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On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:11-19
During my first year of service with Friends United Meeting, it is a priority for me to get to know the FUM community. This is why I took the opportunity to join FUM’s Living Letters trip to Cuba. Cuban Friends are kind and generous, and even with all kinds of limitations are amazingly hopeful. We were welcomed by the leaders of the Yearly Meeting and well provided for by the wonderful staff of the Friends Guesthouse in Gibara.
Our visit happened to coincide with Cuba Yearly Meeting’s 118th Anniversary, which is celebrated every year on November 14th. Way too early on that morning, at 5:45 AM, Friends gathered in the meetinghouse for worship. Thank God for strong Cuban coffee! Hymns were sung, scriptures read, and a sermon preached. Following the service at the meetinghouse, the entire congregation walked together to the waterfront to watch the sun rise over Gibara Bay. As Friends waited for the sun to appear, more hymns were sung, and Friends remembered that on that date in 1900, the ship arrived bringing Sylvester and May Jones, Maria los Santos Trevino, and Juan Francisco Martinez to the island. These were the first Friends missionaries to Cuba. I asked one of the members why this day is so important to them. He replied, “We remember because we are thankful to God and blessed. These Friends showed us the Light of Christ. We are Quakers because of them.” Cuban Quakers return to the sea to remember these Friends and give thanks.
This experience in Cuba brings to my mind Luke 17:11-19, a passage from the Bible that gives the Gospel account of the healing of the ten lepers. In ancient Hebrew society leprosy was a communal disease, and everyone who contracted it was banished from their homes and communities. Lepers were ceremonially unclean, denied religious rites, and barred from the temple and synagogues. They lost nearly everything they valued—positions in society, contact with families, places of sanctuary and worship. They lived on the margins as outcasts.
The Gospel reports Jesus was traveling in the border region between Galilee and Samaria when he met these ten lepers. They stood from a distance, as lepers were required to do, and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” And when Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.
While all were healed and received Christ’s blessing, only one of the ten returned to say, “Thank you!” The Gospels often have unexpected and shocking twists. A twist in this story is that it wasn’t one of the “chosen,” but a Samaritan who returned with gratitude. We can only speculate on the motives of the others. Perhaps the nine just got caught up in the excitement, so eager to get home to their families and friends that they simply forgot to express their thanks. Or, because of their religious birthright, the nine felt they were entitled to God’s blessings, so gratitude wasn’t needed. For this foreigner, as he was healed a sense of gratitude compelled him to turn around and return to the place of blessing to say, “Thank you.”
There is another twist to this story. Though healed, the grateful Samaritan will continue to be treated by some people as if he still had leprosy. Unclean because of his disease, still unclean because of his ethnic identity. Yet this leper and foreigner was welcomed into the community of grace, the unworthy souls blessed by Christ Jesus.
“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” The indifference and apathy of the nine are more common than we want to admit. Many of us are blessed, graced by Christ, cared for and loved by others, bountifully provisioned, meaningfully engaged, endowed with health and energy, surrounded by beauty and life. Yet, as we become absorbed in our self-interests, problems, or self-importance, we take these blessings for granted or we simply forget to return.
Cuban Friends and the grateful Samaritan have much to teach us about “gratitude.” The spirit of authentic gratitude compels us to go back to places of blessing praising God and returning thanks. Gratitude teaches us to be vigilant and watchful for life’s blessings. And it reminds us to be humble. Thomas Merton writes,
To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us—and God has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude, therefore, takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.
Gratitude shapes our souls as we are attentive and responsive to life’s blessings.
Gratefulness also creates connections and community. Every Cuban Quaker knows the importance of November 14th. The annual celebration, worship, and pilgrimage to the sea shape their community with a profound sense of gratitude and purpose.
Several years ago, I was inspired by the one of ten in the Gospel account, so I started the spiritual practice of “returning.” On a sheet of paper, I counted my many blessings, identifying places that were transformative in my life and people who have influenced and encouraged me along the way. My list became quite long. Then, when possible, I returned to those places and people to simply say, “Thank you.” I have had opportunities to return to my childhood church in Burundi, teachers, family members, pastors, colleagues, high school, friends, the youth camp where I answered the call to ministry, and other places of blessings.
Something deep and wonderful happens during transactions of gratitude. Memories are recalled, kindness is affirmed, love is rekindled, bonds of kinship are strengthened, gratitude grows, and the blessing list gets longer and longer. Expressing gratitude opens hearts to God and to others, and this creates the basis of authentic community. I recommend this spiritual practice to others.
Questions for Discussion
Lepers were considered unclean and marginalized in ancient societies. Who are the modern-day lepers? How do you to relate them?
What are the unexpected or shocking twists found in the Luke 17 story?
How do you relate to the nine in this Gospel story?
What does the grateful Samaritan teach you about thankfulness?
When have you practiced “returning?”
How has saying “thank you” shaped your soul? In what ways has it strengthened your connection with God and others?
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