Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
This passage of scripture shows us two sides of human nature manifested in the ten lepers who were miraculously healed by Christ. These men were doomed to a life of misery, because they were alienated from society on account of the loathsome disease they carried, and it being extremely infectious, they were also required to announce their own malady from afar off, so that the general public could be warned to stay as far as possible from coming in contact with them. That's why the passage says they stood afar off and cried, imploring Christ to help them, and Jesus responded in the affirmative by granting them cleansing, as they went to show themselves to the priest, as required in the law of Moses.
This being done, it would seem only natural and becoming that they should return to the One who had mercifully healed them, to give Him thanks and praise for what could not otherwise be accomplished. But as the story goes, only one out of the ten returned to thank The Lord, and the ingratitude of the other nine was so glaring, that it moved Christ to publicly voice His disapproval, even though He did not reverse the good work He had done.
This story often invokes feelings of righteous indignation in many of us who read it, for it really brings out the worst in human nature, as evidenced by the ingratitude of the other nine. But even though we may get upset about what the nine had done, we must remember that this same scene is played out every day in the lives of millions who receive and partake of God's richest blessings, and never ever acknowledge The God of heaven for His bounties. When God blesses us, we sometimes refer to it as being lucky, as though the blessing was a result of pure chance, and God had nothing to do with it.
Again, when the rain descends in due season to water the earth, which then enables farmers in the mid-west and other states like Florida to harvest a bumper crop, we often hear the credit going to "Mother-nature" instead of to God. But when hurricanes sweep across the Caribbean, and devastate many counties across the U.S, we hear them being referred to as an "Act of God". And so it seems as if we have our praise all mixed up and our thanksgiving misdirected.
The Bible teaches us that all of earth's bounties, and even the very air that we breathe are all provided and closely monitored by God. It is because of His tender mercies that are renewed to us every morning why the elements in the atmosphere are kept at the right balance, and the thousands of asteroids out there in space that can wipe out the entire planet in an instant, are kept at bay by His omnipotent power alone. The Psalmist David alluded to these mercies as he wrote and commented on the kind providence of God towards His earth-born children, which many people do not stop to thank Him for. Let's read:
Psalms 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. 11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. 13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; 15 ...... "And bread which strengtheneth man's heart. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. 22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. 27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
Isn't then very ironical that in the face of all these manifold blessings which come from God alone, that we have so many substitutes in place to rob Him of His glory. In the "All-star tribute" given at the end of each year by a popular television network, the human agent is exalted to heaven, while the God of heaven is scarcely ever mentioned, and that's why the question of Jesus pertaining to the "Other nine" is just as relevant today as it was back then, when the ten lepers were cleansed. In all or experiences, and in all the good that God has ever done and continues to do for us, let us always be mindful to return and give Him thanks, not only verbally, but also in tangible ways, so that a conscious acknowledgment of His beneficence may be a part of our daily experience.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us that praise and thanksgiving is comely, and should ascend from our grateful hearts to our heavenly Father from day to day. Let's read:
Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
God bless!