by Dr. Jeff Mathis
In many cultures, it is unacceptable to be ungrateful. Regardless of the gift, an appreciation for an offering is expected. Growing up, telling my generous aunt that I was too good for her cornhusk toy was flat-out offensive.
But increasingly, it’s become fashionable to be ‘peculiar’ about the gifts we receive. Savvy consumers have the right to be picky, and entitlement replaces thanksgiving.
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” The ten lepers had spotted Jesus and had a hunch that he might be able to save them from their disease.
Jesus shouted back: “Go and show yourselves to the priest.” Jesus was telling them to present themselves for inspection to identify them as clean.
And as they did, they were healed.
But “one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”
Jesus, though, was a bit miffed. “Where,” asked the Christ, “are the other nine?”
We are the Other Nine, of course. We are guilty of not returning thanks to God, our Great Provider. And I can imagine that Jesus is miffed at us, too.
It’s not hard to imagine that these Other Nine were probably thankful for being healed. How could these newly healed lepers not have been? Jesus had heard their plea, saved them, and enabled them to be reunited with their families. I’m confident these Other Nine were grateful. But they failed to acknowledge it out loud to the One who made it possible. Not for nothing, one takeaway from this story is that it’s not good enough to feel thankful. We have to be willing to acknowledge our gratitude out loud.
Thanksgiving means acknowledging the good. In contrast, we are often much quicker to identify the ‘not-good,’ the imperfect, the unfair, the unacceptable, and the undone in our lives. But the good? We tend to either overlook it or flatly take it for granted.
May God forgive us.
Thanksgiving is a choice and must be shared aloud (‘Thanksfeeling’ sounds pretty terrible, doesn’t it?).
Thanksgiving requires open eyes, ears, and, yes, mouths. It’s not enough to feel thankful. We must express it.
In the coming week, choose to acknowledge the good to family, friends, and even strangers. And certainly, let’s not forget to share our gratitude with God.
Besides, it’s never too late for the Other Nine to thank Jesus.