One thing that a good parent will teach their children early on is to say “Thank you” to others when they receive something, or if something nice or an act of kindness is done for them. When they are young, the parent will prompt them, telling them, “Say thank you” until it is a habit that becomes ingrained in them. Yet, we still see so many people, both young and old, who never say thank you to anyone for anything. Are they ungrateful? Do they have such a sense of entitlement that they feel that everything is owed to them, nothing should be withheld from them? Or were they just never taught proper manners? In today’s Scripture from the Gospel of Luke, we read of ten men who were given a most special gift, and what their reactions were.
As we begin our Scripture, Jesus was traveling from the region of Galilee in the north down to Jerusalem in the south. To get there He needed to pass through the area of Samaria. A good ways off of the road was a group of ten lepers. Nine were Jewish men, and one was a Samaritan man. Due to the uncleanness of the disease, and how contagious it was, the Law said they had to keep away from the community. As they saw that Jesus was passing by, the group called out to Him to have mercy on them (vs. 11-13). They wanted to be healed. They wanted to return to their family, their loved ones and friends, and to the community. Being banished from one’s family, even if one was in a leper group as these were, was not pleasant.
Throughout the Bible leprosy was also a picture of sin. Sin, like leprosy, is corrupting. Like the disease, it is isolating, and sin is also incurable by man. These men, like all lepers needed to be, were physically separated from others, just as sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). These men knew that they were lepers, which is why they asked for healing. We must recognize our spiritual uncleanness before we can receive cleansing and forgiveness. Just as these men called out to Jesus for His mercy, true salvation begins with a cry for God’s mercy (Romans 10:13).
Jesus immediately responded to these men’s cries, and He told them to go to the priests to show them they had been cured of their disease (vs. 14). This was in accordance with the Levitical law (Leviticus 14:2-3), which required a priest to verify healing. Their healing came to them after they obeyed Jesus and started to go on their way. Their healing took an act of faith. They could have looked down at themselves and seen that they weren’t healed yet, and decided not to go until they were healed. However, they set forth to go to the priest, demonstrating an act of faith, and their healing came. Faith obeys even when the outcome isn’t visible yet (Hebrews 11:1).
As we continue reading that when one of the ten men saw that he was healed, he turned around and went back to Jesus to thank Him (vs 15-16). Only one returned to thank Jesus, and this one was a Samaritan, one who was despised by the Jews, a foreigner. This man had a grateful heart. Jesus had just healed him, given him his life back. He would now be able to return home to his family, and he was overwhelmed with gratitude to Jesus for what He had done for him. Gratitude is the mark of a heart truly touched by grace.
Jesus then asked where the other nine men were. They, too, had been cleansed and healed. Couldn’t they have been bothered to give thanks? However, only one came back to thank God, and he was a “stranger”, a Samaritan, a foreigner (vs. 17-18). Jesus deserved their thankfulness. He deserves our thankfulness, as well. The nine others received physical healing, but they missed the spiritual fellowship. It was only the Samaritan who glorified God. Many receive blessings from God, but they fail to worship the Giver. Ingratitude or being unthankful is a spiritual blindness that robs God of glory.
The Lord Jesus then told this man to go on his way, as his faith made him whole (vs. 19). The Greek word used here for “whole” is “sozo”, which means to bring spiritual salvation. This man received more than just physical healing. He also received eternal life. That was something that the others missed out on then, as they had no gratitude to God.
How thankful are we, whether to others or to God, for what we receive? Being thankful for our many blessings should be a daily practice. The nine who showed no gratitude missed out on the Lord’s blessing and salvation. All of them were healed physically, but only the one who came back to give thanks to Jesus was made spiritually whole. Let’s remember to always give thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for us, and not be like the nine who forgot.
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