A HEART OF GRATITUDE

With our thoughts still on the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I couldn’t help but be reminded of an incident in the life of Christ involving gratitude or the lack thereof. While on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus entered a village where He encountered ten lepers (Luke 17:11-12). The following verse tells us they sought the Lord’s mercy, saying to Him “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” From verse fourteen, we learn that Jesus told the lepers to “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” which is in keeping with the law found in Leviticus 14. They did what Jesus instructed them, showing their faith, and at some point on their journey they were healed.

One of the men, a Samaritan (whom Jews didn’t have dealings with – John 4:9), upon recognition of his having been healed, “returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks” (vs. 15-16). Jesus responded by saying, “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?” (vs. 17). The Lord, in verse eighteen, finishes by telling the Samaritan, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Much could be said about these ten lepers, but I’d like us to consider just a couple. First, all ten of them exhibited faith in going to the priests as instructed. However, only one of them exhibited gratitude to the source of their healing. Because of that heart of gratitude, his faith had made him well, which could indicate that he was not only healed in body but also in spirit. And secondly, we see the ingratitude of the other nine men, a pattern that is all too common in the world, even to this day.

Though Thanksgiving Day has passed, may we remember the example exhibited by the Samaritan, showing forth a heart of gratitude to our Heavenly Father each and every day, praising Him from whom all blessings flow!