LUKE 17: 12-19

Our text today is the familiar story of the ten lepers in a certain village as Jesus went to Jerusalem. Lepers, in those days were called “the walking dead,” as they were kicked out of their homes, classrooms, villages, churches and forced to live in colonies with other lepers, because their disease was easily passed on to others. The Levitical law commanded them to stay at least one hundred feet from other people. They lifted their voices and cried unto Jesus and said “Master, have mercy on us”. Jesus told them “Go show yourselves to unto the Priests”. Luke 17 verse 15 tells us that “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”. Jesus was surprised and asked in verse 17 “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Jesus was saying, that to fall at His feet was to give praise to God; and that, it is not weakness to fall at His feet. It is faith through humility; faith to enable God to work through us. Expressing genuine gratitude to God is to praise God, and enable Him to work in our lives. This thankful Samaritan was not only healed, but saved as well All the ten lepers showed faith by asking Christ for healing, however only one was given eternal life because he glorified God. Ten lepers were cleansed or healed, but only one became “whole.” Nine of them received a small portion of the blessings they could have had; but only one received full salvation. Nine of the men were content to receive the blessing of God, but only one returned to the source of that blessing; he returned to the one with the power. Brothers and sisters in Christ, many of us enjoy the blessings of God, but never once stop to say thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5: 18 admonishes us to “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The other nine lepers were obviously thankful about being cleansed, but only one of them returned to thank Jesus. There is a great difference between simply “feeling” gratitude, and “expressing” gratitude; and we are instructed not just to thank God for the good things in life, but thank Him in everything. Beloved, even when we are going through a period of pain or tribulations which we sometimes do, we are instructed to find things about our situation to thank God for, and it is by this gratitude, we will find answers to our prayers. PRAISE THE LORD.