The Heart of The Leper

11 On the way to Jerusalem He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” ~ Luke 17:11-19

When the Lepers saw Jesus coming, they stood at a distance, as per the law, and cried out to Him. Lepers had to separate themselves to avoid infecting others with the incurable disease of leprosy. In His great compassion, Jesus healed the ten lepers and sent them to the priests so that they could be pronounced clean by them and they would be accepted back into society and return to their families and to their homes.

This was not arbitrary. It was as per the Law of Moses (Leviticus 13:2–14:32). When they heard Jesus’ instructions to them, they all took off running to find the priests. On the way to the priests, the Scripture tells us that the lepers were all cleansed. Meaning that they were all healed of their leprosy.

But one of them, when he saw that he was cleansed, he stopped running, and being overwhelmed with gratefulness and thankfulness, he turned around and ran back to Jesus to say, “Thank You.” Thank you so much, LORD Jesus. His parents raised him well. Raised him with manners. Raised him to have a grateful heart and not take blessings for granted.

Now, let’s think about this for a moment. The Scripture said as they were going to show themselves, they, meaning all ten of them, were all cleansed. That means that they all acted in faith, but it was only one, after seeing that he was cleansed, turned back to say thank you. When you have an ungrateful heart, you don’t see the good that is done to you or the good that’s done for you. It just doesn’t register. It’s all about you and what you want or what you have. You feel like it’s your right. You deserve it. You are entitled to it! Whatever it is.

It’s easy to look at these nine men who didn’t return to Jesus and criticize them, but how many of us take the time out of our day to thank God for His many blessings, mercies, grace, and love? It’s easy to judge others and say what you would’ve done differently when you’re not in that situation, but it’s much harder to pronounce judgment when you look at yourself honestly, without excuse.

Dear LORD, help me to look at myself through the lens of honesty. Please forgive me for all the times I have been ungrateful. Thank You, LORD, for every good and perfect give You have given me. Thank You for every little and great blessing You have poured down upon me. Please soften my heart and humble me, that I might have a thankful and grateful heart and always hold myself to a higher standard than I hold others. Thank You for Your steadfast love and mercy that renews each morning. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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