Introduction: Nine out of ten lepers are ingrates. At least so it would seem, if we draw out statistics from this incident recorded only in Luke’s gospel. It is an occasion, which not only highlights the ingratitude of man, but the desire of gratitude from God. Every day of our lives we are the subjects of God’s grace and goodness. From the food on our plates, to the clothes on our backs to the roofs over our heads we have much to be thankful for. We are blessed by the salvation of our souls, the Spirit in our hearts and a heavenly Father who loves us. Yet, are we diligent about offering a prayer of thanksgiving.
I like to be thanked, and you like to be thanked, but above all God likes to be thanked, in fact His Word calls upon us to be thankful to Him for all His daily blessings.
In ancient Israel king David employed the Levites, among other things, to offer thanks on behalf of the people – see 1Chron 16:4, Neh 12:24.
His psalms are full of thanksgiving – Psalm 18:49; 30:4; 35:18; 69:30; 95:2; 100:4; and 140:13
In the N.T., Paul also exhorts us to be thankful – Eph 5:20; Phil 4:6; Col 3:15; and 1Thess 5:18.
And at the end of time thanksgiving will be one of the chords struck in heaven as praise is given to the Lamb upon His Throne – Rev 7:10-12, and 11:16-17.
So this question falling from the lips of Jesus really reflects God’s desire to be praised and His quest for thankfulness from the hearts of men, “Where are the nine”?
This question really finds us out. It exposes us. It shows us what the human heart is really like. It convinces us of sin. “Where are the nine?”
I. It Discovers Our Selfishness.
A. Illus: Holiday Bible Club – dozens of prizes and awards given out, on one occasion child after child received a gift, but I recall as they came out, took what they were given and sat down only one child said “Thank you.”
1. Is that a problem with children alone? No it is humanity’s problem. We are a selfish race.
2. You see that on the roads when you allow someone in front of you and they do not acknowledge it. You see it when you hold a door open for someone and they don’t say thank you. You find it in shops when you hand over your money to a gruff shopkeeper.
3. This is nort a problem reserved for childhood; this is a symptom of the sin condition.
4. “Where are the nine?”
B. In Luke’s gospel we are introduced to these lepers, ten of them in all.
1. They are plagued by the most terrible condition.
2. Cut off from society by law, outcast from their own homes and villages they wander in the wilderness, bells around their neck crying “Unclean! unclean!” at the first sight of others.
3. It is said that misery loves company, well, I can think of no more miserable company than this group of ten. What a pitiful picture they create.
4. Yet, when they recognise Jesus they cry out as one for cleansing, “Master, have mercy on us.”
5. Apart from his mercy they were hopeless and helpless.
6. And so He shows them mercy, He heals them and sends them back to the priests ( a requirement of the law), but only one of their number manages to return to offer a word of thanks.
C. Where are the nine?
1. Presumably they have returned to their homes and families.
2. They are enjoying the embrace of wives and children.
3. They are sitting around a meal table for the first time in who knows how long, enjoying some home cooking.
4. No one denies them these pleasures, in fact I dare say if we could have been privy to those scenes our heart’s would have been warmed, but they were occasions overshadowed by ingratitude, and they revealed the selfish nature of the human heart.
5. Of course there is nothing wrong with these actions in and of themselves – they are normal, they aren’t exceptional, but they are without gratitude.
D. You know it’s interesting when things go bad we ask “Why me?”
1. I am sure these leper s asked that many times.
2. But when things go well we never ask “Why me?” We never say “Why am I healthy, why an I well off, why am I fed? Why do I have nice clothes/ Why Me? Why do I drive a nice car? Why Me?
3. Why do we ask this question when things are bad, but not when things are good?
4. You see this question really reveals the selfishness of the human heart. In bad times it verbalizes the notion that “I don’t deserve this.” But it’s absence in good times, underlines the attitude “I do deserve this.”, and when you think that you are receiving your just deserts, gratitude is a long way from the heart.
5. Oh brethren, do we really deserve better food than others. You know some people eat to live, but we are eating for comfort and taste – is it right we should be abundantly blessed, and never offer a prayer of thanks? Where are the nine?
6. Is it right, that 92% of the world’s population don’t own a car, and we complain about the vehicle we have. We are in the top 8% if the world’s richest people, no matter what car we drive, no matter how old or beaten up it is, but do we ever express gratitude for that?
7. I saw a photo this week of two young boys bathing in a tub of polluted water in Jakarta, Indonesia, but we come, rinse out a glass with clean water and throw it down the drain. Why me? Why should I be given this privilege? Are we thankful? Where are the nine?
8. Here is a question that exposes our selfishness.
II. It Demands Our Gratefulness
A. It’s very implication is that God desires to be thanked.
1. How do you feel when you do something for someone, but they don’t return thanks?
2. You think, “That’s the last time I help him.”
3. You feel snubbed. You feel resentful, you feel angry.
4. How does God feel?
5. I think He feels much the same way.
B. You see we are created in the image of God with intellect, emotion and will.
1. God is a God with feeling.
2. He is not made of stone or wood, so that He is indifferent to what happens.
3. We are often glad that He feels for us in tines of difficulty and trial, but we forget that God has feelings too.
4. Can God have His feelings hurt? I think that He can, it is inferred in this question; “Where are the nine?”
5. There is disappointment in that, because just like you and I expect people to be grateful for the things we do, God expects it also.
6. David said, “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” (1Chron 16:8).
a. When we appreciate what people do for us we often tell others.
b. Illus: Missing flight – car keys – rebooked – no charge – tell others.
7. Do we tell others what the Lord has done for us – do we tell Him?
C. The one leper here sets the standard. He went out of His way to thank the Lord Jesus for His healing.
1. We have no idea how long it had been since he had felt the touch of his wife or the kiss of his children.
2. We don’t when he last saw his father or mother.
3. We cannot tell when he had last enjoyed the company of friends.
4. But this man put first things first, he understood his priorities, and ever before he enjoyed any of the good things his healing now enabled he must first speak with Jesus.
5. I like how Luke puts it: He says he, “fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.”
a. And he was a Samaritan.
b. The suggestion is that the others were Jews; that they should have known better, that the one who was the least expected to return was the same one who remembered to give thanks.
c. Sometimes that is how it is.
d. Here the people of God, the Jewish people who enjoyed so much privilege were ungrateful, and the Samaritan who had so little of the truth in comparison was grateful.
(i) Illus: There was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church. One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle. The pastor said, "That’s a wonderful gesture on your part. He asked if it was OK to tell the congregation and they said that it was. So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead son.
On the way home from church, another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife, "Why don’t we give a gift because of our son?" And his wife said, "But our son didn’t die in any conflict! Our son is still alive!" Her husband replied, "That’s exactly my point! That’s all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to God."
e. Oh, where are the nine?
III. It Displays our Needfulness
A. Our dependency is on God.
1. See Acts 17:28.
2. You see we are not self sufficient.
a. It is God who gives us life, it is God who gives us breath, it is in Him or by Him we are moved, that is what this verse is saying, in other words it is God who created the inner man within us, it is God who made us the emotional creatures we are, and by Him we exist, have our being.
b. Without Him we are and can do nothing.
3. Col 1:17, “He is before all” things, and by him all things consist.”
a. He is not only our Creator, He is our Sustainer.
b. He preserves us in this life.
b. This is a cradle to the grave thing; “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isa 46:4).
4. James points out that every good thing comes from Him; “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (Jas 1:17)
a. Every good thing we enjoy comes from Him!
b. Now, isn’t he worthy of our thanks? Isn’t He worthy to be praised? But , “where are the nine?”
IV. It Discerns God’s Graciousness
A. Look up Matt 5:44-46.
B. Doesn’t it say something for the grace of God, that in the face of our ingratitude, He just keeps on giving.
C. In the story of the lepers He especially blesses the returning worshipper.
1. This leper finds not only physical cleansing, but spiritual cleansing also.
2. Jesus said unto him, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19)
3. He got something more, but that doesn’t mean the others got anything less, their healing was not revoked.
4. You see in spite of their ingratitude, in spite of their selfishness they still enjoyed the clean bill of health that came from the words of Jesus.
Conclusion: You know there is a striking passage in Romans 5 which reads as follows, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:8-11)
We had nothing to offer Him, yet He offered up His Son for us, we had nothing to give, yet He gave up His Son for us. We were spiritually bankrupt; self obsessed and on our way to hell, but God in mercy, motivated by grace found a way back for us, taking us to heaven. We were without hope, and without help, unapproachable and unreachable, every bit as much as these ten lepers, yet he barged in to do what none other could do, and to save us from our selves, our sin and our certain destiny. Now, where are the nine?
