Did not anyone else return to give thanks?

In the South we like to take the time to be gracious.  I can remember my Grandmother teaching me the importance of thank-you notes and basic respect and courtesy.  In our reading for today, Jesus wonders how nine lepers, made whole, could walk away without a word of thanks.  I too wonder how or why such could happen.

We cannot skip over the intentional emphasis that Luke gives to the one grateful leper being a Samaritan.  When we hear the designation of Samaritan we can conjure up any image or people that would give us pause, perhaps stir fear in us.  When we imagine such, we get a glimpse into the dramatic rift between the Jews and Samaritans of the time.  Time and again Jesus steps right over those boundaries, ignores the social caste system to do what God does best: engage, enlighten, heal, and make free.

I still wonder about those other nine.  Did they feel as if they had obeyed the command of Jesus, showed themselves to the temple priests, been healed, and therefore they were done?  In other words, I've got what I want so I will be on my way now.  Do we do the same with our faith?  Follow the commands, receive some sense of accomplishment, and be on our way to the next task.  Does God often wait in the distance for us to acknowledge or to return in gratitude only to be left there waiting?

Our devotion asks that we list five things we are thankful for.  That seems a small number, but here goes:  my family, friends, health, provisions, and awareness of the divine.  What are you grateful for?

A last thought that strikes me is this: Jesus said, "your faith has made you well."  That ties in to our overarching question this week:  do you want to be made well?  Jesus didn't wave a magic wand on the spot for the ten lepers to impress them with his power.  He told them to do something--to go and show themselves to the temple priests--to submit to the local religious authorities.  I am sure for the Samaritan this was quite a challenge knowing the temple priests could have been harsh, if not deadly, in their reaction to him.  But, he went.  And he was healed.  He was set free and he returned to give thanks for this wholeness and freedom.  

Faith doesn't always lead us into predictable or even logical situations.  It often does the contrary and can feel like a long walk down a plank.  But, it can set us free and leave us grateful when we have the radical trust to follow that still small, loving voice.