Humbly
at His Feet
By Susan Klein
"One of them, when he
saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at
Jesus’ feet and thanked Him - - and he was a Samaritan."
Luke 17:15-16
The
story of the ten healed lepers. I get mixed emotions every time I read it. It’s
a wonderful reminder of being “flat-on-your-face” thankful, yet it is also
about the nine who weren’t. I fear that I tend to be like the nine way too
often.
In
the story, Jesus was traveling along the border between Jerusalem and Samaria.
As He entered a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They voiced their
faith in His healing power by their words, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
But Jesus chose to heal them in a way other than what they had anticipated. He
sent them on their way to the priests. I imagine there was a bit of grumbling
as they walked in the other direction. “Really, He’s not going to heal us? He’s
not going to touch us, or have us wash in the river, or pronounce us clean?
What can the priests do that He can’t?” It wasn’t until they were off at a
distance, but before they encountered the priests, that their skin became like
that of a baby. Only one of them, the Samaritan, came back to show his
gratitude to Jesus. So, where did the other nine go?
Who
do we run to when we have good news to share? When God does something amazing
in our lives, or even something not quite in the amazing category, we all have
somebody we can’t wait to share it with. And, with good intentions, we even
give Him the glory as we recount our story. But, do we first stop to “praise Him in
a loud voice,” or “throw ourselves at His feet” in thankfulness? Though we may
not be intentionally ungrateful, we might be forgetting the most important step
in sharing our thankfulness.
Dear
ones, we have so much to be thankful for. Like the Samaritan, we have been made
clean! We share in the glorious inheritance of the saints if we have put our
trust in Jesus. In our joy and gratitude for all He has done in, and through,
and around us, let us not forget to
first praise the One who has blessed us, to get on our knees or face before
Him and in a loud voice genuinely proclaim, “Thank you!”
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
In what new and creative ways can you express your thanks to God?
2.
How can you challenge yourself to “grow in gratefulness”?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is a We Women Bible Study Coordinator
and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark enjoy tutoring and working
with inner-city youth.
