U-Turns
Scripture link : Luke 17:11-19 CEV – Ten Men with Leprosy -On his way to – Bible Gateway
If you have ever driven at the mercy of Siri’s directions, you know that driving instructions are not always, shall we say, ideal. While driving a few years ago, we missed a right turn, and had to battle Siri’s earnest pleas for the next two blocks to “make a U turn, make a U turn”. The suggested ‘U-turn’ would have involved going over a boulevard, through a tree, and into oncoming traffic. Sometimes we need to turn around. Sometimes it’s not the safest thing to do.
But sometimes it’s both. And it’s the way we need to go.
A group of lepers with a contagious skin disease had asked Jesus to heal them. By telling them to go show themselves to the priests of that day, the men would demonstrate that they had no new skin lesions, and the ones they had were healing. This means they could possibly rejoin their families and communities and work..and resume life.
They went, following Jesus’ word.
Then, one did a U-turn. Maybe he was looking down at his hands or feet and saw lesions disappearing. We aren’t sure what made him know that he was healed.
He stopped.
He made a U-turn and went back to Jesus.
He was a Samaritan, a citizen who would have no standing in Jewish society (but in a leper colony, everyone was pretty equal). Healed, he would resume his place as someone who was despised by the Jewish people. He risked losing the approval of the priests and took the time to go back and thank Jesus.
Jesus says he’s done the right thing. This turning around, this stopping the journey and realizing the source of healing and good things to come, this thanksgiving are all marks of faith.
Sometimes we need to turn around to say thanks.
Sometimes it’s risky, maybe not the safest thing to do.
Sometimes it’s both.
This weekend, we celebrate Thanksgiving. We look around, we are grateful, we think how we can help Thanksgiving be a reality for all who need food, shelter, hope and healing.
I’d encourage us to take a moment to look back. To ask ourselves some questions:
What things on our journeys do we still need to thank God for? What has God done in the past day, week, year that we’ve taken for granted?
Where would it be risky to stop and openly give thanks and credit to God for something that’s happened in our life ?
Dear God, Thank you for the ways you work in my life. Maybe I don’t always understand what You’re doing until I’m in the middle of a miracle that You’re doing, but I know and trust that you are always working. When I do understand, when I do see what You’re doing, well, in that moment, teach me to stop and go back and say thank you. Then, may we go on together. In Jesus name, Amen.
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