A pastor by the name of Mr. Ironside was dining in a crowded restaurant. As Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached him and asked if he could share his table. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer to thank God for the meal.
When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, “Do you have a headache?” Ironside replied, “No I don’t.” The other man asked, “Well, is there something wrong with your food?” Ironside replied, “No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat.”
The man said, “Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anyone when I eat. I just start right in!” Ironside said, “Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!”
So, are we more like the pastor or more like his dog? Today I want to talk about the attitude of gratitude. There is a fascinating episode in the Bible which relates to gratitude. In Luke 17:11-19closeLuke 17:11-19 Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (ESV) closeLuke 17:11-19closeLuke 17:11-19 Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (ESV) Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (ESV) , Jesus was entering into a village where He was met with 10 people suffering from leprosy, a horrible disease. When these 10 lepers saw Jesus, they cried out to Him for mercy. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests (because the priests are the ones who were given authority to certify if someone was healed from leprosy).
And as they were going, they were healed (miraculously by Jesus). One of the 10, when he realized he was healed was so overwhelmed by gratitude that he turned back and fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. Jesus remarked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” But Jesus said to the one who did return, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Two interesting observations from this incident. First observation: it always amazes me that only 1 person returned to thank Jesus. I mean can you imagine if you had leprosy or AIDS or cancer and Jesus healed you? Why wouldn’t you at least thank Him? The Bible does not explain why, but at least one reason I can think of is perhaps they felt they deserved being healed rather than seeing this as God’s incredible mercy towards them.
We are very much like the 9 lepers. We often think we deserve good things, even better things. Better parents. Better siblings. Better families. Better classes. Better teachers. Better schools. We fail to thank God for His incredible mercy towards us. That we live in Singapore, free from many natural disasters, political turmoil, riots, wars, racial prejudice. That we can go to schools to learn without the fear of being gunned down. That we can play on fields without land-mines going off. When was the last time you were thankful to God for His blessings?
Second observation: Jesus made a remark to the one who returned, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” But wasn’t the leper already healed before he came back? Why make a redundant statement? Except that Jesus was not referring to physical healing, but spiritual. 10 lepers were healed physically but only 1 was healed spiritually.
You see, one of the marks of a true Christian is gratitude. We are grateful that Jesus died for our sins and by believing in Him, we have eternal life. And if we truly believe that, then there is no greater gift in life than we could receive. That’s why a true Christian can say, even if I have nothing else in this world, I have Jesus. And Jesus is more than enough.
So my friends, be grateful. When you step into class today, thank your teachers. When you go home today, thank your parents. But most of all, if you are Christians, remember to thank God for Jesus. Today, have the attitude of gratitude. [Let’s pray]