Thank Jesus

The Gospel of Luke records this familiar account during the ministry of Christ on earth:

“As Jesus 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!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:12-19)

As the Bible records, Jesus was once confronted by ten desperate men who were suffering from an incurable and deadly disease. They cried out to the Lord for a miracle in their lives, and he graciously healed them. They were healed as they went to be examined by the Jewish priests. However, only one of the ten men returned to personally thank Jesus for healing him. We are also informed that the man was a Samaritan, which meant he was a racial and social outcast of that day. Only that one grateful man returned, which caused Christ to ask: “Where are the other nine?”

Obviously, all ten men who had been healed by Jesus were thankful. They all had to be extremely grateful to have been set free from a deadly disease. But only one of them actually thanked Jesus. The other thankful nine went on their way in life without returning to humbly honor the Son of God. The ninety percent who were blessed by Christ never publicly acknowledged him.

And that brief episode from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ reminds us of the importance of personally thanking the Lord for what he has done in our lives. In our day and in our communities many people are thankful for any number of good things in their lives. However, they often fail to thank God, who the Bible says is the giver of “every good and perfect gift.”

They don’t understand that it is not enough just to be grateful or thankful in a general sense. Just having a generic attitude of gratitude is not enough. We need to actually thank the one who has truly blessed us in life. We need to acknowledge Almighty God for his grace and good gifts to us. We need to personally thank Jesus for his everyday provisions and miracles in our lives. We need to return to Christ with great humility to thank him when he answers our cries for mercy.

This coming Thanksgiving Season, let us never be part of the ninety percent who may be thankful, but often fail to personally thank the Lord for his blessings in their lives. Let us be the ones who humbly return to thank Jesus for everything he has done for us! As the Old Testament Psalms proclaim: “You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:28-29)

Pastor Doug Birky

Evangelical Free Church