Thanksgiving Day, 24 November, Gospel Commentary (Luke 17:11-19)

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” ¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Thanksgiving (always on the fourth Thursday in November) is a major American holiday, related to harvest festivals and focused on gratitude. All too often we fail to realize our blessings and so this feast is an important reminder that, however dark things may seem, we have much to be grateful for. The gospel today focuses on how few of us actually stop to thank God for all that he has given us in our lives.

Ten lepers, forced by their disease to live away from others, approach Jesus (although always remaining at a distance) and ask for his help. Jesus responds by telling them to show themselves to the priests which was obligatory if they wanted to be pronounced cured and reintegrated into society. On the way, their disease disappears so they have all received the great gift they requested.

However, when they discover they have been cured, only one turns back to thank Jesus – and that one is from the despised Samaritans. At the start, the ten lepers are all equal in faith, standing together asking for God’s help but, at the end, there is only one. The others take the gift they receive but only the Samaritan returns to offer praise and thanksgiving. Only his faith has blossomed from demanding things of God to offering gratitude and praise for his gifts. So this reading is ultimately about faith which, whatever we may think about ourselves, only truly exists if our actions reflect it.

So, let everyone, Americans and people of all nationalities, take a few moments today (and every day) to think of all the good things we have received in our lives and thank God for them.