Jesus had passed through Galilee into Samaria, making His way toward Jerusalem and the Cross (Luke 9:51; 13:22; 17:11). Coming to a small village, He encountered a group of lepers—nine Jews and a Samaritan—who, keeping their distance, tried to call Him. "Go, show yourselves to the priests," Jesus said. He didn't heal them on the spot but gave them an assignment to go to the priests in Jerusalem who were designated as the only ones who could pronounce them cured (see Leviticus 13-14). The ten started off by faith. As they walked along, they noticed their skin was clearing up. They were being healed. That's when the Samaritan stopped and said, "I'm going back to thank Him."
Have you noticed there were two thankful people in this story? The leper and the Lord. The Lord Jesus was thankful for thankfulness. Being the God-Man, He both receives and renders thanksgiving. Thankfulness is simply an element of Christlikeness. When we're thankful, we're modeling the Master.
The Lord's response to this leper is two-fold. While appreciating the thanksgiving of the one man, He noted the ingratitude of the nine. We must consciously watch ourselves that we don't fall into the 90% who never pause to regularly say, "Thank you," to GOD. Thanksgiving, after all, is a command, and Jesus always notes disobedience. Thanksgiving, remember, is therapeutic. It lifts the soul. If you want to enroll in Thanksgiving University where the Master Teacher tutors us in Gratitude 101, begin intentionally thanking God and others for the blessings surrounding you.
A sense of our spiritual leprosy should make us very humble whenever we draw near to Christ. We may look for GOD to meet us with mercy, when we are found in the way of obedience. The others only got the outward cure, he alone got the spiritual blessing.
Question: Who am I?
Answer: I am the one leper.
This week meditate on…
“I am the one leper.”
Jason Cicero
