One of Ten Lepers…

Just in time for Thanksgiving… a lesson about lepers. Not quite the traditional stuff of Thanksgiving, huh?

Before we get to lepers, though, let’s think about another upcoming holiday… Christmas.

Remember when you were young? You’ve eagerly anticipated Christmas morning for weeks… wondering what awaits you under the tree… wondering what kind of cool toys you’ll get this year. Christmas morning arrives, and you race downstairs, dig around under the tree, and find two presents. Carefully opening the first… you discover a package of socks. You grunt, set these aside, and tear into the second. “YES!”, you exclaim, as you jump around the room with the toy you’ve always wanted. “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!”, you exclaim to your parents over and over.

Why the difference in response?

Of course… one package was socks… the other a treasured toy. We are less thankful for one because it’s not something we’ve wanted as badly.

Now, think about the lepers in the following Scripture passage. Put yourself in their place… hopelessly outcast from their family, friends, and society… Ignored and avoided by all… accused of being in their physical condition because of a perceived spiritual problem.

Luke 17:11-19
¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

How would you respond?

Chances are, better than you did when you received socks.

Why? It’s obvious, I know, but important. Our level of thankfulness is not just dependent on the desire we have for the gift received, but also the magnitude of the need that was met by the gift.

So how did the lepers respond?

Luke 17:11-19
¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

One of ten lepers came back and gave thanks to Jesus. Counter-intuitive, huh? You’d think ALL of them would be so thankful for their healing… for the magnitude of the gift given by Jesus… that they’d all return to praise and worship Him.

But think… do we not do the same? Are we like the one leper, or the nine? Do we give adequate praise, worship, and thanks to Jesus for the gift He’s given (for our salvation)? Do we live life as if the gift of salvation were nothing more than a package of socks, or do we treasure it far above anything else?

If you’re like me, you fall short in expressing thankfulness to God. Even knowing the magnitude of the gift, so many of us just go on with our lives as the nine lepers did… oblivious to grace… oblivious to the pain Jesus endured on our behalf… oblivious to the claim He now has on our lives… oblivious to the fact that our offerings are tainted by our indifference.

So? What’s it going to be from here forward? Will you be the one of ten to return and give praise? Will you allow yourself to see the wonder of God’s grace and mercy in your life, and be blown away with thanks and awe? Will you allow yourself to treasure Christ above all?

I certainly hope so.