AS THEY WENT
Luke 17:12-19 NKJV
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
Two things stand out in this story of Jesus encountering the ten lepers. The first is their act of faith. The second is the gratitude of the one who returned to give thanks.
The ten men had to stand a distance from Jesus. The people with leprosy were quarantined from the rest of the population due to the contagious nature of the disease. Leprosy destroys the outward extremities, and it was common for those suffering to be missing limbs and facial features. It was a slow, horrible way to die, and add to that the isolation from loved ones and society, and it's easy to see why these men are asking for mercy.
When Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests, at face value, this appears to be an easy task. What made obeying Jesus' directive difficult for the men was the Jewish law. Only those who were cleansed from leprosy could go to the priests. The priests would then examine them for a period of time and provided they were clean, they could join society. But these ten men were not clear of leprosy when Jesus gave the command. They had a choice. They could believe what Jesus said and go to the priest, or they could wait until all of their leprosy cleared up and then go. But that's not what Jesus said. They may have battled with their thoughts and emotions, but they obeyed. These ten men took off for the priests, and as they went, they were healed. It's important to note that as they acted on what Jesus said, the results were forthcoming.
Only one returned to give thanks. I don't want to go with that ratio that only ten percent of people are grateful, but in this case, there was a top ten. Maybe because, as a Samaritan, this one man did not come under Jewish law. Or maybe he was simply a man who appreciated the freedom that Jesus just provided for him. In any case, this man knew it was God who had healed Him, and He returned to give thanks in a very expressive way. Jesus appreciated the one who came back, but He was questioning why the other nine had not returned. It's a good question that the scriptures do not answer for us.
APPLICATION
We have a tendency to make faith difficult or relegate faith to this overwhelming feeling or emotional experience. This account in Luke reveals that faith is acting on God's Word. And we can act without any positive vibes, feelings, or leadings. Giving thanks is acting on God's Word. Rejoicing before we see an answer is acting on God's Word. Making Jesus our Savior without having to see Him is acting on God's Word. And the list goes on.
We can learn from this account that giving thanks to God is always appreciated and appropriate. We can join the minority by simply remembering to give thanks for what God has done. And we can give thanks for answers we have not seen yet. Both are appropriate actions for the citizens of God's Kingdom.
PRAYER
Lord, show me where I can act on Your word today. I thank You for all You have done and for the great things You are doing!