I preached this sermon as pulpit supply to 1st Presbyterian Church in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.
The lectionary text is Luke 17:11-19 – Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy.
Thank you notes – I’ve written them for years. You’ve written them. Julie and I taught our sons to write them. I wrote a thank you letter to those who interviewed me for my first job coming out of college, and when I left a few years later, I found that my boss had kept that letter all that time, then handed it back to me with a personal note of his own gratitude.
A thank you note takes effort. You take time to reflect and put ink to paper. You have to find their mailing address, not just their email address. You have to get a stamp. With all the warnings about mailbox theft, you have to find a blue box to drop the letter in. But your thank you note says, “I noticed, I remember, I’m grateful.”
The practice of writing thank-you notes seems to be a dying art. We’re lucky to receive a text or a tweet or to be included in a Facebook post with everybody else who gave a gift with the recipient. Showing gratitude might only be a heart emoji on a text. That makes receiving a thank-you note even more special these days.
Dear Abby posted a column about a grandmother who is changing her will because neither her adult children nor her grandchildren ever wrote her thank-you notes when she sent gifts.
How do you continue giving when the recipient might or might not show *your* expected level of gratitude? And whose problem is it, theirs or yours?
(WE)
Gratitude acknowledges the giver, not just the gift. It’s not just about etiquette. It’s about honoring the giver. It turns gift-giving transactions into relationships. And when you show gratitude, you complete the relationship for yourself. You are made whole.
(GOD)
Today I’m preaching from the prescribed lectionary series again. A cool thing about the lectionary series; so many churches across the country and the world are sharing the same passages. Their services, including the prayers, anthems and hymns, will reflect the same messages or themes. For instance, today’s hymns include words of gratitude. There is a comfort and inclusion to being part of a world-wide community of faith focused on the same Biblical theme on a certain Sunday.
Today’s scripture reading from Luke is full of meaning, and culminates with gratitude. We’ll do a study on this passage.
The first verse in this passage says Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. Why is he going to Jerusalem? Let’s go back eight chapters to Luke 9:15 “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” He’s heading to Jerusalem for his trial and crucifixion and resurrection. I’d say that’s an important detail to know, and quite a way to start this passage.
Continuing the first verse, “Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. “ We know that Jesus spent most of his time teaching in Galilee to Jews. To go south to get to Jerusalem, you can go either through Samaria, or a bit of a detour through Decapolis.
Decapolis was an area filled with Gentiles, and Jews would not be caught dead in that area. If you recall, Jesus sailed across the Sea of Galilee to heal a demoniac in the region of Decapolis. By mutual agreement with the demons, Jesus allowed the legend of demons to leave the man and enter a large herd of pigs, which promptly went into the sea and drowned. The people were amazed and quite upset about losing a couple thousand pigs and asked Jesus to leave. That’s a different sermon. That was his initial visit to Decapolis, and it just didn’t go so well from first blush.
While Jesus did eventually return to the Decapolis to teach, heal and feed 4000, it was still an area for Jews to generally avoid. That left going through Samaria, filled with Samaritans. The relationship between Samaritans and Jews was marked with tension, not because they didn’t believe in the same God, but that Samaritans didn’t adhere strictly to Jewish traditions and other major differences. In fact, Jews asked Jesus in John 8:48, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”as though they are one and the same. Not a friendly rivalry at all.
Yet Jesus chose to travel through the border region between Samaria and Galilee, unafraid of bridging these divides. He’s willing to breakdown social and religious barriers. That’s what Luke is trying to point out here. Love neighbors. Welcome strangers. Love kindness. Walk humbly. Set the table for everybody.
As Jesus is entering a village in this transitional zone, ten lepers call out to him from a distance, as required by law, and ask, not to be healed, but for mercy. They say, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” Verse 14, “When he (Jesus) saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.” At first, I read this and wondered why Jesus hadn’t healed them right there on the spot. Instead, this was a trial of their obedience, like in 2 Kings when Naaman was told to wash himself seven times in the Jordon River to cleanse himself of leprosy.
My next thought was that Jesus wanted to show the priests that he had healed ten lepers. That’s not far from the truth. The priests would have known these ten men had leprosy, and once they saw them cleansed, they would have witnessed this miracle. But in practical terms, the priests also served as public health officials and legal witnesses. Certification from a priest was the only path back to family, worship, and public life. This is straight from the Law of Moses defined in Leviticus, and Jesus was respecting and following that law.
14 times in the New Testament, Jesus “healed them all.” For instance, staying in Luke, chapter 4:40, “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.” I couldn’t find one instance in the gospels where it was reported that anybody thanked him after these mass healings. In many of these one-offs, like the healing of the demoniac, gratitude was displayed, but I’m specifically referencing mass healings. I’m sure gratitude and appreciation was given per Jewish custom, but it just wasn’t mentioned by Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
Jesus is not interested in having people hang around and thank him. Often, when he heals people, he doesn’t say “Stick around and thank me.” He says, “Go your way, your faith has healed you.” I am reminded of the college president faced with a large graduating class. As each person came across the stage, he handed them their diploma, while shaking their hand and said, “Congratulations …and keep moving.” It was a stage direction to keep the ceremony moving, but it was also good life advice. Jesus says to those he heals, “Congratulations and keep moving. Don’t stick around thanking me.”
Yet, in this story, one man *did* return to Jesus to thank Him. He didn’t just thank him, he worshiped Jesus and praise Him loudly. Luke makes a special point to say he was a Samaritan and that Jesus’ message is about inclusivity. Jesus is reaching across borders, between regions and societies. He’s reaching out to outsiders, to lepers and Samaritans, even Samaritan lepers. Probably more than just one of this group of ten from this region would be the lowest of outsiders, being a Samaritan AND a leper, yet Jesus healed them all.
So if Jesus isn’t interested in having people hang around and thanking him, why is Jesus calling out these lepers in verse 17? “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’” Jesus is taking this opportunity to share with the disciples how important gratitude is. While all ten received physical healing, nine missed the opportunity for the deeper blessing of connection and affirmation. The Samaritan’s return became a moment of worship, not just a thank-you—it’s a declaration of faith. He was acknowledging the giver-Jesus-not just the gift of healing. It was relationship building.
And this is what Jesus wanted us to know. 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” While the other nine lepers were cleansed, the single Samaritan was made well, made whole, which is a deeper level of healing.
And this is where the thank you note comes in. The act of, the display of, gratitude makes a person – the receiver of a gift or favor – more complete.
(YOU)
I caught a discussion on the Internet awhile back where the question was, “What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?” Possibilities fly around in your head, don’t they? It was meant to be funny or maybe scandalous. For example, “I have read, understood and agree to the above terms and conditions,” <Click>. But the reply with the most up-votes was, “I’m fine.” The most common lie people tell is, “I’m fine,” when asked “How are you?”
“How are you?” “I’m fine.” 60% of adults admit to telling this lie. What if, with a little practice, we can say, “I’m grateful.”
(WE)
What if we said, “I’m grateful?”
A friend of mine (Brian Griffin) just went through a medical scare. In an update post on social media a few days ago, he added a graphic, “Forever Thankful, Always Grateful, Abundantly Blessed.”
Let’s be honest: we’ve all been one of the nine. We’ve received kindness, healing, help—and moved on. We’ve taken generosity for granted and not shown proper gratefulness.
But what if we turned back?
What if we wrote the note?
What if we made the call?
What if we said thank you, “I’m grateful”—not just to people, but to God?
This week, write one thank-you note. Not a text. Not an email. Not an emoji. No social media. A real note.
Write it to someone who helped you, loved you, forgave you, taught you, or simply showed up.
And as you write, let it be your prayer. Your worship. Your return to Jesus.
Because gratitude doesn’t just bless others—it makes you whole.
Be grateful.
In Jesus’ name.
