In Matthew, we are told the story of one man’s faith. After healing the leper Jesus instructs him; “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (The gift of Moses refers to the Lamb of God)
In Luke we see Jesus healing ten lepers:
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
-Luke 17:11-19
Lepers were the isolated outcasts of their day. They had an ugly deadly disease that ate away at their bodies.
Note that the lepers cried out to the Lord from afar. They were not intimate with him. Nevertheless, Jesus heard their petition and asked them to take a step of faith.
They were all made clean.
I certainly believe that all ten felt the emotion of gratitude. You cannot have something like leprosy lifted without feeling great exaltation But the only one continued inaction. The only one returned to offer thanks. And the response of the Giver was, “Were not TEN cleansed? Where are the other nine?”
Thanksgiving is not a mere feeling. Real Thanksgiving is an action.