In Luke 17, Jesus heals 10 lepers simultaneously.
He commands the men to go show themselves to the priests, they do, and then they’re healed. Its an incredible, completely life-altering occasion for these men. And yet only one returns to thank Jesus for this gift of restored life and healing.
Just one.
As the Bible records, “When he saw he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus replied, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” -vs. 15-17
Although the 9 other lepers had received back their physical life, because of their lack of gratefulness they didn’t receive the second, more important gift Jesus had in store for them. To the lone, grateful Samaritan, Jesus said,
“Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
More important than his physical healing, this man received spiritual healing that day. Why? Because he honored the Giver by thanking him for the gift.
It’s clear from Jesus’ response in this passage that gratefulness and praise is the only proper response to his grace and kindness. Yet how many of his blessings go un-thanked because we are caught up in the rapture and beauty of the gift itself-and not the giver? Too many.
I know I am guilty of this.
Thats why this morning I wrote out 47 things I was grateful to God for. As James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
I think we can sometimes get trapped into a works-based mentality, where we feel that we need to “pay God back” for all his grace by doing works of service or memorizing a ton of scripture or going on mission trips to Haiti. But that’s not what Jesus desired from the lepers that he healed.
All he desired was that they’d be grateful.
And thats what he desires from us too.
So thank him. Thank Him for the many blessings in your life. Thank Him for his salvation, and his kindness and his grace. Thank him like the one leper in Luke who received the greater gift of spiritual healing because of his thankfulness.
Here’s my little list of what I’m grateful for today.
