Gratitude

January 2008
In keeping with my earlier comments about thanking God, let’s talk about gratitude a bit. Luke 17 tells a very familiar story about Jesus healing ten lepers. There are a couple of points I’d like to make about this story. In verse 14, Jesus tells them to “go and show yourselves to the priests.” Here is something I never caught before: after that, in verse 14 it says, “and while they were going, they were healed.” Did you see it? They took Jesus at His word and started on their way to show themselves to the priests. They weren’t healed, so they had nothing to show the priests, yet they started off to see them. Would we have had that much faith? I would have had a few questions for Jesus… like: “show the priests what, how many sores I have?” Isn’t that what we often do when we receive a command from God that doesn’t make sense? Yet there is no record of them questioning Jesus, they just did what He asked. Maybe that’s why He said to obey is better than sacrifice. This part of the story has nothing to do with gratitude really, but I just thought this might speak to someone who is hesitating to believe you are healed, or some other need is met because you haven’t seen any evidence yet. These guys never saw any evidence until they acted on Jesus’ words and started walking.

At any rate, what happened next is the familiar part of the story. Although ten were healed, only one returned to thank Jesus… and that one was a Samaritan. I believe Jesus explained part of the reason for this ten chapters earlier in Luke 7 when a woman who the Bible says “was a sinner” washed His feet with her tears and anointed them with fragrant oil. The Pharisee who had invited Jesus over became indignant, so Jesus told a parable to explain that where much is forgiven, much love is given. The issue wasn’t her number of sins, because the Word is clear on the fact that if you broke one point of the law you were guilty of breaking it all; rather, the issue was perspective. I think the Pharisee thought he was better, or perhaps more deserving of forgiveness. This may have been the issue with the other nine lepers. While the Bible doesn’t clarify if they were all Jews, Jesus does point out that this one was a foreigner. The Jews obviously felt superior to the Samaritans. In fact, Jesus calls them dogs in one conversation with a Samaritan woman. Maybe, in some way, the other nine felt deserving of their miracle. Are we so different? I often have thought that these other nine were amazingly ungrateful, yet I can be just as guilty.

On my first trip to Jerusalem, we visited the Wailing Wall, and everyone had their lists of people to lift up in prayer (yeah, I had one, too… and most of you guys were on it). At any rate, I was amazed that upon arriving there and finding a spot, the only prayer I prayed the entire time was one of gratitude. I just continued to be overwhelmed with thankfulness… for my nation, for my family, for my church, for my friends, for my past, etc… I think that our problem, too, is often perspective.

I want to leave you with two things. First of all, how do we grow in gratitude? We change our perspective. We realize the true hopelessness of all of our situations without God’s totally unmerited grace. We realize that our sins were included in every blow of the hammer and lash of the whip that Jesus endured. Second of all, what is the goal? Turn to Job 1 (or just read it here, I’ve included it). “13 One day when Job's sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and reported: "While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby, 15 the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 16 He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: "A lightning storm struck from heaven. It burned up the sheep and the servants, and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 17 That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported: "The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 18 He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. 19 Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, 21 saying: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Praise the name of the LORD. 22 Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.”If we can ever get there…WOW!

Blessings,
Danny