The lepers must have been accustomed to seeing people turn from them, repulsed by their disfiguring disease and frightened at the prospect of becoming infected themselves. These lepers had been forced to turn away from their previous lives. Separated from family and friends, they were forced into a life which was held together by the common bond of their affliction. This hideous disease rendered them unclean and, therefore, excluded them from the congregation of Israel.
Bu now there comes a man who does not hide His face from their wretchedness. He does not turn away in disgust. Even though these lepers still keep their distance from Jesus, He hears their cry for mercy as they call out to Him: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
Jesus listens to their Kyrie, their cry for mercy, and He answers them in a most amazing way. In fact, He tells these lepers to act as if they had already been delivered from their disease. He says, "Go show yourselves to the priests." The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament stipulated that a person whose leprosy was cured was to present himself to the priest. The priest would examine such a person to discern whether or not he was actually healed. If the leprous person was indeed cured, specified rituals were to be performed and appropriate sacrifices offered.
The lepers take Jesus at His word and head off for the temple. Luke tells us that as they are going, they see that they have been cleansed. The symptoms of leprosy have disappeared. Their flesh has been restored, made clean.
Out of the ten who were healed, one man returns to Jesus. Actually this man would have not had access to Jerusalem's temple anyway, for he was a Samaritan and, as such, he would have been excluded from the temple. This man returns to Jesus. Luke writes, "Now one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down on his face at His feet giving Him thanks."
Thanksgiving is to turn around. Thanksgiving is to return to the Lord who is the donor and source of every good and perfect gift. So this Samaritan turns around. He returns to the Lord Jesus Christ who is both temple and priest. He is the temple of God in the flesh. In the Old Testament God had located His saving presence in the temple at Jerusalem. Now He has located His presence in the flesh and blood of His Son. Paul writes of Jesus, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). This same Jesus is the high priest of our salvation. By His blood He has cleansed us from our sin. Thanksgiving is to turn around, recognizing that every blessing we have been given comes to us through Jesus.
That's why we are here in church on this fourth Thursday in November. The Samaritan leper knew that thanksgiving takes place in the presence of the Lord who is the Source and Giver of the gifts, so he returns to Jesus. We come to where Jesus is. He is here in the preaching of His Word speaking to us the words that bring healing to our hearts, words that take away the defilement of our sin. He is here with His body and blood, feeding us with the food which alone satisfies our deepest hunger. Thanksgiving is not so much about our giving as it is our receiving from the Lord the gifts He wills to give us. This is why we pray in the offertory: "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord. I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord."
Thanksgiving recognizes who the Giver is. Remember what you have learned in the Catechism's explanation of the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer: "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving." The highest form of thanksgiving is the faith which acknowledges that all that we are and all that we have is a gift from our Heavenly Father. So our Lord says to the Samaritan, "Arise and go your way. Your faith has made you well."
Faith recognizes that every good and perfect gift of our heavenly Father - gifts for body and soul - comes to us through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving is returning to Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.