A Life Of Thanks
An Elderly lady just finished shopping and she walks toward the door with her hands filled with bags and there is a young man coming into the store who sees that her hands are full and he graciously opens the door for her to walk through. She turned to that young man with a sigh of relief and says thank you. The little boy who is just thrilled with the parents God gave him decides he is going to scrub the floors, vacuum the rugs, Windex the windows, and wash the car to show his appreciation for his parents. A young married man just bubbling over with joy as to the wife that he has been so privileged to spend the last ten years of his life with, decides he is going to buy his wife a gold necklace and matching gold bracelet to express his gratitude. The owner of small business is so thankful for the job done by his employee’s; he gives them each a raise and takes them out for a special lunch.
Each one of these situations involve different people and different circumstances, but each are connected by one very simple, but powerful word. Thanks! Lets Pray!
Rudy Kipling lived from 1865 to 1936. He was English, yet born in Bombay, India. He wrote poetry and is the author of many books including the Jungle Books. Kipling’s writing’s not only made him famous but also brought him fortune. A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, “Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writing’s amounts to over one hundred dollar’s a word.” The reporter reached into his pocket and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and gave it to Kipling and said, “Here’s a one hundred dollar bill, Mr. Kipling. Now you give me one of your hundred dollar words.” Rudy Kipling looked at the money, put it in his pocket and said, “THANKS!”
The word thanks is definitely a one hundred dollar word.
The word thanks in some form appears 150 times throughout the Scriptures. Thanks means to express gratitude, aware and appreciative of a benefit, grateful feelings or thoughts.
Let’s look at Luke 17:11-17 in order to find some lessons learned when it comes being thankful. Verse 11-13 say On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus Master, have pity on us!”
Leprosy: leprosy was the most terrible disease in the day of
Jesus; it was greatly feared. It was disfiguring and sometimes
fatal. In the Bible leprosy is a type of sin.
1. The leper himself was considered utterly unclean—physically and spiritually. He could not approach within six feet of any person including family members.
2. He was judged to be dead—the living dead. He had to wear a black garment so he could be recognized as from among the dead.
3. He was banished as an outcast, totally ostracized from society—earthly and heavenly. Leviticus 13:46 says As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp. The leper could not live within the walls of any city, his dwelling had to be outside the city gates.
4. The leper was thought to be polluted, incurable by any human means whatsoever. Leprosy could be cured by God and His power alone.
Can you imagine what these men are going through? I can just hear the thoughts of some of them. “I have struggled for so long with this terrible disease, and now a chance to be healed, a chance to be normal, a chance to be clean, a chance to be free!” “JESUS HAVE PITY ON US!” For those who have been through or are going through some disease that ravages your body. You can relate to these men. Senator Richard Neuberger once said the experience of contracting cancer changed him. “A change came over me which I believe is irreversible. Questions of prestige, political success, of financial status, became all at once unimportant. In their place has come a new appreciation of things I once took for granted-eating lunch with a friend, scratching my cats ears and listening for it to purr, the company of my wife, reading a book or a magazine in the quiet cone of my bed lamp at night, raiding the refrigerator for a glass of orange juice or a slice of cake. For the first time I’m actually savoring life!”
Verse 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.
The leper’s had just cried out for mercy in verse 13 which I must point out that they were not only asking for a physical healing; but for a spiritual healing as well, for the forgiveness of sins. They cried out for mercy upon all of their being.
Jesus responds by sending them to the priests, and their going is an act of obedience because they are not yet healed, and they go as he told them. Jewish law states that they would have had to be examined at the temple to be pronounced clean, but Jesus heals them as they are on their way. They are healed, they are clean, they are free! Jesus miraculously heals them even as they are on their way to the priest.
I wonder what that moment was like for each of them as they were healed. What were they thinking? What was their response? Look at verse 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…. (Reenact the moment).
This ex-leper was filled with joy for what God had done for him he wasn’t ashamed to thank him. This one understood the significance of what had been done for him. He was praising God and he threw himself at Jesus’ feet, a posture of worship. He apparently understood that Jesus is God, for he placed faith in Him. Whether or not he understood that Jesus is the Messiah is not mentioned by Luke, but nevertheless he showed his gratitude.
How are we thanking Jesus for all that he has done for us? Jesus gave his life so that we could know him and be set free. How is our life saying thanks? I’m not talking about us just saying “Thank you Jesus!” If your more spiritual you say it with more emphasis, “Thank You Jeeeesus!” Only time we say this is when we get a raise or some new material possession. I’m talking about that life that is saying thank you because of all that he has done for you.
Which life is saying thanks to Jesus? #1 The person who comes to church when they only feel like it. Spends hardly no time reading the word, but prays a quick prayer before bed with the noise of the TV in the background. Gives very little in time, resources, money and spends money in a very frivolous way. Watches and indulges in all kinds of sinful behavior with no feeling of guilt or conviction. This person says “I make decisions on what I feel is best for my life, but I believe in Jesus, love Jesus, and thank Jesus with my life.
Person #2 Comes to church unless very ill(near death) because they want to grow and encourage other believers. Has a daily time reading the Scriptures and prays as often as possible. Faithfully gives of time and resources and manages money responsibly. This person tries to honor God what they watch and in their lifestyle, but acknowledges the struggle and temptation to give in at times. This person says “I want to make decisions in my life that are in line with what God wants for my life.” I believe in Jesus, love Jesus and thank him with my life.
Decide for yourself who’s life really says thank you to Jesus. 1. John 5:3 says this is love for God, when we obey his commands. Are you thanking God with your life? Obey his commands. What is your life saying?
Imagine how Jesus felt when this one returned to say thanks. How do you feel when you do something for someone and they show their appreciation and thanks for what you have done. It makes us feel good to know that we are appreciated. When mom cooks a good meal say “thanks”. When your dad fixes something for you say “thanks”. When the kids clean up without being told say “thanks”. When someone helps you on your job say “thanks” When a door is opened for you say “thanks”. We should say thanks for all kinds of things because it lets people know that we care that they took the time to do whatever it may be.
Prayer from a five year old! Hello God! This is Emily. I’m fine, how are you? Thanks for the sky and the birds and stuff. Actually I’m having a pretty good week. And thanks for the mashed potatoes, but not for the lima beans. I thank you really much for the meatloaf. And thanks for the chairs, and the tables, and the doors, and the couch and the television and the walls and the roof and the bed and the bathroom and the towels and the grass and the clouds and the street and…Take care. Amen, from Emily.
A funny and cute prayer, but Emily really has a grasp on expressing thanks.
In verse 17 Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
Someone gave nine suggested reasons why the other nine didn’t return.
1. Waited to see if cure was real.
2. Waited to see if it would last.
3. Said he would go see Jesus later.
4. Never had leprosy in the first place.
5. Would have gotten well anyway.
6. Gave glory to the priests
7. “Jesus didn’t really do anything, all he did was tell me to go.”
8. “Any rabbi could have done that.”
9. “ I was already getting better anyway”
We will never know for sure, but I believe part of it was that the other nine were so prideful that they probably went on to the temple and went through with the external religious tradition by showing themselves to the priests. Also as one commentary noted: The lack of gratitude by the other nine was typical of the rejection of Jesus ministry by the Jewish nation. He alone had the power to cleanse the nation and make it ceremonially clean. However, the nation did not respond properly to Him. The nation accepted the things that Jesus could do (such as heal them and feed them), but it did not want to accept Him as Messiah. However, those outside the nation (such as this Samaritan leper—a person doubly repulsive to the Jews) were responding.
Their lack of responding also shows what I would call the opposite of thankfulness and that is an ungrateful person. Even if they didn’t accept Jesus as the messiah they still should have went back and thanked him. An ungrateful person has a me centered attitude. All they cared about was that Jesus had taken care of it for them! Yal know what I’m talking about. Well Jesus If you just heal me this one time I’ll serve you (Job, jail, school, test). Knowing once everything is all better you gone go back to what you were doing before. That’s an ungrateful me centered life. They didn’t take the time to look outside of themselves and in the process they missed what could have been the greatest moment of their lives.
When we are ungrateful we miss so many opportunities to encourage someone’s life and in the process we hurt ourselves as well.
Sigmund Freud suffered from a horrible cancer to his mouth, and in 1926, he also developed heart trouble and spent time in a sanatorium. He returned to Vienna with a yearning for morning drives, and for the first time, he said, he experienced the glories of springtime in Vienna. “What a pity, he wrote, “that one has to grow old and ill before making this discovery.”
Ungrateful people hurt themselves! They can also tear up families, friendships, athletic teams, and Churches. Please don’t go this route!
Ultimately, the Samaritan was the only one who was truly set free that day. Verse 18 & 19 Was no one found to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “rise and go your faith has made you well.”
The Samaritan wasn’t bound by any pride like the other nine Jews, as all he knew that at one moment he was sick and without hope and in an instant was healed by Jesus. He bowed at Jesus feet and gave thanks realizing you are worthy of my worship. His faith made him well, not only physically, but he was spiritually set free from sin and death. He was made well because he was willing to bow down and say thanks.
We are not much different from the ten lepers because there was a time and for some it may still be when we had a need that only Jesus could take care of. We were lost and without hope and Jesus went to the cross for you and me. Our response should be to receive Him into our lives, thank him and live a life that says thank you.
Closing: New Life Thank You’s and prayer circle.
