In September or October 1621 the Pilgrim Fathers enjoyed a special meal expressing their joy and thanks to God. The feast that was within a month or two of the first anniversary of the settlement in Plymouth Harbor, reflected the practice of Harvest Thanksgiving celebrated since the Middle Ages. And while only fifty-three of the original one hundred or so settlers had survived, a spirit of thanksgiving for God\u2019s goodness and mercy prevailed. Furthermore, local Indians\u00a0who had provided assistance during the year were invited to join the feasting. The Pilgrim Fathers not only expressed their gratitude to God but also to those who had helped them through a difficult year.<\/p>\n
The times of thanksgiving to God in the early years of the colonies became more formalized over the years, especially following the Declaration of Independence and the aftermath of the Civil War.<\/p>\n
How easily we fail to acknowledge our gratitude and thanks to those who have helped us or provided for us. Yet ingratitude is nothing new.<\/p>\n
Centuries earlier Dr. Luke tells us of a time that Jesus of Nazareth was traveling in the border region between Samaria and Galilee. As he approached an unnamed village, ten lepers began shouting. These men, outcasts of society because of their infectious disease, were compelled to live beyond the fringes of the town. Hearing that Jesus, the noted celebrity, was nearby they called out, not specifically for healing, but rather for mercy \u2013\u00a0charis<\/em>\u00a0in the original (17:12-13).<\/p>\n The simplicity of Jesus\u2019 response is striking. He didn\u2019t lay his hands on them. He didn\u2019t pray a loud, long-winded prayer, let alone tell them they were healed. Rather, he told them to do what the Jewish law required of anyone who was cured of leprosy: namely, to go and show themselves to the priests who were charged with the task of health inspection (Leviticus 14:2ff).<\/p>\n In other words Jesus put their trust in him to the test by telling them to act as though they had been cured.<\/p>\n So it was, Luke tells us, that\u00a0as they went, they were made clean<\/em>\u00a0(17:14<\/span>).\u00a0Their\u00a0going<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0was a response of faith and obedience. If they hadn\u2019t believed in the power of Jesus\u2019 words they would not have gone.<\/p>\n But the narrative doesn\u2019t end there<\/strong>. Luke goes on to tell us that one of the ten, seeing that he had been healed, turned back to Jesus,\u00a0praising God with a loud voice.<\/em>\u00a0He couldn\u2019t keep quiet. Having experienced God\u2019s mercy through Jesus that day he wanted to let everyone else know about it. In an act of humility and gratitude he\u00a0prostrated himself at Jesus\u2019 feet and thanked him<\/em>\u00a0(Luke 17:15-16).<\/p>\n Almost as an afterthought Luke adds:\u00a0And he was a Samaritan.<\/em>\u00a0It is a telling comment. The Jewish people had no time for the Samaritans, but such were the horrors of leprosy that the Jewish and Samaritan lepers had been brought together. It says a great deal that Jesus did not isolate the nine Jewish sufferers for a special blessing. Both the Jewish sufferers and this Samaritan were equal beneficiaries of his compassion and power.<\/p>\n It says a great deal that the Samaritan was the only one who turned back to thank Jesus \u2013 even though Jesus was a Jewish rabbi. It almost seems as though the Jewish lepers expected God\u2019s compassion and action as a matter of right. They felt they had no need to thank him.<\/p>\n Yet with three deft questions Jesus exposes the failure of the nine to express their gratitude:\u00a0\u201cWere not ten cleansed?\u201d\u00a0<\/em>he asked.\u00a0\u201cWhere are the nine?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and,\u00a0\u201cWas no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Luke\u00a017:18<\/span>)<\/p>\n Caught up with their new-found happiness, they forgot the source (God) and instrument (Jesus) of their cure. It was clearly too much to make the effort to return to Jesus and thank him. Understandably Jesus was saddened.<\/p>\n For the man who turned back to Jesus there seems to have been an added blessing:\u00a0\u201cGet up and go on your way; your faith has made you well,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Jesus said (17:19<\/span>). While the nine were certainly healed of their leprosy, the words translated here,\u00a0has made you well<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>are literally,\u00a0has saved you<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>For this man there was a healing of his\u00a0soul<\/em>\u00a0as well as his body.<\/p>\n How easily we forget to thank God for all the good things we enjoy \u2013\u00a0especially the gift of life in all its fullness<\/strong>. We overlook the significance of the Incarnation where the eternal Son of God drew into himself human form, and that in his humanity he has served us in our greatest need, dying the death we deserve so that we might participate in the very glory of God. Jesus\u2019 own resurrection and ascension into glory authenticate this.<\/p>\n