Luke 17:11-17 NJKV
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
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.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Oftentimes it is the one who is new to what we have known for years who seems more grateful than us. Sometimes those of us who have been privileged to see and hear the supernatural power of God do not get as excited and are not as appreciative as those who were not blessed with the same experiences. The story of the ten lepers exhibits how this can happen. Of the ten that Jesus healed, the Samaritan was the one considered a stranger. Although he was an Israelite, he was with the group who had been separated from the few tribes called the Jews. The Jews included the tribe of Judah and this group remained faithful to keeping the traditions of the Torah. Jesus’ earthly mission was primarily to the Jews although He did reach out to the other lost sheep of Israel. So, when He healed the 10 lepers, Jesus expressed surprise that the only one who came back to give thanks was the Samaritan. The Samaritan did not just come and say a soft “Thank you.” Luke said he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and gave Him thanks. Luke said he glorified God with a loud voice. Just how grateful are we for God’s miraculous blessing toward us? Do we take it for granted because it is not new to us? I believe we should do what the Samaritan did on a continual basis – fall on our faces at His feet and shout out praise and thanksgiving for all God has done. Jesus said to the Samaritan, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Since he was already healed, this may have been an additional blessing. When we show our gratitude, we may receive additional benefits. Let us show God gratitude today for what He has done and practice how we will act when He manifests His power in our lives in the future.