Luke 17:11-19
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Two Greatest Commandments
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I think that giving thanks and showing gratitude is related to humility and humbleness...If one believes that God is watching us and looking down on everything we do, then what we have, He has been involved in giving us...
Ten men who had leprosy stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”...When Jesus saw them, He healed them and said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”...And as they went, they were cleansed...
While ten had been cleaned only one returns to give thanks...And that one is a foreigner, a Samaritan...All the others healed were Jewish...Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed?...Where are the other nine?...Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”...Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”...
Jesus had changed the ten men's lives forever, yet only one gave Him and God thanks...Jesus makes a point with His comment about the other nine, to show that they were people of Israel, and only the foreigner gave God thanks...Could it be the others thought they deserved their healing, since they were from Israel?...Could it be, this is like life and that only a few give thanks to God?...Do many of us fail and just forget to thank others?...Did they want to go quickly to the priests?...Did they want to show their families of their healing?...Do we fail to recognize that God is helping us, and has helped us?...
Whatever the reason the nine did not give thanks to God, Jesus gives us the two questions, “Were not all ten cleansed?... Where are the other nine?”...He wants us to think about why the other nine did not give thanks...Can we worship God and give Him thanks without being humble?...Can we love God, His Son, and all our neighbors, without being humble?...Giving thanks is a great virtue, and the brother of humility...