4.15.07
Healed, But Not Whole
Luke 17 recounts the story of Jesus and the ten lepers and raises some interesting questions in my head.
When Jesus had entered a certain village, ten lepers called out to him that he might heal them. As soon as he saw them, Jesus told them to go shew themselves to the priests. As the men went, they were healed from their leprosy.
One of the men, when he saw he was healed, turned around and ran back to Jesus. Falling at his feet, this man gave thanks and glorified God. An interesting note here is that this man was a Samaritan; Samaritans and Jews had absolutely no dealings with each other and avoided even being in each other’s presence at all costs.
Jesus asked him where the other nine were and re-verified that there had indeed been ten healed. This man was the only one who returned to give glory to God, and a stranger at that.
Jesus told the man to rise and to go his way, that his faith had made him whole.
It was this phrase that struck me. Although it appears all ten men did receive physical healing from their leprosy, only this man was made whole. It makes me wonder what the others ended up lacking even though they were cured from the disease. Healed, but not whole… and just because they couldn’t stop for a moment and give glory to God; they were in too much of a hurry to get the priest to confirm that they had indeed been healed.
How often do we remember to give God the glory and thanks for the miracles He does in our lives? How much more blessing are we missing out on because we are so involved in the effect a miracle has on ourselves as individuals? How often do we look to our friends to confirm a miracle God has done in our lives instead of thanking God from the bottom of our heart for that miracle.
Let us accept the miracles God places in our lives in full faith, thanking Him for working in a miraculous way… thank Him instead of seeking confirmation from friends or family.
