“Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (Now he was a Samaritan.) Then Jesus said, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to the man, ‘Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.’” —Luke 17:15–19
All ten lepers were healed yet only the foreigner returns to Jesus with thanksgiving on his lips. God loves it when we take time to thank Him for His blessings. Being appreciative of all His hand has bestowed should come as naturally to us as breathing yet, unfortunately, we often woefully fall short in the arena of gratitude. The cleansed Samaritan in our verses for today humbly throws himself at the feet of Jesus, thanking Him for the cleansing. I am reminded of King David’s prayer of humble thankfulness to God over all God’s blessings upon his life.
“King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, ‘Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point? And you didn’t stop there, O LORD God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. Is this your usual way of dealing with men, O Sovereign LORD? What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition, O Sovereign LORD! For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant. Therefore you are great, O Sovereign LORD, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true!’” —2 Samuel 7:18–22
Paul tells us:
“Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” —Colossians 3:17
All ten lepers were healed, yet only the foreigner distinguished himself with his humble gratitude over the mercy of Jesus. In our verses for today, the nine Jews, though healed physically, missed being healed spiritually. Apart from Jesus, we have nothing within us to remedy our spiritual condition.
Become More
“When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.” —Charles Spurgeon
Further Reflections
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie
“Ungrateful people live under the deception that they are always entitled to more.” —Wayne Cordeiro