“Were there not
ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17). The Lord Jesus healed ten lepers
but only one returned to thank Him, and that one was a despised Samaritan.

            One of the
valuable experiences for us in life is to encounter ingratitude, for then we
can share in a small degree the heartbreak of God. When we give generously and
do not receive so much as an acknowledgment, we have a greater appreciation of
Him who gave His beloved Son for a thankless world. When we pour out ourselves
in tireless service for others, we join the fellowship of the One who took the
place of a slave for a race of ingrates.

            Unthankfulness is
one of the unlovely traits of fallen man. Paul reminds us that when the pagan
world “knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful” (Rom.
1:21).

            A missionary to Brazil discovered two tribes who had no words for "Thank you." If a kindness was
shown to them, they would say "That is what I wanted" or "That
will be useful to me." Another missionary, working in North Africa, found
that those to whom he ministered never expressed gratitude because they were
giving him the opportunity of earning merit with God. It was the missionary who
should be grateful, they felt, because he was acquiring favor through the
kindness he showed them.

            Ingratitude
permeates all of society. A radio program called “Job Center of the Air”
succeeded in finding jobs for 2500 people. The emcee later reported that only
ten ever took time to thank him.

            A dedicated
school teacher had poured her life into 50 classes of students. When she was
80, she received a letter from one of her former students, telling how much he
appreciated her help. She had taught for 50 years and this was the only letter
of appreciation she had ever received.

            We said that it
is good for us to experience ingratitude because it gives us a pale reflection
of what the Lord experiences all the time. Another reason why it is a valuable
experience is that it impresses on us the importance of being thankful
ourselves. Too often our requests to God outweigh our thanksgiving. We take His
blessings too much for granted. And too often we fail to express our
appreciation to one another for hospitality, for instruction, for
transportation, for provision, for numberless deeds of kindness. We actually
come to expect these favors almost as if we deserved them.

            The study of the
ten lepers should be a constant reminder to us that while many have great cause
for thanksgiving, few have the heart to acknowledge it. Shall we be among the
few?

            (From One Day
At a Time, Gospel Folio Press, Grand Rapids, Michigan, copyright 1998 by
William MacDonald; used by permission.)