Have you ever gone out of your way to do something kind for others, only to have them ignore your effort? You stayed up past midnight to finish a report for your boss or planned a special getaway for your family. You were excited to please them, but ended up disappointed when they didn’t even say thank you.
Jesus can empathize. He once entered a village with much on His mind. He was walking to Jerusalem where He knew He would die on the cross (Luke 18:31-33). His deep thoughts were interrupted by the shouts of ten lepers, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). Ostracized by society, they’d been shut off from family, friends, and even God. (They were not allowed to enter the temple; see Leviticus 13:45-46.) They were in agony, dying, and alone. Jesus was their only hope.
He called them over and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14), in accordance with Mosaic law, which required those cured of leprosy to offer sacrifices (see Leviticus 14:1-57). On their trip to the temple, they noticed their skin was healthy again. Their sores were gone. Shouts of joy must have startled other travelers, yet only one leper—inexplicably only one—returned to thank Jesus for his healing.
Jesus noted the ingratitude of the other nine. He said, “Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:18). He didn’t sweep their lack of response under the rug. Instead, He focused on the grateful person kneeling before Him. “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you” (Luke 17:19). Although all the lepers were healed, only one person’s gratitude led him to the Savior.
Jesus continued to heal all the way to Jerusalem, where He gave His life to heal us. May we thank Him with hearts full of gratitude today.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 4:43-54
More:
Read Psalm 118:1-29. List the reasons the psalmist gives to thank God.
Next:
How does gratitude draw us closer to Jesus? How can we find ways to intentionally turn our hearts to gratitude each day?
don777 on June 22, 2017 at 5:53 am
Please Oh Lord Jesus, that i would always have a grateful heart. That I would give you thanks & praise always for all things. Remembering who You are & what you have done. Thank You Jesus Amen
Gary Shultz on June 22, 2017 at 6:06 am
Hi Mike: You know I never liked school or assignments (sorry Regina), but I will answer your question because school was not about the mercies of our Lord. I like that school much better. Well, we see God’s loving faithfulness, we see victory, and we see He allows the Godly to enter His gates, one more for extra credit, the Lord is for me. The point is well taken Mike, the account in Luke has been a great guide to me. To be thankful, to give thanks, and return thanks to our Lord as often as we can. Even in the tight spots knowing His loving faithfulness never is pulled away from us. The one last Samaritan shows us the priorities of life, and the recognition of where all good things flow. Thanks Mike………. I know many of you word smiths are probably aghast at my spelling and punctuation, and “spell check” makes the response readable. So thanks for tolerating the challenged.
Mike Wittmer on June 22, 2017 at 7:03 am
I like this, spelling and all, Gary. It’s impossible to love Jesus, or even live normally, without gratitude. No matter how bleak our circumstances, we can thank Jesus for both our physical and our spiritual life with Him.
Tom Felten on June 22, 2017 at 3:45 pm
Mike, thanks for this insightful post. Gratitude flows as we turn our eyes from our own pain and failings and fix them on the One who has provided all we need for all time. May I praise Him and give thanks to Him today!