Sep 19 2008
Only Ten Percent Took the Time to Thank Him
SURVEY
En route to Jerusalem, Jesus encounters ten lepers who call out to Him for mercy and healing. Instantly all ten were cleansed and leave to show themselves to the temple priests as instructed by the Levitical law for ceremonial cleansing. Soon however, one of the ten, a Samaritan returned, fell at the feet of the Savior and began worshipping and thanking Him.
● Jesus, regarding the thankless nine: “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”
● Jesus, regarding the thankful one: “Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.”
SIGNIFICANCE
● This miracle regards the greatest number of specific (ten) healings than any other as performed by Jesus.
● It is the only miracle involving a Samaritan.
SPIRITUAL TRUTHS
● This is the second of three miracles demonstrating the tragic fact that the one (or ones) experiencing physical salvation did not apparently experience spiritual salvation. These three cases are:
1. The cripple by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-16)—“Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath … Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:8-9, 14).
2. The nine lepers here in Luke 17.
3. The servant of the high priest whose name was Malchus (John 18:10)—There is no evidence that he accepted Christ after having his severed ear restored.
● The great sin of the nine lepers was that of thanklessness. In some ways this is the ultimate sin, and goes along with pride and self-will, the root of all other sins. Paul says that this transgression in the ancient world caused all mankind to turn from God.
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:21-23).
● In essence, the cure for and solution to pride does not involve pious attempts to practice humility, but rather simply to be thankful. A thankful person is, by definition, a humble person! As someone has observed:
Be careful for nothing,
Be prayerful in everything,
Be thankful for anything!
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