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| Courtsey Pixabay.com |
My pastor is such an awesome teacher and I really enjoy Sunday School for that reason. Every sermon I come away with something good. A few weeks ago, and I can't remember the date, he preached on gratitude. During the sermon he cited a familiar passage that I'm sure everyone reading this has heard. This is the story of the 10 lepers.
Luke 17:11-19 King James Version (KJV)
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.Leprosy is a bacterial infection that affects the skin, eyes, nose, and peripheral nerves. It still exist today and a person can have it for decades without symptoms. The lack of sensation in the nerves can lead to severe injuries. Over time, a person can lose fingers, toes, ears, and even the nose from it. The signs of the advance disease can be horrible with missing or deformed extremities and facial features.
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.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
In this passage, the lepers ask Jesus to heal them. In those days, lepers were expelled from the community because they were contagious or considered unclean. They weren't allowed to attend religious services or visit their families. They had to beg for their survival and live in caves or where ever they could find shelter. If their leprosy cleared up, they had to present themselves to the priest. Only the priest could declare them clean or healed from the disease and allow them to return to their normal lives.
During the lesson I thought about this. Jesus sent the men to the priest to verify they were cleansed of the disease. Of those ten men, only one turned back to thank him. Almost as an afterthought, we're reminded that he is a Samaritan.
I read up on them a bit while writing this. Samaritans were not accepted by the Jews but they claim to be descendants of Aaron, which would make them brothers. The information I obtained in research said Samaritan means "keeper of the law". This would explain the behavior of the Good Samaritan and probably this leper who returned to worship and give thanks.
As I listened to the lesson, something else struck me. I don't know why I missed it in the past. A life spent in church means I'm pretty familiar with a tremendous amount of Bible stories. This one is of the more famous variety. Yet, I never noticed something and it reminded me why I prefer the King James Version of the Bible over other translations.
Verse
The last verse in the NIV says this: Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
The KJV says: And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
That may be a small difference to you and unimportant but it is a vast world of difference to me. Jesus cleansed all 10 lepers and sent them to the priest to be verified. One turned back and Jesus was stunned both by his honor and because this was a Samaritan. The Samaritan was bound by his obedience to the law to give thanks for cleansing. And Jesus' reaction was profound. He didn't just cleanse #10. He made him whole.
Let that sink in a minute. While I was sitting through the lesson I felt what I hope you're feeling right now, this kind of internal gasp.
Jesus didn't just cleanse the 10th leper. He actually restored all the missing parts. He could return to his family. Everyone who knew him would see the astonishing miracle of his healing. He'd have to explain how those missing fingers or ears were no longer missing. The other nine could also go home, but they'd be forever reminded of their past. Those who knew them would also see the evidence. However, Jesus made the 10th leper whole because of a grateful heart and an obedience to his faith.
Gratitude is essential if you want to be whole. An ungrateful heart creates missing components to your life. Let's always turn back to give Him thanks for His lovingkindness and mercy.
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