ourselves and in what we have -- look at last Friday -- "Black Friday" -- just one day after we were supposed to stop and thank God for all the blessings that He has given, we all rush out to the store to buy and buy -- it's as if we're telling God, "Thanks, but we want more"
-- I know if I'm being honest, I have to admit that I am not always thankful in my own life -- the other day, Kim and I took my mother to see a movie at the Ashley Cinemas -- there was a song in that movie that really caught my attention -- I wanted to see who sang it -- so I waited in the theater while the credits started to roll -- I wasn't paying the least bit of attention to the names that were going across the screen -- I was just waiting for the song title to come up so I could see who sang it
-- and I looked around, I realized that I was the only one standing there -- everyone else had gone -- Kim had finally given up on me and was waiting in the lobby -- the only other person there was the usher who was waiting impatiently by the door for me to leave so he could clean the place
-- and it struck me as I was standing there how unthankful I had been -- I had thoroughly enjoyed the movie -- in fact, I had seen it twice -- once at the full-price theater and then again at the dollar movie -- but I had never stopped to reflect on the people who made the movie possible -- of the many, many people who had given of their time and talents -- who had worked together to make the movie what it was -- I was just standing there impatiently as their names went across the screen waiting to satisfy my own desires -- and it struck me that I was failing to thank those who had produced a movie I really enjoyed -- while I couldn't personally thank them, the least I could do was to take time to acknowledge the efforts of those people by paying attention to their names as they came across the screen
-- as I walked out past the usher, who was busily cleaning up our mess in the theater, I realized just how many people I failed to recognize and thank every day -- the usher -- the busboy in the restaurant -- the guy who pushes the carts back into Walmart -- all those nameless people that I just brushed by every day -- once I had gotten what I wanted, I gave them no thought at all
-- so, I am not very surprised at the actions of the nine lepers in this passage -- because, if you honest, we are so very much like them
-- look back at verse 11 and let's spend some time looking at this passage together
11. Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
12. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance
13. and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
-- Luke introduces us here to 10 unclean men who were living on the outskirts of a village somewhere between Samaria and Galilee -- not only were they spiritually unclean, but they were physically unclean -- they had leprosy -- a horrific disease that was very common in the days of Jesus and that is still common in various parts of our world today
-- leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, and the mucous membranes -- it causes painful sores and lumps to grow on the skin of lepers -- and as it attacks the nervous system, it causes lepers to lose feeling in their hands and feet, which causes them to stumble and to hurt themselves because they can't feel pain any longer
-- in Jesus' day, leprosy was highly contagious and very feared -- so lepers were forced out of society -- they couldn't work -- they couldn't be around other people -- when people came near them, they were required to call out in a loud voice, "Unclean -- Unclean" so that others would stay away -- as a result, lepers lived in groups on the outskirts of towns and villages and made their living through begging
-- so Luke tells us that one day, as Jesus was approaching this village, He was met by such a group of lepers -- outcasts from life and from society -- they stood at a distance because of their disease and wouldn't come near -- when they saw Jesus, they cried out, "Have pity on us"
-- more than likely, all they were hoping for was a hand-out -- all they expected was for Jesus and His followers to have pity on their condition and to share with them some food or money -- but, Luke tells us that when Jesus saw their unclean condition, His heart was moved, and He gave them more than that
-- verse 14
14. When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
-- Jesus responded to their request by sending them to the priest, to show themselves to him -- in the Law -- in Leviticus 14, there was a provision by which people who were healed of their leprosy were able to be pronounced spiritually clean and were able to be accepted back into society once again -- it is amazing that this was in the Law since in Jesus' day there was no known cure for leprosy -- the only way to be cured of leprosy was through God -- and that's exactly what happened
-- as the lepers began making their way to the priest -- they realized that they had been healed -- can you imagine what that was like? -- these were men without any feeling in their hands and feet -- and I can imagine them walking along, headed towards the priest, wondering as they went why Jesus had sent them there -- did Jesus leave money with the priest for them? -- was there food at the synagogue?
-- and then, all of a sudden, one of them feels the grass brush against his feet -- he feels the wind blow against his hands -- and he realizes that, by acting on Christ's command, they were being healed -- their disease was gone -- their skin was clean and they could feel with their hands and feet once again -- what a joyous day! -- can you imagine the celebrating that went on as they drew closer to the home of the priest?
-- but one of them stopped and turned back -- verse 15
15. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
16. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
-- one lone leper -- excuse me, one former leper -- realizing just what God had done for Him -- turned back and went to the source of his joy -- rather than just giving thanks for what he had, he praised the One who had given it to him
III. God's View of Unthankfulness
-- have you ever wondered what God thinks of the ungratefulness of His people? -- every single day, He pours out blessing after blessing on us -- He works in our lives with His mercy and grace -- in all things bringing good for those of us who love Him -- yet, time and time again we don't even think about going to Him in thankfulness for what He has done -- how do you think that makes God feel?
-- many years ago, on a stormy night in Lake Michigan, a steamboat was rammed by another boat -- the steamboat sank about a mile offshore from a town in Illinois -- out of the 393 passengers on board, 279 drowned
-- a man named Edward Spencer was standing there on the shore as the boat sank -- he plunged into the lake and swam out to the drowning people -- he towed person after person to shore, saving a total of 17 people from certain death -- however, the strain on this young man caused him to collapse -- the nerves in his legs were so completely destroyed that he could never walk again -- he remained in a wheel chair the rest of his life
-- on his eightieth birthday, someone asked him to relate his most vivid memory of that dreadful day -- he replied, "Not one of the seventeen returned to thank me"
-- can you imagine what the Lord feels like when we show Him so little gratitude for what He does for us? -- look at verse 17
17. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18. Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19. Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
-- ten lepers were healed -- but only one came back
-- ten lepers were healed -- but only one paused to give thanks and praise to the One who had healed them
-- it has been said that the lack of thankfulness is the root of all sin -- I think that is true, because it is related to pride -- those who are prideful -- proud of who they are -- of what they have -- of what they have accomplished -- tend to give themselves the credit
-- while those who are thankful -- who turn back to God and thank Him for what He has done for them -- give the credit to the One to which it is truly due
-- notice here that God rewards those who recognize Him in thankfulness and praise -- in verse 19, Jesus tells this tenth leper -- a Samaritan -- someone who wasn't even of the people of God -- to "rise and go -- your faith has made you well" -- some translations say, "your faith has made you whole"
-- what does this mean? -- the leper is already healed -- his disease went away as he was making his way to the priest -- so, what is Jesus talking about here?
-- by returning to Jesus with a thankful heart -- the leper was showing the depth of his faith and was being cleansed -- not only on the outside -- but on the inside as well -- the Greek verb here that is translated as "made well" can also mean, "to be saved" -- in Luke 19, when Jesus says that salvation has come to Zaccheus, He uses the same term -- so, in other words, the faith and thankfulness of the Samaritan leper has resulted in salvation and a cleansing inside and out
IV. Closing
-- in one episode of the Simpsons cartoon, the family gathers around the table and Marge insists that they pray and thank God before they eat -- Homer exclaims, "Why do we thank God for our food? -- I went out and worked. I bought the food. I put it on the table. You ought to thank me."
-- how very much like the nine lepers is Homer Simpson -- how very much like us is Homer Simpson -- oh, we might pause for a moment to pray before our meals -- we might thank God from time to time for healings or other great acts in our lives -- but how often do we really, really thank God for all that He has done for us? -- think about it -- how often do you thank God for your salvation -- for Jesus -- for the cross -- for eternal life with Him?
-- we need to become more thankful people -- we need to adopt the attitude of the tenth leper -- we need to let thanksgiving and praise become such a part of us that we live a life of gratitude to God -- praising Him and giving Him thanks for all the things in our lives -- not only the blessings but all things -- and we need to express our thanksgiving in tangible ways by thanksliving -- by demonstrating our gratitude to God in our relationships with other people
-- let me share with you part of Dr. Billy Graham's Thanksgiving message -- "This year as we observe our season of thanksgiving, let us be grateful not only in word but also in deed. -- Let our gratitude find expression in a resolve to live a life more unselfish and more consecrated to Jesus Christ.
-- When we sit around our tables laden with sumptuous delicacies, let us not forget that nearly a billion people around the world will go to bed hungry.
-- As we enjoy the comforts of our cozy homes, let us not forget that great numbers have no homes to go to.
-- When we step into our modern cars, let us not forget that many people in the world cannot afford even a bicycle.
-- As we go to our churches to thank God for material and spiritual blessings, let us remember that millions have never heard the Gospel of salvation.
-- Let us remember the servants of God in many parts of the world who deprive themselves in order to take the Gospel to the multitudes who have not yet been reached with the message of Christ. "
-- the Bible tells us that every perfect gift comes from above -- we need to recognize that in our lives and take time to thank God -- not just at meals -- but all day, every day, for all the blessings that He has given us
-- let me close by reading you an admonition from God's Word -- Colossians 2: 6-7 "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
-- may we overflow with thankfulness this year and live lives of thanksgiving -- let us pray
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