Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
LUKE 17:17 – 19
In Luke’s gospel we read the amazing story of ten lepers who were miraculously healed by Jesus. These men were the least of the least, but Jesus in his love, compassion, and mercy cured them all. After the miracle, the men departed to report to the priest — the only person who could legally declare them “clean,” thus allowing them to be reintegrated into society. Later, just one of the men returned to thank Jesus for what he had done. I often wonder what happened to the other nine. So did Jesus.
Like nine out of the ten lepers in this story, often we can go about our lives having been cleansed by God, but still very much wrapped up in ourselves. We are not living with a sense of awe and wonder at the greatness of God; we’re just going our own way, doing our own thing, unaware of just how much God has blessed us.
There is a higher state of living than this! One leper in this story was not content simply to return to his former life, cleansed as he was. Immediately he pursued Jesus in order to thank him. What I find striking is that when the man returned to Jesus and thanked him, he received a further blessing. The American Standard Version (ASV) translates Jesus’ words to him as, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.”
There is a direct link between thanksgiving and wholeness in the Christian life. Many Christians live cleansed because God has saved them, but they don’t live whole because they don’t understand the value of thanksgiving. Being cleansed is essential, but I don’t just want to be a “survivor” in the Christian life; I want to harness the power of thanksgiving and be more than a conqueror — someone who can begin to contribute to God’s kingdom through a now-whole life.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What is the connection between thanksgiving and Christian wholeness?