Voted Least Likely to…

Posted by judithirvine on Apr 30, 2009 in Daily Bread | 6 comments

Sometimes I get asked to write recommendations for students – for jobs, scholarships, that sort of thing. I usually say, “Let me know how it turns out.” Fair enough, right? However, of all the students I’ve written recommendations for, I’ve only heard back from two: I got a really nice e-mail from one, and the other sent me a note with a Starbucks gift card. Ahhh, nothing like a steaming cup of Café Verona – but I digress.

One of the things I like about the bible is the unexpectedness of the stories. They never seem to turn out in the way I would anticipate or in the way I would have written them. Since healing someone of leprosy is just a little different from writing a recommendation, I’d expect Jesus to hear back from a larger percentage than I do, but I’d be wrong. Strike one. Only one guy comes back, and the bible sticks in this afterthought: “and he was a Samaritan.” Again, my expectations of people are foiled: Strike two. Here is someone who might be voted the person least likely to return and thank Jesus, yet here he is, nose to the ground. That’s a big move for a Samaritan to make toward a Jew, especially since this Samaritan did it alone-without the “group dynamic” of the other nine.

Sometimes I try to “read” and predict how people will respond, but this verse reminds me that people aren’t predictable, and sometimes the least likely candidate is the best responder. (It’s that pesky “free will” thing.) But what if I were one of the ten who were healed? Would I be the one to return? What does “grateful” look like for me? I’m afraid that my gratefulness often takes the form of a mental nod to God. “Great, I’ll check that prayer request off the list, thanks!” Too rarely does it cause me to turn aside from my activities and spend time in a posture of thankfulness. Today, I want to be as thankful as that Samaritan.