Remember to Say Thanks
Read: Luke 17:11-19
Are you a thankful person or an “ingrate”? Someone who is an “ingrate” is simply an ungrateful person. Normally, I try to be quick to say “thank you,” especially to waiters, cashiers, or others in the customer service industry—I credit this habit to having spent over six years working in retail myself during college and seminary. But at other times, when I am in a rush or distracted, I might run off without remembering to say “thanks” to those who have gone out of their way to help me.
That seems to be the case in today’s passage: Jesus healed ten people of skin diseases, yet in their excitement, only one returned to tell Him “thank you.” The thankful recipient of Jesus’ miraculous healing also happened to be a Samaritan, a rival people group to the Jews. If any of the ten lepers believed they did not owe a debt of gratitude to this Jewish healer, it was probably the Samaritan in the group. Yet, he went out of his way to express gratefulness, remembering to come back and say thanks to Jesus.
We too would do well to remember to say thanks: to God for daily provisions and continual mercies; to those strangers in our lives who serve us both seen and unseen ways; to our friends and co-workers who support us faithfully; and to our family members and loved ones who show up even on our worst days. Remember, it only takes a moment to say “thanks.”