The Effects of a Grateful Heart

Courtsey Pixabay.com

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is over and we're headed for Christmas but this post has been gnawing at me for two or three weeks. It is time to share it.

My pastor is such an awesome teacher and I really enjoy Sunday School for that reason. Every sermon I come away with something good. A few weeks ago, and I can't remember the date, he preached on gratitude. During the sermon he cited a familiar passage that I'm sure everyone reading this has heard. This is the story of the 10 lepers.

Luke 17:11-19 King James Version (KJV)

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Leprosy is a bacterial infection that affects the skin, eyes, nose, and peripheral nerves. It still exist today and a person can have it for decades without symptoms. The lack of sensation in the nerves can lead to severe injuries. Over time, a person can lose fingers, toes, ears, and even the nose from it. The signs of the advance disease can be horrible with missing or deformed extremities and facial features.

In this passage, the lepers ask Jesus to heal them. In those days, lepers were expelled from the community because they were contagious or considered unclean. They weren't allowed to attend religious services or visit their families. They had to beg for their survival and live in caves or where ever they could find shelter. If their leprosy cleared up, they had to present themselves to the priest. Only the priest could declare them clean or healed from the disease and allow them to return to their normal lives.

During the lesson I thought about this. Jesus sent the men to the priest to verify they were cleansed of the disease. Of those ten men, only one turned back to thank him. Almost as an afterthought, we're reminded that he is a Samaritan.

I read up on them a bit while writing this. Samaritans were not accepted by the Jews but they claim to be descendants of Aaron, which would make them brothers. The information I obtained in research said Samaritan means "keeper of the law". This would explain the behavior of the Good Samaritan and probably this leper who returned to worship and give thanks.

As I listened to the lesson, something else struck me. I don't know why I missed it in the past. A life spent in church means I'm pretty familiar with a tremendous amount of Bible stories. This one is of the more famous variety. Yet, I never noticed something and it reminded me why I prefer the King James Version of the Bible over other translations.

Verse
The last verse in the NIV says this: Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
 The KJV says:  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. 

That may be a small difference to you and unimportant but it is a vast world of difference to me. Jesus cleansed all 10 lepers and sent them to the priest to be verified. One turned back and Jesus was stunned both by his honor and because this was a Samaritan. The Samaritan was bound by his obedience to the law to give thanks for cleansing. And Jesus' reaction was profound. He didn't just cleanse #10. He made him whole.

Let that sink in a minute. While I was sitting through the lesson I felt what I hope you're feeling right now, this kind of internal gasp.

Jesus didn't just cleanse the 10th leper. He actually restored all the missing parts. He could return to his family. Everyone who knew him would see the astonishing miracle of his healing. He'd have to explain how those missing fingers or ears were no longer missing. The other nine could also go home, but they'd be forever reminded of their past. Those who knew them would also see the evidence. However, Jesus made the 10th leper whole because of a grateful heart and an obedience to his faith.

Gratitude is essential if you want to be whole. An ungrateful heart creates missing components to your life. Let's always turn back to give Him thanks for His lovingkindness and mercy.


Resources:

• http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat55/sub394/entry-5930.html

• https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/people/related-articles/samaritans

Left Luggage

I did a post on spiritual house cleaning and afterward, a question came up. Why would you need to do a cleansing of your house if you're a Christian? I suppose the idea being that Christians have some kind of protection automatically just because we're Christians.

Let's play a game. Imagine that life is a train station. And people from all over the world come into this train station with their luggage planning to get on a train. Let's say your train pulls into the station and 20 people pick up their bags and march onto your train. They take their seats and everybody gets comfortable and the train takes off. You have 20 people and all their baggage on your train. You don't know what's in their bags. Perhaps they'll have clothes, toiletries, books, or bombs. You just don't know but they're on your train.

Now suppose that at the next stop, five of those people get off to the train but they leave some of their baggage. You still don't know what's in their baggage and you won't know until it's too late. And you still have 15 people on the train. You simply can't predict what is in the bags on your train or how it will affect you and everyone else on that train. You trust that you are all safe and no one will be hurt.

What you don't know is that one of those 20 people just killed his wife and his bloody clothes are in that suitcase. Another of those 20 people is a child molester and has the evidence in the bag under the seat and is planning their next crime. Twelve people have nothing in their bags but the stuff they need on their trip. Three of them have guns. One has a woman tied in his basement. And they've all been on your train.

Let's move the action closer. Your house contains you and your family. Now, someone knocks at the front door and when you answer, a salesman greets you. The salesman hands you a flier. You take the flier glance at it but tell them you'll think about it and call him back. He goes away and you close the door, flyer in hand. You didn't read the flier so you don't know what it's about but you lay off on the table and forget about it.

Next day, another person knocks on the door of your house. When you open the door it's a friend you haven't seen in several months, or perhaps a few days. You invite them in. You don't know what is going on in their lives. You don't know where they've been or what they've been doing. You have no clue what they are going through. You spend some time together and they leave. On their way out they pick up the flyer and you tell them they can take it with them if they like. They shove it into their pocket.

You don't know that your friend has been practicing a dangerous religion in order to put a spell on someone she is angry with.

What you should have noticed in these vignettes is that something was left in every situation. Baggage of some sort is left in every case. Suitcases filled with evil, a flyer from an unknown person, a friend you invited in along with all her personal baggage. They all left something behind.
Every person you meet has baggage. You have baggage. Everywhere you go you run the risk of leaving your baggage or getting someone else's baggage.

So, cleansing my house is very important. Not just my spiritual house but the place I live, eat, and sleep. I don't want to be stumbling over someone's left luggage.

Celebration -- Sep 23 - 30

This week begins the annual Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which sounds a lot like a Thanksgiving celebration that lasts a whole week. It is to celebrate a bountiful harvest but it also commemorates the time when the Hebrews wandered 40 years in the desert.

Unlike our Thanksgiving, during this week the Jews live in "booths". I've heard them called tents but after reading up on this holiday, I found that they're more like a roofed porch or awning with walls. The roof is supposed to be such that you can look up and see the night sky. I found that quite a nice idea since I love the night sky. Living in the city as I do now, I find there are times I would give anything to go back to my childhood home again where I can see the stars.

Apparently, this celebration is connected to harvest and its occurrence depended on when the harvest was finished, which as any farmer knows, can be variable. However, in Biblical times it was set for a specific time and date.

I found an interesting video on this holiday. I will leave a link to the website if you're interested in learning more about this holiday. https://reformjudaism.org/sukkot-customs-and-rituals

https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/sukkot