ODJ: unclean, ungrateful, unusual
May 10, 2010
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” (v15).
READ: Luke 17:11-19
The husband and wife were desperate. Their only son had been in a coma for 2 months. The doctors weren’t sure what was slowly taking his life. Their brother-in-law, a believer in Jesus, brought them to his home church. The distressed couple heard the message of salvation and professed their belief in Jesus. They then asked the church to pray for the healing of their son. Much to the amazement of the doctors, the deathly sick young man’s condition began to improve. Two weeks later, he was discharged from the hospital. But soon after, the couple stopped going to church.
There were once some men afflicted with leprosy who failed to follow God after being healed by Jesus. If infectious, lepers had to be quarantined from the community (Leviticus 13:45-46). Ceremonially unclean and socially despised, 10 lepers were helpless and hopeless until they saw Jesus. They cried out, “Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:12).
Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:14; see Leviticus 13:9-10), in itself an act of faith, for they had not yet been healed. “And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy” (Luke 17:14). Their obedience was evidence of their faith.
It would not be unreasonable to expect all 10 men to run to Jesus to thank Him for a new start in life. But only one did (Luke 17:17), and he was a foreigner, a Samaritan (vv.16,18). All the men had faith, but only one had faith and gratitude. Gratitude is even more rare than faith. Often, we’re quick to pray but slow to praise. We enjoy the gift, but soon forget the Giver. All the lepers received the gift of good health, but only one received the gift of eternal life (v.19).
Physical healing is a great blessing, but it still ends at death. The blessing of salvation lasts forever. —K.T. Sim
There were 10 unclean men—nine who were ungrateful and one who had faith and gratitude. What about you? How can you be more faithful and grateful today?
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