Thanksgiving: Thankfulness Rewarded

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The Gospel of Luke tells a fabulous story of a thankful heart. In chapter 17, as He made way to Jerusalem, Jesus came to a small village in the midst of Samaria and Galilee. While there, ten lepers stood afar off and cried out to him. They were unclean and as a result, were to avoid others for fear of infecting them. Verse fourteen says Jesus saw them and told them to visit the priests (for they had authority to declare them clean), and “as they went, they were cleansed.” Notice the word used by Luke is not healed or made whole; rather, they were cleansed. What is the difference you ask? Well, it just may be that their cleansing was temporary. Strong’s Concordance defines the word cleanse as: to clean or make clean (the idea of temporary removal of impurities). The word whole is defined as: to save, deliver or protect (the idea of permanence).

We find that of the ten lepers who were cleansed, only one returned to Jesus. This one “turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.” As a result of this one leper’s thankful heart, Jesus said, “thy faith hath made thee whole (vs. 19).” I believe Luke used the word whole to convey the thought of a permanent deliverance from the disease. This man’s faith and thankfulness to the Cleanser was rewarded by being made whole through Jesus. The other nine, we find, never expressed thanks to the Cleanser, and as a result, never received Jesus’ full blessing like this one did. Scripture never mentions it, but I have to wonder if these nine men were ever revisited by their leprosy.

Jesus offered all the lepers a cleansing; it’s what they did with it that mattered. We all need His cleansing power, but what will we do with it once we obtain it? We are often guilty of expressing excitement and pleasure when God’s blessings fall upon us, but do we ever “turn back” to Him and “glorify” Him for them. Let’s strive to be like the one who turned back to the Savior. No doubt, a thankful heart pleases our Cleanser and therefore receives more blessing.

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