Thank You, Jesus
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? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:15–19)
–Charles Jefferson
All ten lepers were healed yet only the foreigner returns to Jesus with thanksgiving on his lips. Perhaps nothing floats God’s boat like gratitude. Being appreciative for 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. It is no wonder David is described as a “man after God’s own heart”:
–Charles Spurgeon
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD? What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.” (2 Samuel 7:18–22)
Paul tells us:
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)
A good Psalm for us to dwell on regarding this subject is found in Psalm 100:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4–5)
“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)
–Wayne Cordeiro
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Colossians 3:15–17)
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.
Take It to Heart
“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)