The Lutheran Hour
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"Thankful for What You Don’t Have"
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Text: Luke 17:11-19
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! For those whose eyes have been darkened by sin and Satan’s lies, I have good news of great joy. God’s Son has died so His people might live. Now the risen Lord Jesus forgives us, reconciles us, and offers us a heavenly home. No matter what else may happen, the Savior’s victory gives the redeemed cause to rejoice. God grant a thankful heart to us all. Amen.
Outside my back door is a bird feeder. Holding about 10 pounds of seed, this is a large, well-stocked bird feeder. It is not a squirrel feeder nor is it a raccoon feeder.
In the last two years I have made sure this feeder is always well stocked and has never gone dry. In truth, my feeder has provided a smorgasbord of seed, a never emptied treasure trove of tasty treats for the cardinals, finches, sparrows, woodpeckers, nuthatches, and other winged friends who regularly, almost religiously, help themselves to the unearned bounty which I have provided for them.
Now, you might think that every once in a while one or two of those feathered freeloaders might feel some kind of obligation to stop their feeding for just a second and say, “Hey, Reverend, thanks a lot for what you’re doing here. We just want to let you know your efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.” So far that hasn’t happened to me.
On the contrary, when I come out my back door, one of the birds gives a chirp of annoyance, a squeak of indignation, a squawk of warning, and they all take off and fly into the woods. Upon occasion, one of the braver birds will show his displeasure by landing in the closest bush and, from that place of relative security, make it perfectly clear that he is offended and outraged by my unannounced interruption of his meal – the meal which I provided. I’m not above telling you this scarcity of appreciation, this shortage of thanksgiving wears pretty thin. I wonder, “What do I have to do to prove myself? What? Will these birds ever get it; will they ever figure out I’m there to feed them; to help them; to care for them? What do I have to do to get through to them?”
Quite probably those are the same questions God has been asking about unappreciative, ungrateful, unthankful humanity. Consider, at the beginning of human history, God created a perfect world. Wonderful weather; an inviting environment, fantastic food were just the beginning of the gifts He gave to our first ancestors. But there was more. He gave them health and I’m not talking about reasonable health for a short span of years. I’m talking about perfect health which would have lasted forever. As far as companionship was concerned, that’s where God really pulled the stops. He custom designed Adam and Eve to complement, to complete, to fulfill each other. It was fantastic.
And what was Adam and Eve’s reaction to all this God-given perfection? Did they spend age after endless age singing His praises? Not hardly! The opening chapters of the Bible tell how Satan came slithering in and suggested how, without too much work on their parts, Adam and Eve might be able to improve upon God’s generosity. Scripture tells how our first parents embraced sin and from that moment until now, in human hearts gratitude toward God is often displaced by discontent; thanksgiving for His blessings has been shoved aside by complaint, criticism, and condemnation. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden and because it did happen, Adam and Eve, like my birds, ended up afraid, trying to hide in the bushes from the one Person who had cared for them, protected them and unfailingly shown them His love. That’s what happened in the Garden and because it did happen the pattern for sinful humanity has been established: we will come to God when we want something; we will complain to God until He delivers and we’ll ignore Him until we want something else.
This past week I was talking to a lady about Thanksgiving and the list of things for which I am most grateful. Even as I was speaking, I could see her sit up a little straighter, and set her jaw a little firmer. When I finished, with a tough tone in her voice and a steely look in her eye, she said, “I have absolutely nothing for which to be thankful.”
Now I know this year a great many of you agree with that lady. Times are tough, the economy hasn’t bounced back, some of you are out of work, some of you are losing your homes and it’s a desperate time. Like that lady you might be mumbling, “I have absolutely nothing for which to be thankful.” If that’s the case, I’ve got something in my hand which will change your mind and put things into perspective. And what can perform such a miracle? Nothing less than a copy of the Health History form I got from my doctor. Now you may have had a bad year, but let me ask you what the doctor asked me. Do you have: blood pressure or related problems; liver problems, gallbladder problems, yellow jaundice, hepatitis, heart trouble, kidney disease, stomach problems, indigestion, ulcers, bleeding tendency, excessive bruising, any part of your body paralyzed or numb, broken bones in the face, neck, jaw, or back. Back problems. Excessive scarring?” Folks, that’s just part of column #1 in a document that runs four pages and is 12 columns wide. You may have some of those things I just listed, but you don’t have all of them. Which means if you can’t give thanks for what you’ve got, you can give thanks for what you don’t have.
Unfortunately giving thanks just doesn’t come easy to many of us. Look at the story of the Children of Israel. Through some mighty miracles God had freed them from slavery and then He had destroyed Pharaoh’s chariots. This should have made God’s people thankful. It should have, but the 15th chapter of Exodus says: (v.24), “And the people murmured against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?'” God took care of that problem and the people left God alone until… the very next chapter. Chapter 16 says, “The children of Israel murmured against Moses (saying) for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” God took care of that and the people were pleased until chapter 17 where it says, “The people murmured against Moses, and said, ‘Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst.'” You get the idea. They came to God when they wanted something; they complained when He didn’t give them what they wanted, and then they ignored Him until they wanted something else.
If you need further evidence of man’s thankless spirit, please, turn to the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. There you will read about ten men who were afflicted with Hansen’s disease, the illness which the Bible calls leprosy. Today that infirmity is treatable, but during the time Jesus walked the earth, a ‘miracle cure’ was the only healing possible for those who had been diagnosed with the dread disease. Quite often the illness began with denial. You can almost hear one of those ancient people trying to explain, “This, this spot? Oh, it’s nothing. Just a spot, a numb spot, something which needs to be watched. If it doesn’t go away, I’ll be sure to get somebody’s opinion about it.”
And if that spot didn’t go away, the opinion which had to be sought out was that of the priest. The priest’s judgment was all-important. If the priest declared you to be disease-free you could breathe a happy sigh of relief and your life would begin again. But if that priest examined you and said, “Unclean,” your future was split, shattered, torn asunder. “Unclean,” from that second on you were to be avoided, rejected, shunned, and spurned. Might you not give a last kiss to your spouse; a final hug to your children before you wandered into a disease-imposed exile?
Unthinkable! Unimaginable! Inconceivable! Who could be so ruthless, so heartless as to willingly expose a loved one or a child to the possibility of contracting this living death?
“Unclean.” Set your mind to it. The rest of your life would be spent playing the role of an unclean leper. The rules governing your life were simple: your physical appearance must be as unappealing as possible: your hair must be dirty and unkempt; your beard must be matted; your clothes dirty and torn. If that were not enough to keep people away, you were obliged to call out the warning, “unclean,” “unclean” to anyone who might get too close. Of course as the disease progressed, as your ears and nose and fingers and toes were worn off, fell off, nobody would dare come close. “Unclean” From then on your only companions would be others with whom you shared the illness, the loneliness, the final fate of leprosy. Your friends were the others who were also unclean.
And so it was on the day 10 heard Jesus was passing by their neighborhood. They may have been outcasts, but even though they were pariahs of society, they still had managed to pick up a tidbit here, a rumor there. They had heard the whispers, the reports, the stories of unexpected cures done by the Rabbi. Jesus, they had been told, was a Miracle Worker; He was a Healer. You can see why the men found themselves in agreement: they had nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking for Jesus’ help.
Intently they would have watched to make sure the Christ didn’t pass by unnoticed. If their leprosy had advanced to any degree, they would have had to rely on their numbers to conquer their hoarseness, swell their volume, and span the legally mandated distance separating them from the Savior. As one the lepers joined their voices in a desperate plea: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
Luke tells us Jesus saw the 10 lepers and gave them this command: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” There are some scholars who take a look at this text and say these men showed great faith in doing as Jesus ordered. There are other experts who, having noted the hopeless condition of these ten say their actions didn’t demand much in the way of faith at all, because a thin lifeline is better than no lifeline at all. While no one can say exactly what was going on inside the hearts and minds of those men, we are told what happened to their feet: they started walking. Without any absolute promise they would be healed, the ten lepers headed out to see the priests, the men who could pronounce them cured, who could give them back their lives.
I’ve often wondered how long it took before the lepers realized something was happening to them. I’m curious, did they notice the change in the appearance of the others, or did each of them perceive the alteration in himself? Did body parts, which the disease had taken, begin to regenerate; did their movements become smoother, their breathing easier? What is clear is this: it was not too long before the ex-lepers knew Jesus had done that which couldn’t be done: He had healed them. They knew it, the priest would declare it, and the world would stand in awe of the Savior’s great and gracious miracle.
Ten lepers had their lives changed that day, but only one interrupted his journey to see the priests, only one hurried back to offer his thanks. If pressed, I’m sure the nine ex-lepers would probably have been able to explain why they kept on going. Jesus had said, “See the priests,” that’s what they were going to do. None of them were willing to jinx things by getting creative. Other reasons? Maybe some wanted to be sure the healing was real. Maybe they were anxious to get home. Maybe they figured Jesus already knew they were grateful. Those understandable explanations go a long way to clarify why ten lepers asked God for a favor and only one came back to give thanks.
It’s still that way today. Next time you go to church, I want you to count up the number of prayer requests there are for those who are sick; the prayers which ask God to grant healing after a surgery, a stroke, a condition, a cancer. Behind that list you will find another – these will be petitions which ask for a job, for direction, for guidance, for deliverance, for prosperity, for those who are losing a home, for those who have a son or daughter stationed overseas in the military. Now, lest I be misunderstood, let me explain these prayers and petitions are good things, they are Godly things, they are the requests we are encouraged to bring to the Lord who has promised to be ready to listen. The problem does not lie with those prayers I’ve listed; the difficulty is in the prayers which are not there. Where are the prayers which thank God for the health, the healing, the restoration, the redirection? And if you cannot thank Him for what has happened to you in the last year, can you not show your gratitude for the things for which haven’t happened, for the tragedies which never touched you, the pains which never came? Where are the prayers which say, “I am grateful for God’s grace which has been shown to me and those around me?” Where are the prayers of thanksgiving?
Still can’t come up with anything for which to be thankful? Then let me tell you this story. Centuries ago, the forces of the Moors lay siege to the capital of Spain. The city had been ably defended by King Alphonso. But, by some unfortunate happenstance the enemy managed to capture the king’s son. Knowing the monarch’s love for the lad, the attackers built a gallows in full view of the ruler who stood watching from the ramparts of his castle. The prince was ordered to stand on that gallows under a sign which read, “Alphonso: either the city or your son!” What a heart-rending decision for a father to make! Anxiously, Alphonso’s advisers and officers watched the face of the king. They did not have long to wait. Alphonso sent back the message: “Let my son die, so my people may live.” How could the king’s people contain their gratitude?
Similarly, how can we refrain from offering our thanksgiving and expressing our joy for God’s great outpouring of grace? “Let My Son die so My people may live.” That is the promise the Lord made to Adam and Eve as they hid in fear. It is the promise which was fulfilled in the coming of the Christ. Think, do you have nothing for which to be grateful? If that is what you believe, listen as the Father says, “Let My innocent Son carry the world’s transgressions so sinners might be forgiven.” Can you discover nothing for which to be thankful? Listen as He says, “let My sinless Son resist Satan’s temptations so humanity might be restored; let My Son die so the world may know death’s rule is at an end. Let My Son die so the world might live.” This is the joyous message we proclaim this Thanksgiving week, which we are blessed to share every week. And, if you wish to know more about our God of grace, please call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for November 22, 2009
Topic: Suicide – Part 2Announcer: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus continues a discussion we began last week. The topic is suicide. I’m Mark Eischer.
Klaus: Hi, Mark.
Announcer: To bring everyone up to date, we discussed why someone might commit suicide. We said there were a lot of reasons, and not always because a person was mentally unbalanced or they had somehow lost control of their life.
Klaus: And we talked about the suicide of Judas, the disciple of Jesus who hanged himself after repenting of having betrayed his Rabbi.
Announcer: Now here is where I have to ask: if Judas repented, why did he then take his own life?
Klaus: Well, what we do know is this: Judas repented. He was sorry. Unfortunately, he was not sorry in a way such that he could receive the Lord’s forgiveness – the very thing for which Jesus was dying. If I were making a guess, I would say Judas killed himself because he wanted to pay for his sin himself. And, of course, nobody can pay for his own sin. Not even by offering up his own life.
Announcer: That ties in with what we said last week about those terrorists nowadays who go on suicide missions. They were told by doing this they’ll earn a place in paradise.
Klaus: That’s right. Maybe we ought to say here too, Mark, that “there are different kinds of repentance.”
Announcer: Please explain.
Klaus: The world’s prisons are filled with people who have repented. Most of those folks are genuinely sorry they were caught. Some are sorry enough to want to pay their debt to society. But the truth is you can’t pay your debt to God. Only in the Savior and the truth He gives has the ability to do that. It is a wonderful gift Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection offers to us. Although I’m guessing here, I don’t think Judas ever figured that out, or believed it.
Announcer: You’re saying Judas may have felt he had to somehow earn that forgiveness. But, no one can do that, can they?
Klaus: Yes, that’s what the passage says: “by grace we are saved, through faith, and not because of anything we do ourselves. (Salvation) is a gift of God.”
Announcer: But, could Judas have been saved even though he
betrayed Jesus?Klaus: Of course. Peter was forgiven for having denied Jesus three times. Paul was forgiven for his part in the persecution of Christ’s people and the murder of Stephen. Jesus’ sacrifice holds out forgiveness to the entire world. Even so, some people turn down Jesus’ gift. If you turn down Jesus, then you’re not forgiven. If you’re not forgiven, you’re not saved.
Announcer: So Judas could have been forgiven. Do you think there is a possibility that he’s in heaven?
Klaus: No.
Announcer: That’s pretty definite.
Klaus: It is.
Announcer: But, could Judas have been forgiven for committing suicide? Might it not be possible that he repented in those few
seconds between when he jumped and the rope killed him?Klaus: No, it’s not possible.
Announcer: Why do you say that?
Klaus: I know Judas is not in heaven because Jesus says something to him that He says to nobody else in the passion narrative. Not to Pilate or the High Priest or Herod or anybody else. At the Last Supper, Jesus says of Judas, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21).
Mark, those are hard words. And they are an indication of Judas’ eternal fate. Again, not so much because of the seriousness of the sins of suicide and betrayal, but because Judas ultimately lacked saving faith in Jesus and the forgiveness He earned for us on the cross.
Announcer: Is it possible for a person to decide to commit suicide and then repent in the last few seconds and be forgiven?
Klaus: I really hesitate to answer that question.
Announcer: Why?
Klaus: Because somebody’s going to try it. They’ll like the idea of suicide and they’ll gamble they can repent in that split second
before death comes. Is it possible? I don’t know. But, if someone is playing with that idea, then they had better realize their repentance is a pretty fake thing. I wouldn’t count on it holding up before God. They’re making a mockery of the forgiveness for which Jesus died. Don’t do it.Announcer: Now, if you could say just one more thing to a person contemplating suicide, what would it be?
Klaus: I would say this: when Jesus hung on the cross, HE saw you. He knows your troubles. He knows your sins. He loves you, Jesus died because He wanted to help you, forgive you. And, He does have the ability to do all of those things. Trust Him. He can take you through whatever it is that is overwhelming you. Please. Trust Him.
Announcer: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” arr. G.J. Elvey. From Music for the November Feasts by the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter’s, Chicago (© 1995 The Order of St. Benedict, Inc.) © 1982 The Church Hymnal Corporation
“Sing to the Lord of Harvest” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Sing to the Lord of Harvest” arr. John Leavitt. From Shall We Gather at the River by John Leavitt (© 2005 John Leavitt) John Leavitt/ASCAP
“Postlude on Old Hundredth” by Fred Bock. From Hymns by Dan Miller (© 1991 DSDS Enterprises) The Sacred Music Press