What would your response be?

Luke 17:11-19 “Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled 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.”

These nine verses of Jesus’s interaction with the ten lepers and their response or lack thereof teaches us so much. The Lord was on his way, travelling along and as he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy stood at a distance and called out to him to be healed. The lepers, outcast in their society often only had other lepers to be with, and we gather from later in the verses that it was a mixed group (Jews and Samaritans). In those times Jews and Samaritans did not mingle and yet here we see them united because of their situation, societal laws and divisions don’t seem to matter for them when they raise their voices together to Jesus for healing.

What does Jesus do? He tells them to go the priest and show themselves. The priest would have been the one to check and determine if someone is cleansed or not. Notice from the verses that they were not healed in that very moment but were healed as they went. In response to what Jesus asks them to do, they had to take a step of faith in an act of obedience.

Faith is never functional in a vacuum of words; faith is most evident in our actions. Jesus’s ask, required from them an act of obedience. And the ten lepers did not disappoint, they went to the priests and as they did, they were healed.

Self-Reflection: How often do we want instantaneous resolution to our crises, hesitating to take steps of faith that God might be asking of us. Take a pause and ask yourself if you have been hesitating to take a step of obedience in trusting God?

All the ten lepers were healed but only one comes back to Jesus with thankfulness and praise in his heart and on his lips.

Charles Spurgeon points out “While ten men prayed, only one praised.” Aren’t we all at times guilty of fervently praying and pursuing God when in need, but when all seems to be going well, our pursuit of him might not reflect the same depth with which we yearned for him when in need.

The one leper who came back to Jesus with gratitude, teaches us the value of it. His returning to thank and praise God led him to receive more.

I share a portion of commentary (By Dr. Ralph Wilson) that speaks beautifully into this.

Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.'” (17:19)

The phrase “made you well” (NIV) or “made thee whole” (KJV) is Greek sōzō, the word commonly translated “to save.” A sōtēr is a “saviour, deliverer” and the noun form sōteria is used widely of “salvation.” Sōzō in this context means “to preserve or rescue from natural dangers and afflictions, save, keep from harm, preserve, rescue,” specifically, “safe or free from disease.” This passage hints at the fact that Jesus offers this leper more than others. They received healing, but this Samaritan receives a deeper salvation in addition. His faith has prompted him to return to the feet of Jesus in thanks, and that personal contact, that personal submission signifies a soul healing that is more than skin deep.

Ephesians 3:20a says “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” That one leper who after being healed went to Jesus, received what this verse above speaks of. He called upon the Lord to be healed, obeyed and found himself healed. But his desire to go back to Jesus, the source of his healing allowed him to receive more than he asked or imagined.

This speaks about the power of turning to God with hearts of gratitude and praise.  Being grateful, always helps bring us back to the feet of Jesus. It helps us to have the right heart posture, the right perspective and keeps us humble. It fights again discontentment and the desire to compare.

And take note that Jesus noticed that the other nine did not return to him. He values our worship, our thanks and our praise. It pleases him. From Jesus’s words we also understand his utmost desire was for all of the ten men to have come back to him and receive not just physical healing but a restoration of their souls too.

Jesus work on the cross for us and within us calls for us constantly turn to him with thankful hearts and praise on our lips. How is your yearning for him?

Psalm 42:1 says “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” And Jesus said in Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

May we run to him every single day with praise and thanks, worshipping him for who he is and not just what he can do for us.  

God Bless.