Greetings!
Just a simple thank you (or is it?)
Recently I called and thanked a donor for her spouse’s partial estate donation. We chatted briefly, then she told me she was grateful for my call and for me getting back to her. Her genuine appreciation for my “thank you” made me, in turn, even more grateful! I began to think about the positive power behind a “thank you,” and, immediately, my mind went to the story Jesus told of the ten lepers.
Now 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!” 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 17:11-19)
It is all too easy to judge the other nine. Perhaps they were too busy to go back and say thank you. Perhaps they felt God owed them this healing after all the chastisement and embarrassment of being cast out of the city. Perhaps they simply thought nobody would listen to anything they had to say.
What is Jesus saying to us? Are we saying ‘thank you’ enough? Today is a new day. Rise and go, give thanks to those people who have been a blessing in your life and affirm them during this time. I will start; thank you to all those pastors giving leadership during this pandemic!
