The One Who Thanked Jesus

And as He went to Jerusalem, it just so happened that He went through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, ten lepers met Him, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, pity us.” And seeing them, He said to them,”Go show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened, as they went, that they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and glorified God with a loud voice. And he fell down on his face at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan. And answering, Jesus said. “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were none found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him,”Rise and go, your faith has cured you.”

Luke 17:11-19

This story is quite simple to understand….  As Jesus was passing between Galilee and Samaria, He saw ten lepers coming toward Him.  They were begging Him for mercy and healing.  So Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests (which was a prerequisite to be declared clean and free from leprosy).  And, as the ten of them ran off, they were healed!  But, can you believe out of the ten, only one—a Samaritan—came back and praised Him.

{Aren’t we guilty of this?}  God blesses us a thousand times and we forget to thank Him and we find something to complain about.  Something He didn’t get quite right and we want a do-over.  Friend, until we begin to thank Him and praise Him, even in the hard times, we will never be fully filled with joy. Praising and thanking Him  and naming each gift reminds us of how much He has blessed us and how much He loves us…and that we serve a good God Who can only give good things.  It may not look good on the outside, but there is good to come of it or from it.  If we let Him in and allow Him to work in those times, He will  make it all worth the ride.

In the story of these lepers, we see that Jesus healed each one physically.  But the one leper that came back actually received far more for his faith; for not only was he cured physically—he was cured spiritually.  His soul was saved and he received a real relationship with God.  Nine lepers received a partial healing.  A temporary blessing for their time on earth.  The grateful Samaritan received an eternal blessing.  All he did was give thanks—he praised Him for the healing.  See, they all had the faith to trust Jesus, come close to Him, be heard by Him, and ask for His mercy. But only one had the humility and the honesty and character to say, “Thank You.”

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Who are you today?  Are you one of the nine…who has just enough faith to ask something of the Father and take it for granted?  Are you one of the nine…who really didn’t care about a real relationship with Jesus, and left right after the blessing?  Or are you the Samaritan…who not only had enough faith to ask for complete healing, but returns time and time again to the One Who wants so much more for us and longs for a real relationship with us.

Friends, I pray that you begin to really thank Him for what He has done for you.  All the small ways that He loves you.  And yes, of course the biggest way—when He sent Jesus to come and go before us.  And then to pay the ultimate sacrifice with His life so that we may live.  He continues to give us grace and mercy even when we fail Him over and over again.

Do you know Him?  Today can be the day that everything changes.  Your life can truly be one of joy and blessings.  All you have to do is ask.  I encourage you to pray this prayer with me.

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Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I need You to come into my life and change me.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and He died on the cross to pay for my sins.  Thank You for this free gift. Help me on this journey to seek You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.