Luke 17:11-19 “And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
As Jesus enters a certain village, ten men who are lepers cry out to Christ for healing. The Bible says that Jesus instructs these lepers to go show themselves to the priest and that as they went they were cleansed. All ten of these men were cleansed! All ten would be able to return to normal lives, their families, and society. The Bible says that one of the ten returns to give thanks to Jesus. Because of this man’s gratitude for his cleansing, the Bible says that he is also made whole! There is a great difference in being cleansed and being whole! This man got more from God due to his attitude of gratitude and his thankfulness to Jesus for what he had done in his life.
As we look at this leper who was made whole, we can see a few key attributes concerning gratitude:
1. The Posture of Gratitude-verse 16a “And fell down”
The leper that was made whole, first lowered himself in the presence of Jesus. The reason many Christians don’t experience the blessing of getting more from God is that they never get humble so that they might be made whole!
2. The Perception of Gratitude-verse 16b “on his face at his feet”
The leper that was made whole, first put himself in such a position that all he could see was Jesus! The Christian that will get more from God is one who keeps his eyes off of others and focuses firmly upon the goodness of his God!
3. The Proximity of Gratitude-verse 16c “at his feet”
At the beginning of our text these lepers are a distance from Jesus. They had to yell to catch his attention. By this point in our text, the Leper that is made whole is so close to Christ that he can touch is feet! An attitude of gratitude and praise draws us close to Him!
4. The Proclamation of Gratitude-verse 16d “giving him thanks”
The leper that got more from God was quick to say “thank you” to Jesus! Just as graciousness goes a long way with man, so it does with God. Sometimes we ought to just pause and say give Him thanks!
Justin Cooper | Pastor
Gospel Light Baptist Church | Walkertown, NC