Sermon on Luke 17 – Don’t Forget to Say Thanks



Sermon on Luke 17: 11 – 19 – Don’t Forget to Say Thanks!

“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

The story is told of a young African boy listening to his teacher explain why Christians give presents to each other at Christmas. “These gifts are expressions of joy over the birth of Jesus and our love and friendship for each other,” she said. When Christmas came, the boy brought the teacher a beautiful seashell. “Where did you find such a lovely shell?” she asked. The boy told her there was only one spot where such beautiful shells could be found, a certain beach several miles away. “It’s beautiful,” she said, “but you shouldn’t have walked all that way to get a gift for me.” With a smile on his face, the boy looked up at his teacher and said, “Long walk part of gift.”

We aren’t told how long the walk to the temple would have been for the lepers in our text. Some have estimated that it could have been close to 40 miles! A relatively short trip for the long life these lepers had no doubt lived. Leprosy was a horrible disease. A disease that resulted in lumps, sores, and deformities on the skin. Paralysis and loss of sensation to touch and temperature. A disease that was seen as highly contagious which meant that lepers were banished to a life of isolation. We really don’t know what brought these ten lepers together. Maybe it was the misery they shared as they awaited a slow and painful death. Maybe each other was really all they had in life at this point. You see they weren’t allowed to live life like normal people. They weren’t allowed to go to church with everyone else. They weren’t allowed to hug and hold their family and loved ones. We don’t know for sure what brought these ten lepers together, but maybe, just maybe, it was their common faith in Jesus that brought them together. A faith that would lead them to call out to Jesus in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.”

No doubt others had heard their cries for help, but others weren’t willing to go near. But earlier in his ministry, Jesus had not only gone near a leper, he reached out and touched one, saying, “Be clean!” And Matthew tells us, “Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.” Isn’t that an interesting thing to note? When at times we can only stand by and watch loved ones suffering, wishing we could help, but knowing we can’t, only Jesus can reach out his hand to help and heal. That’s something Jesus would do here as Luke tells us, “when Jesus saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.” It was faith that called out to Jesus for help. It was grace and mercy that would lead Jesus to heal. It was faith that would lead these lepers to make the long walk to Jerusalem, not knowing how or when they would be healed, but knowing that when they showed themselves to the priests, they would be healed. And somewhere along that journey, they would look at their skin and see that their leprosy was gone! Luke tells us, “One of them, when he saw that 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.” To think that as Jesus looked all ten of those lepers in the eyes that day and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests,” he knew that only one of them would return to say thanks. And yet he healed them all anyway! How comforting to know that Jesus’ grace and mercy doesn’t depend on what we have or haven’t done, nor does it depend on the potential Jesus sees for us in the future. No, Jesus’ grace and mercy is just that. Undeserved love for sinners like you and me who so often find ourselves acting more like the nine lepers instead of the one when it comes to saying thanks to God. The one to whom Jesus would say, “‘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.’” One leper was so grateful for what Jesus had done, that he made the long walk back to say thanks! And in the mind of Jesus, the long walk was part of the gift. Dear friends in Christ, when it comes to what Jesus has done for you, Don’t Forget to Say Thanks! We know that I. Jesus deserves our thanks. We also know that II. Jesus looks for our thanks.

Saying thanks is something our parents instill in us from early on. Almost like a Pavlov dog kind of conditioning. Somebody gives you something or does something for you. What do you say? Thank you! The bigger the gift, the greater the thank you. Television shows with people jumping up and down for “a new car” or “an extreme makeover,” whether it be of the home or face variety. People with tears in their eyes and a loss for words. People who can’t say thank you enough for what they have experienced and received. But more valuable than a new car, a renovated home, or a rejuvenated face, is the gift of healing Jesus has given us. Jesus, the one who “took up our infirmities and carried our diseases” as Isaiah writes. Because by nature we also have a disease without a cure. A disease much worse than leprosy. A disease, that if left untreated, brings about eternal separation from God in hell. A disease known as sin. And if you ever thought that this disease doesn’t infect you all that much, keep in mind the words of John, “if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” It’s easy to look at others and see how this disease infects them, and at times we might even be quick to point it out. But how quick are we to take the plank out of our own eyes and see how this disease infects us? Take a look at your own skin and you’ll see the scars of sin. The scars of greed, envy, selfishness, hatred, anger, revenge, not to mention the times we’ve grumbled and complained and failed to be content with how God has blessed us. The huge amount of time spent doing things we enjoy, and the relatively small amount of time spent in God’s House, or in God’s Word, or being about God’s Work in addition to our own. The huge amount of time spent worrying about what we don’t have and the relatively small amount of time spent thanking God for what we do. The times we’ve wondered if firstfruit giving to church will find enough fruit leftover on the tree to take care of the rest of our needs and wants.

No, it’s not hard to see how the leprosy of sin infects us. May it lead us to look to our Savior in repentance and say along with the lepers in our text, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” May it lead us to God’s Word where we see the long walk Jesus made to bring about miraculous healing in our lives. A walk that began in a trough in Bethlehem. A walk that found him saying no to sin and temptation knowing there would be no room for errors. A walk that often found him going without the creature comforts of life so that he might save lost and condemned creatures like you and me. A walk that didn’t focus on himself, his pride, or getting his way. Rather it was a walk that focused on you and me all the time, as he himself tells us, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many… and… The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The long hours and the long walk was part of his gift to you. The long hours of a sleepless night that would lead to the long hours of agony on the cross was part of his gift to you. His death and resurrection. The gift that gives you the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with him in heaven. The gift for which we can only say thank you. Don’t forget to say thanks. We know that Jesus deserves our thanks and we also know that Jesus looks for our thanks.

Last Saturday a few of us had the opportunity to spend a morning in Palos Heights at a “Welcoming Worship” seminar. One of the many interesting points the presenter made was that our “worship” could be equated with “worth-ship.” Our worship speaks volumes about what our God is worth to us. And worship isn’t just something we do on Saturday or Monday evenings or Sunday mornings. No, our entire lives are to be lives of worship. What we do at work, what we do at school, what we do at home, what we do at play are all opportunities God gives us to say thanks as Paul writes, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, to it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” It’s been said that 80% of charitable giving occurs during these final two months of the year. But we know that thanksgiving and thanksliving is something we do during all twelve months of the year. Does that show in our words and actions? How do we compare with the ten lepers in our text? Are we the first to look to God when we need something, but the last to look to God and say thanks? It’s easy to grumble and complain about what we don’t have. It’s easy to grumble and complain when things aren’t going our way. But grumbling and complaining aren’t fruits of faith, they’re fruits of the sinful nature and as such they need to be dealt with accordingly with the message of God’s Word.

And even when things are going our way, it can be easy to forget the one responsible. It can be easy to fail to take the time to say thanks. A promotion or raise at work? A special gift you weren’t expecting? Business doing well? Investments do well this past year? Bigger tax return coming your way? There are a lot of things that will compete for your money. Take a look at the Sunday paper and you’ll see a whole packet devoted to them. There are a lot of things that will compete for your time and your talents as well. Take a look at packed schedules and planners and you’ll see those too. There were probably a lot of things competing for the time of the ten lepers as they made the transition back to normal life. Back to family and friends. Back to work. Back to the responsibilities and obligations of life. But none of these things were as important as taking the time to say thanks to Jesus. One leper saw that. May God lead us to see that too. May God lead us to see the importance of giving our best in our time, talents, and treasures to the God who has given us the best in the gift of His Son. The things we do without so that Jesus Christ may be praised is part of our gift of thanks. The hours spent serving our church as a congregational leader, serving on a committee, planning and building and working together in a spirit of peace and unity, setting up communion or coffee, taking care of the landscaping, inviting someone to church, and countless other things, is all part of our gift of thanks. Don’t just see these things as being done for the brick and mortar facility we call our church and school. See these things as being done to say thanks to Jesus, as though them we fall at his feet and praise Him in a loud voice, just like the one leper did that day so long ago. At times the hours might seem long, but we know the day is coming soon when Jesus will grant us rest from our labors. When he will say to us, “well done good and faithful servants.” When we’ll be able to look up at him and say with a smile on our face like that little African boy, “Long walk part of gift, done in appreciation of your long walk of love for me.”

Amen.

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