You know the story. Luke 17. Jesus meets 10 lepers. Leprosy in the Bible times was an incurable disease, dooming its victims to a life of poverty, rejection, and hopelessness.
According to Jewish Levitical law and cultural tradition, any time lepers were around normal people they were supposed to broadcast their problem by shouting “unclean, unclean.” But the 10 lepers in Luke 17 broke the rules, and rather than shouting their problem, they shouted the answer.
And, Jesus healed them. He didn’t heal all lepers, but he healed the 10 who broke the religious rules and shouted the answer.
Here’s the strange, but sadly familiar part of the story. Only 1 of 10 returned to say “thanks.”
Only one. 1. Uno. Isa. Satu. Une. Eins. Een. واحد. ένας. אחד. один. एक. 하나. ひとつ. หนึ่ง. ONE!
Jesus ends the Luke 17 story with a question: Where are the other nine? We are not told where they were, but we can speculate. One was busy at work. Another was at his kid’s soccer game. Some were on the testimony circuit, telling everyone what Jesus did for them. But only 1 made time to return to Jesus and give him praise and say thanks.
Like the 10 lepers, I was a hopeless case, until Jesus made me clean and whole. But too often I am more like the 9 than the 1. I am too busy to return and say thanks. I get so busy telling the world what he did for me, that I have no time to daily return to him and say thanks. Does this sound like you? Not good.
In America this week is a holiday we call Thanksgiving, a day to overeat and watch American football. And hopefully, a day to say THANKS to God for all he has done for us.
Final thought. Be the 1. Not the 9. Not just on Thanksgiving. Every day.
