A Donkey Tale

November 26, 2017             NOTES NOT EDITED

A Donkey Tale

Gen. 36:20-24; Jn. 13:1-17

SIS: When we are willing to chase donkeys, in humble service to Christ and others, we discover a bubbling oasis of blessing.

I read this week about a young man who following in his father's footsteps.  His father had been an evangelist.  The boy's family lived very humbly surviving only on  the love offerings from revival meetings. The father died and the son took over the preaching duties of the ministry.  On one particular occasion the young lad found himself before a very "difficult" crowd.   Especially troublesome was a prominent citizen who sat in the very back of the church.  He gave a lot of money to the church, so the church tolerated his sometimes obnoxious behavior.  The man continued to heckle the young preacher.  "Listen to that young man, standing up there like he is somebody.  I knew his father when he used to drive a wagon pulled by a donkey."  The young preacher, having taken all he could from the rich, but obnoxious man, replied, "That's right.  All my dad could afford was an old wagon and a donkey.  Today, my dad and the wagon are gone, but I see we still have the donkey with us.

Donkeys get a bad rap in life, accused of being stupid and stubborn.  In fact, donkeys are quite intelligent.  Equine experts have determined that donkeys are very “independent thinkers,” and no amount of prodding, poking or manipulating can get them to do something when they feel unsafe.  That’s why you don’t see donkeys jumping gates and other obstacles like horses in that fancy English sport of dressage.

In most gatherings one would be more likely to find a person who acts like a donkey, than one to volunteers to care for donkeys.  Today, we meet a very special man who did just that, "care for donkeys.  Anah was a prominent Chieftan of the Tribe of the Horites in the land of Seir.

READ TEXT: GENESIS 36:2-24

There’s a logical reason for this odd list of names here in chapter 36.

The previous chapter records the death of Issac.  Isaac was the "son of promise" given to Abraham in his old age. Issac fathered a special set of twins--Esau and Jacob.

 

After Isaac’s death the Bible says, "Their possessions [ei, Esau and Jacob] were too great for them to remain together . . . so Esau (that is Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir" (Gen 36:8).

           

Seir, was a Horite (cave dweller) whose clan already inhabited the mountain regions north of the Red Sea, to which Esau was moving.  Our list today is a list of Esau's new neighbors.  One such neighbor was a Tribal Chief named Anah.

1.  Great Discoveries begin with Good Decision (24B)

These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the hot springs  in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

Anah was born into Tribal royalty. He was a Chieftain.  Most chieftans spent their years riding galantly over the countryside in search of fame and fortune, hoping to find an unclaimed oasis.  There they could establish their own kingdoms and fortunes in the desert. These great "Dukes of Seir" followed their desires wherever adventure and wonderlust would lead them.  Such tribal chieftans scorned menial tasks fit for lesser men--like taking care of donkeys.  They were born for glory.

But . . . then there was Anah.  He made a what would turn out to be a great decision.  This long list of names would be a meaningless, monotonous menagerie of men long since forgotten, if it were not for Anah.  Anah's name graces this list like a brilliant diamond graces a backdrop of black velvet in a department store showcase.   Someone has said, "If names were sandhills, [this passage] would be a desert."  How true that be . . . if it were not for Anah.  He was a gem in the sand.

           

Anah labored lovingly and faithfully tending his father's donkeys while his brother and cousins were out staking claims on greatness.  Some must have thought Anah a fool, or perhaps a coward, for staying at home.  Anah was neither.  While other chieften's worshipped fame and fortune, one writer points out that Anah, "bowed at the altar of duty."  His life is a living portait of servanthood.

           

In our day in which people worship the gods of pleasure and self-gratification, those who seek the higher ground of faith and duty might seem foolish.  But, as we shall see, when we are willing to chase donkeys, in humble service to Christ and others, we discover a bubbling oasis of blessing.   Anah made a great decision to follow the path of duty.  In the course of duty, he made a great discovery.

           

One's decisions (choices) make all the difference in eternity.  There are two sides to every issue, and it makes a great difference which side we choose.  Decision-making is like "fly paper."  It also has two sides.  And it makes all the difference in the world which side of the paper, the fly chooses. (Green, 100)

           

You hear me speak often about Jim Elliot.  The story of his life inspires me.  Auca Indians in Ecuador murdered him in 1956 as he and his missionary team tried to share the gospel with them.  He once wrote in his diary, "Father . . . , let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."  The essence of life is "decisions."  Anah's choice to accept the glamorless duty of chasing donkeys proved to be a great decision.

2.  Great Discoveries involve some UNFLATTERING DUTIES

Chasing and caring for donkeys in the desert certainly does not rank high on the scale of desirable occupations.  I've never seen a best-selling book on "How To Chase Donkeys and Discover Success" on the shelf at the local bookstore.  Especially for a chieftain like Anah.

Donkeys as a lot, are cantankerous, stubborn, and for the most part just plain disagreeable! 

Serving people can be a lot like tending donkeys at times.  Leadership can be a difficult and glamorless  job, in and out of church.  The reason for this is simple-- leadership requires working with people.  People, even the best of people, can be "cantankerous, stubborn, and at times just plain disagreeable."  Leadership requires servanthood, which requires much patience.

[The Only Thing I don't Have To Push] Every day precisely at 12:15 p.m. one Baptist pastor in a small town dropped anything and everything he was doing and ran down to the train station to watch the the Sunset Pacific Limited locomotive pass through town.  Every day at precisely 12:15 p.m. the Baptist pastor followed the same ritual.  He always returned with a big smile on his face stretching from ear to ear!  Some church folk thought this behavior was a bit too eccentric for even a Baptist pastor.  "Pastor, we think you should give up this strange habit of chasing down to see the Sunset Pacific Limited everyday.  People are starting to talk."  The pastor replied, "I preach your sermons, teach your Sunday School, bury your dead, and marry your young.  I run your charities, and chair your committees.  There is no way I am going to give up going down to the train station to see the Sunset Pacific Limited charge by.  I love it!  It gives me great satisfaction. It's the only thing in this town that I don't have to push!"

           

Servanthood can be glamorless duty at times.  To his eternal credit, Anah never shunned his disagreeable duty.  Anah hangs as a pre-Christian portrait of servanthood gracing the gallery of God's priceless treasures. 

We Would Do Well to NOTICE THE PARALLELS BETWEEN  ANAH'S ATTENTION TO DUTY AND CHRIST'S TEACHING ON "SERVANTHOOD."

           

Jesus gave the model for Christian duty.  He said,  "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mat 20:28).  Servanthood is God's Model for Christian living. 

           

Not all who follow Christ readily accept this model.  Man has a tendency toward self-centeredness. Man has a natural distaste for self-sacrifice.  Even the Disciples exhibited this particular human frailty.   The Bible says that at one point

A dispute arose among them [ei. the disciples] as to

which of them was considered to be greatest. (Lk. 22:24)

This power struggle greatly troubled the Lord.  Later in his ministry, Jesus would give His most memorable lesson on servanthood.  We find this memorable lesson in the Gospel of John (Jn. 13).   Footwashing, Like Chasing Donkeys Teaches The Value Of Servanthood And Duty.

A.  Jesus Presents The MODEL For Christian Duty (4-11)

           

Jesus often used "object lessons" to train his disciples in the classroom along the way.  Footwashing is one such object lesson on "SERVANTHOOD."

The lowest ranking slave in the household was charged with the duty of washing feet.  In Palestine inches of dust would pile up on the thoroughfares crisscrossing the countryside.  Feet clad only in sandles would become parched, cracked and sore.  Washing a guest's feet brought soothing and comfort.  It was a great service to the guest.  In this case, it also illustrated an important message on SERVANTHOOD.

           

Peter strongly objected.  This was not the model of "Messiahship" Peter had in mind.  He uses the strongest language possible to voice his objection. He declared, "never in a thousand lifetimes will you touch me [ei. wash my feet]."

           

Peter had heard "sermons" on servanthood before. However, it is one thing to discuss servanthood theologically, it is quite another to practice it daily!  MANY PEOPLE ARE CHRISITANS BY DOCTRINE AND ATHEISTS IN PRACTICE!  I can imagine it would be hard to feel "proud" attending to the smelly, dirty feet of your peers!   The whole concept of "sacrificial service" seems an unwelcome topic in the modern church.

           

Anah's dutiful service was not an intellectual matter either, but a practical matter fleshed out in his day to day dealings with the donkeys.  Likewise, when Jesus took the towel of a servant and discharged the glamorless duty of footwashing, Peter saw the awesome mental image of servanthood fleshed-out in a vivid living Model.  The Lord's  model of servanthood calls us to "walk the walk, not just talk the talk!"  Notice the admonition of Jesus in vss 13-15:

  

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I

am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,

you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an

example [blueprint, pattern] that you should do as I have done for you".

B.  Jesus REVEALS the MOTIVATION For Servanthood (13:1)

           

Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father.  Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

 

Judas is about to do his dirty deed. In just a very short time Jesus would be dead.  The blackest night in the history of man loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon of time.  Against this black backdrop Jesus delivers this shining lesson on servanthood, "foot washing."  And why?  What was the motivation?  . . . LOVE.

William Barclay, a noted New Testament scholar, wrote: The wonderful thing about Jesus was that in his nearness to God, instead of being separated from men, he was brought nearer to men than ever before.  The closer he got to the cross the more sensitive, the more, loving, the more caring he was with those men. (Future Church, 31). 

Jesus was the "ultimate Servant."  Godliness should drive us closer to others.  The tighter we lash ourselves to the cross, the more we should long to serve others.  The blood of Jesus should wash away any haughtiness or high feeling which restricts our faithful service to others. 

This was the way of Anah.   He chased donkeys in the desert, because he loved his father.  His acts were not rooted in self-interest.  The text clearly points out he was tending "the donkeys of his father"  and not his own.  Nothing of this sort is said about his brother or any of his royal cousins.  Love and duty prompted Anah's service.  This was the kind of dutiful love Jesus declared would brand men, women and children as his true disciples.

   

By this all men shall know that you are My disciples, if you have

love for one another" (Jn 13:34, NASB).

And again, a few chapters later, Jesus pronounced,

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his

life for his friends (Jn 15:17, NASB).

Christian duty is an "all-or-nothing" proposition--the giving of a life.  Anah realized this.  He decision to chase his father's donkeys all over the desert was two-sided.  His choice to do one thing, excluded him from doing other things.  Time is like money.  You can spend it anyway you want . . . but you can only spend it once.

Was Anah a fool to give up a life of adventure and fortune for the mundane, menial task of a "donkey tender?"  Certainly, it appeared so on the surface.  But  we shall see in just a moment, Anah was far from foolish for his faithful attention to duty motivated by his love for his father.

But first Jesus gives one more lesson on servanthood in Jn. 13

C.  Jesus Taught That the MEASURE of Eternal Judgement

For a Christian Is Servanthood (12-17)

Jesus himself gave a living MODEL of servanthood, showing us "HOW" we are to serve.  The Scripture clearly shows us what MOTIVATED the servanthood of Jesus. It was a "supernatural love."  This is "WHY" we serve.  Further on Jesus explains "WHAT" will result from servanthood.  Notice the words of Jesus in verse 17 as he summarizes this object lesson on servanthood:

"If you know these things, happy are you if you do them".

The word "do" is emphatic.  In the original it is called a Present Subjunctive.  That's a fancy way of saying it emphasizes "duration, that is, you must keep on doing."  Keep on serving, and expect to be happy!  Expect to discover a blessing.

[Lord's Summary on Servanthood and Judgement (Mat. 25:31-40)]

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels  with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  ³³ He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungryand you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’ ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’ ⁴⁰ “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.

As mentioned before, some might consider Anah a fool for giving up a life of notoriety and adventure for the unflattering duty of chasing donkeys in the desert.  Certainly, from a worldly perspective that appears to be the case.  But . . . carefully reread Genesis 36:24

Here we come to the finale of Anah's story . . . Anah made a GOOD DECISION;  Anah accepted an UNFLATTERING DUTY; and now we see that

3.  ANAH MADE A GLORIOUS DISCOVERY

Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys

God delights in surprising His children with an oasis in the desert of life.  We don’t find God’s blessings by searching for them, but we find God’s blessings . . . get this . . . while in service to Him!  The principle of sacrifice is “gaining by giving.”  Only when we empty ourselves in service can we be filled with God’s blessings.

The words of Jim Elliot, murdered 1952 in the course of his missionary work with Auca Indians in Ecuador,  fit well the experience of Anah: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose.”

Finding an oasis in the desert would be like a miner striking a rich vein in a gold mine.  Anah's discovery meant prosperity, notoriety, influence, and power.  An oasis was the ultimate discovery for a Desert Chieftain -- the pot at the end of the rainbow.

Most people worship science to one degree or other.  If you want your advertisement to stand out over the competition you just add the words, “scientifically proven,” to your products list of benefits.  Many people think science can find any answer to any question—just by doing enough science.  It is true that enough scientific investigation will always lead to some discovery of one kind or another.  It is false that science investigation always leads to the answer scientists are searching for.  Many times, doing science leads to answers to questions not even been asked.

Take the microwave oven.  Most households have at least one.  They are marvelous inventions for the family on the go.  The can almost instantly heat coffee or give you a T.V. dinner in a few minutes.  The guy that set out to invent the microwave was indeed a genius . . . but he didn’t set out to invent the microwave.  Percy Spencer was an ex-Navy veteran that had taken a job with a large defense contractor named, Raytheon.  He was trying to develop better energy systems for radar equipment.  In the course of working on one of his projects, he noticed the chocolate bar in his pants pocket was melting.  Eureka:  the microwave was born . . . in an engineer’s pants!

Or, consider Velcro—the magical hook and loop fastening system finding its first major application in the NASA space program.  Actually, it was discovered with the help of a dog.  In 1941, Swiss engineer, Georges de Mestral was out hunting with his dog.  Returning home he noticed burrs (stickers in W.Va.) clinging to his to his dog's fur. Being a curious man, he inspected the little vagabonds from the woods, and found that the burr's hooks would cling to anything loop-shaped.   With a little effort involving “velvet” and “crochet,” Velcro was born.  In the 1960s was NASA. They used the material in flight suits and to help secure items in zero gravity.

Of course, the serendipitous (a matter of luck and chance) discovery of all time happened when a Scottish biologist, Alexander Fleming, took an August vacation in 1928 from his day-to-day work in the lab investigating bacteria commonly referred to as, “staph.”  Upon returning to his lab he noticed his petri dishes containing bacteria cultures had grown a funky green fungus.  The Fungus had killed the bacteria on the dish.  It was penicillin.  As the saying goes, “the rest is history.”

All of these great discoveries in science happened when the scientists were engaged in looking for something else.  This is so often the case in regard to great and wonderful discoveries—they happen when we are engaged in completely different activities.  A common proverb states, “Good things come to those who wait.”  A better version of that proverb is offered by Thomas Edison.  the precocious inventor, once said, “Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”  Doing nothing will never lead to gaining anything.  The Bible puts a high value on being “industrious.”  Proverbs 30 gives several examples of the “blessing of being about business,” such as the industrious little ant.

Today, we are going to see how this principle plays out in the Bible—making a great discovery while engaged in what seems to be a fairly commonplace activity.  Humble service leads to glorious blessings.

And who found the oasis?  Not the mighty valiant Chieftains of Seir who rode off searching for fame and fortune.  NO . . . the great discovery of a life-giving spring in the desert came to the humble servant, "chasing his fathers donkeys."

Medicinal springs such as Anah found still exist in the area near the Dead Sea and throughout the region.  Wherever such springs are found, they are highly prized by Desert People for their life-giving medicinal purposes.  Around such "springs in the desert" sprouted thriving towns full of "pride and pomp". (Speakers Bible, 129)

Anah's life, like that of Jesus, vividly illustrates Christian servanthood.  Anah's experience chasing donkeys parallels the Christian experience of servanthood.  Abundant blessings bubble up from the well-spring of servanthood.

           

Now let us summarize this “Donkey’s Tale.”  This text illustrates in the Old Testament what Jesus modeled in the New Testament :  (1) God’s blessings involve making GOOD DECISIONS.  To do one thing, is to not do others.  Jesus said, “I always do what pleases my Father” (Jn. 8:29)—Anah pleased his father.  (2) Also,  we have seen that great blessings often involve UNFLATTERING DUTIES, not at all what would be expected for a tribal chieftan like Anah, or the Son of God, Jesus.  Blessing requires sacrifice--an unselfish giving of oneself. Pride kills servanthood and squanders blessings.  (3)  Finally we learn, that in the course of faithful service and attention to duty, one can expect to make a GLORIOUS DISCOVERIES.  Such a wonderful discovery would have been missed apart from Anah's faithful attention to service and duty.

ThankFULLness

November 19, 2017                                NOTES NOT EDITED
ThankFULLness

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon-in-a-Sentence:  A relationship with Jesus fills our heart up to overflowing and we cannot help but be thankful.

Life can be quite difficult at times.  In difficult times of challenge or tragedy, it is harder to be grateful to God.  When life has taken so much from you, it is hard to feel full to overflowing.

I think of a story I heard about two children who were playing in the country.  It was a beautiful day and they were having fun just running and rolling through pasture fields of thick soft grass.  Unknowingly, they had wandered into a farmer’s pasture where he kept his prize bull.  One of the boys spotted the menacing-looking creature and yelled to his friend. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The bull snorted and stormed toward them, following in hot pursuit.  The boys soon realized they were not going to be able to outrun the bull and reach the safety of the fence.  Terrified, the one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!" // John answered, "I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life." // John’s friend protested saying,  "But your daddy was a preacher – surely he taught you some sort of prayer! So pray John, pray! The bull is catching up to us." // "All right," panted John, "I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one I hear all the time as we sit around the table.” Still running at a full speed, John began to pray, ‘O Lord, may we be truly thankful for what we are about to receive.’”

There are many times in life it is quite a challenge and takes a strong measure of true devotion to be “thankful.” Often we don’t feel thankful. We feel worried.  Many times in life it feels like the bulls are catching up with us.  Rather than feeling “filled up to overflowing, we feel drained and empty.”

We’ve become accustomed to thanking God for what we have. It doesn’t always occur to us that we should thank God for what, “we do not have.”  Sometimes, what we “do not have,” helps us appreciate even more what we do have. 

Consider a family that I read about this week.  They are a large family-nine in all.  They live in a small rented house.  Mom works overtime in the home just to care for seven children.  Dad takes as much overtime as possible, and does odd jobs on the side just to keep food on the table and clothes on their backs.  One day, feeling overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, the man went to see his pastor.  The pastor listened to the man’s story and felt compassion for him.  The pastor said to the man, “Get a goat, and move him into the house.”  The man, was shocked by the advice, considering nine of them were already squeezed into the tiny rental home.  But, feeling overwhelmed by life and stuck in a negative rut of deep depression, the man “got a goat.”  The goat was smelly and had a bad disposition.  In just a week the children were terrified and the home was turned upside down by the smelly goat with a bad disposition.  The man went back to see the pastor and told him how bad the situation was at home with the goat.  The pastor said, “Get rid of the goat.”  The man felt relieved.  Immediately upon arriving home, he gathered up the goat and returned it to the farm where he found it.  A week later at church, the man spoke with the pastor.  His face was glowing.  He seemed full of joy and did not seem to have a care in the world.  He said to the pastor, “"Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat--only the nine of us."

Sometimes, we need to realize that thankfulness also includes what we do not have. Another way of saying it is this:  sometimes we can be more thankful for the sheep we have when we don’t have a goat!

Today, we meet Ten Lepers.  All ten had something very special to be thankful for, but only one recognized the great blessing he received and was truly thankful.  All ten received the same great blessing, but nine went away empty—only one went away FULL—thank. . .FULL!

A relationship with Jesus fills our heart up to overflowing and we cannot help but be thankful.  Let’s read about ThankFULLness.

LUKE 17:11-19

There are three aspects to this story that show us how, and why, we should always feel “filled up to overflowing in our life”—we should be truly, “Thank . . . FULL!”
1.  Consider the Gravity of Their Ingratitude

¹¹ While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between  Samaria and Galilee.  ¹² As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 

The level of one’s ingratitude is directly proportional to the blessing they received.  If someone opens the door for us because we have an armful of groceries and perhaps a toddler or two in tow, we should say, “Thank You!”  This act of kindness may not be earthshaking, but it certainly demands a gracious response.

If a person is rushed to the hospital, their heart about to take its last beat, and the emergency room personnel and cardiac surgeon jump into action and save your life, that certainly warrants a “Thank You!”  It is no small thing to save a life.

Take a moment to reflect on our text here in Luke 17, especially verse 12 and the three words, deka leproi andres­—ten leprous men.  It is hard for us to understand the horror of being labeled, a leper.  The closest we can come, perhaps, in this modern day is to hear our doctor say, “you have cancer.”  Only a few years ago, the diagnosis of “cancer” was nearly always a “death sentence.”  We’ve made great strides in medicine, but that word still instills fear in patients.

Leprosy, particularly that these men suffered from, was hideous.  It is the equivalent of the popular science fiction character, a zombie.  Lepers were the “literal walking dead of the ancient world.”  One traveler to this described meeting a group of lepers.

“Sauntering down the Jaffa road,” says Dr. Thomson, “on my approach to the holy city, in a kind of dreamy maze, with, as I remember, scarcely one distinct idea in my head, I was startled out of my reverie by the sudden apparition of a crowd of beggars, without eyes, nose, hair. They held up to me their handless arms, unearthly sounds gurgled through throats without palates; in a word, I was horrified.” (P/C).

Multiply that miserable scene by infinity and you can begin, perhaps, to grasp the desperate situation of our sin from which the Lord rescued us.  Therefore, the gravity of our ingratitude to God for our salvation is infinitely more grievious and contemptible than that of the Nine lepers.  When we simply take what God offered in our glorious salvation and go our own way, we are many more times despicable than these Lepers who marched along their own way after taking the healing they had received at the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ.

While, it may be no legal requirement to say, “Thank You,” for someone opening the door for you, or no social compulsion to say, “Thank You” to a doctor or nurse that gives you life-giving care, there is something extremely “grave, to the level of depravity” to be given the gift of salvation, and treat it with such disdain as to be contempt.

Notice in verse 16 the Word emphasizes the nationality of the the one returning to give thanks: ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

This means that the other nine were “of God’s chosen people--Jews.”  Jews despised Samaritans as foreign idol worshippers.  It would have been a grave matter for the hated Samaritan, and outcast not only by disease but by national designation, to treat the gift from Jesus, the Jew, with contempt.  It is infinitely more grave that the Nine Jewish lepers treated the gift from Jesus, the Jew, with contempt.

In Shakespeare’s play by the same name, King Lear at one point bestows the great gift of his kingdom upon two of his daughters who had showered the king with flattery.  The king only asked to be afforded honor in the kingdom and the maintenance of a small military contingent.  After receiving  this great gift, the daughters treated the king with contempt, even threatening his life.  King Lear responds to this contempt of such a great gift by saying:

“Sharper than a serpent’s tongue is a thankless child.”

How it must grieve God to have so many ungrateful children.  The gravity of one’s ingratitude is directly proportional to the gift one received.  The lepers literally received their lives back.  They were drawn out of the community of the “walking dead” and given place again among the living—yet, they felt no gratitude.

How much more grievous and grave is it that so many people sitting in pews around this nation who have received eternal life, but treat that gift with such apathy and contempt.  This is the gravity of ingratitude.

2.  Consider, also the Impotency of Their Religion

Impotence means, “powerless,” and that is what religion is: powerless.  Look at verse 14:

¹⁴ When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And while they were going, they were healed.

There’s an old story many of us read in elementary school called, “The Prince and the Pauper.”  Mark Twain spins this tale of a poverty-stricken, abused young man living a horrible life in London where he is abused by a wicked uncle, and the Prince of Wales, Edward IV.  These two young men are identical in appearance and the Prince (one day, king) through a chance meeting decides to change places with the impoverished, abused look-a-like.  Though a King, dressed in the rags of a pauper, nobody recognizes the Prince.  He is likewise abused by the wicked uncle and shunned by those he would meet.  All the while, being a king, nobody who met him treated him as a king—for he was dressed in the common, soiled rags of a pauper.
People met the king and treated him like a pauper.

The Nine Ungrateful Lepers are like those who met the Prince (soon to become king) but did not recognize him as such.  So many people meet Jesus, but go away unchanged.  The Nine Ungrateful Lepers were healed by Jesus, but not changed. 

Notice the phrase in verse 14, “And while they were going, they were healed.”  The Lepers’ healings had nothing whatsoever to do with the priests—the religious leaders of the day.

The custom in ancient Judaism in regard to leprosy, or any skin condition which might be contagious, was to have their condition “evaluated” by the priest, and any healing verified by the same.

The priests did not heal the lepers, but simply certified that they were healed, and thus, no longer a threat to society.  It is like the popular T.V. commercials for LifeLock Credit Protection, that distinquishes “credit monitors” from “credit protectors.”

VIDEO

That’s how religion works:  it may “monitor” your situation, but it cannot fix anything. 

There is no shortage of “religion” in America.  Quantifying churches in America is not as easy as it might seem.  For example, there are more Southern Baptist churches than Catholic churches, but there are more Catholics than Southern Baptists.  But, all that aside, there are a LOT of churches in America!  Depending on what numbers you use there are upwards of 384,000 Christian churches, with another 100,000 plus non-Christian churches.  There are well over 500,000 churches in America.  Let me put that into some perspective.  There are only about 14,000 McDonalds in America—but, most people have no problem finding a place to get a Happy Meal!

The problem in America is not “too little religion.”  The problem in America is TOO MUCH RELIGION!  There is absolutely no problem for anybody finding a church in America of some kind.

Let me state the matter again:  “The problem in America is not TOO LITTLE religion, but TOO MUCH RELIGION.”  Religion is absolutely powerless to transform a person’s life.  Religion is like a “rocking chair”—it will give you something to do, but it won’t take you anywhere!

The priests had no power to heal anybody of anything.

I don’t think I can state the matter strong enough:  religion (I’m talking about apart from a relationship with Christ), is BAD!  Without any doubt in my mind I would say that religion will be responsible for more people in hell than atheism—by far!

Just last week, when I was outlining the decline of morality in America, I shared this verse with you—it’s been a week, so let me refresh your memory(2Tim. 3:5):

⁵ holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. 

Religion is impotent because it has a “program but no power.”  The power of Christianity is a relationship with the Crucified Christ.  Paul said,  ¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

There’s an old gospel song by Lanny Wolfe that laments, “I’m so tired of being stirred but not being changed.”  This applies to those Nine Ungrateful Lepers to be sure.  There life had been significantly touched by the mercy of God for which they prayed . . . , but, their hearts had not been saved. 

Religion may give you emotional moments of spiritual awareness of God, but religion, alone, will always leave you short of becoming “whole.”  That’s the Impotency of Religion.

3.  Consider the Supremacy of Grace

¹⁸ Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”

All Ten Lepers had been “touched by God’s mercy” but only One had been “transformed by God’s grace.”

Every person on this earth that is living, has ever lived, or will every live deserves nothing but the unbridled wrath of God—immediate and consummate.  But, God delays His wrath remembering His mercy.  Habakkuk once prayed:

^3:2 Lord, I have heard the report about You; Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; make it known in these years. In Your wrath remember mercy!

In His mercy God is offering mankind—you and I—His grace.  His Amazing Grace.  He is offering grace now . . . but not forever.

Often biblical scholars will talk about the great sacrifice of Jesus that made salvation “free.”  Indeed, that is a great miracle—the greatest miracle of all.  But, another great miracle, in many ways as incomprehensible as Jesus making salvation “free” is that the church has made it cheap!  We’ve offered people a steady diet of froth and crème, when what they need is the meat of God’s Word.

We’ve offered them motivational speeches when what they need is gospel-powered sermons.  We’ve offered people entertainment in the guise of worship when what they need is engagement with the Creator of the World.  We’ve offered broken souls psychological bandaids  when what they desperately need is a prophetic soul transplant. 

We’ve allowed people to come to our churches and leave without ever encountering Jesus and being made whole, not just happy.

This is what the Nine Ungrateful Lepers did—they made the grace of God “cheap.”  They walked on holy ground never removing the shoes of self-righteousness religion.  They met Jesus, partook of His grace, and went their way without even acknowledging Jesus.  They were touched by mercy but not transformed by grace.

What religion is powerless to do—grace has done.  Jesus said, “Go, you have been made WHOLE. 

In this season of the year when we think of Thankfulness, we need to think of these Ten Lepers—Nine who were only touched, and One who was transformed.  Nine who left ThankLESS—One who returned ThankFULL. 

In this story we witness the Gravity of Ingratitude.  We come to understand the Impotency of Religion.  Finally, we have witnessed the Supremacy of Grace.  There is no excuse for any of us to leave here not “filled up to overflowing with gratitude to God for what He has done for us.”  Not just thankful, but thankFULL.

Jesus said, “I have come to give you life, and that life filled up to overflowing” (John 10:10). 

The Ungrateful Nine Lepers had the chance to be “whole” and the settled for being “healed.”  They had a chance to establish a relationship with Jesus, but they settled for earthly happiness instead of eternal bliss.  So many people live life and never experience “wholeness.”

A group of businessmen were meeting for a community breakfast, and the discussion at one table turned to retirement.  These were all fairly successful businessmen, but many of them hated their daily lives.  One man spoke up:  “I can’t wait for retirement.”  Another man said, “Why? What are you going to do when you retire?”  The first man replied, “I’m going to lay on the couch and watch T.V. all day.”  The other man spoke with a note of urgency in his voice.  “Oh, you don’t want to do that.  If you do that, you will be dead in a year!”  The first man seemed puzzled and asked, “Why do you say that?”  His friend answered, “Because, if the lack of purpose in life does not kill you . . . your wife certainly will!”

Ungratefulness leads to dissatisfaction and a sense of purposelessness in life.  Nothing is ever enough.  Nothing has true meaning. The Nine Ungrateful Lepers were satisfied for the moment, but will be disappointed for eternity because they wanted what God could do, but wanted nothing to do with God.

Gratitude, especially gratitude to God for His glorious salvation, will lead to a “life that is overflowing with thankfulness.”  Not just thankfulness, but thank FULLness!