Luke 17:11-19

Be still: As I sit quietly with you, God, please meet me through your Word. Give me ears to hear you and eyes to see the movement of your Holy Spirit in my life right now. Amen.

Read: Luke 17:11-19

‘One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice’ (v15) 

Encounter: In today’s passage, Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one returns to give him thanks. The narrative uses different words to distinguish the levels of healing and wholeness attained by the men, as the story progresses.

‘Cleansed’ (katharizo in Greek) in verse 14 refers to the removal of the signs of leprosy from their skin. All ten men were cleansed, allowing them to return to a full social and religious life in their community, no longer filthy outcasts.

The word ‘healed’ (Iaomai in Greek) in verse 15 of the text, indicates that as they obeyed Jesus, and as they started moving, their bodies were immediately cured. 

Only one out of the ten men returned to thank Jesus, and he is told, ‘your faith has made you well’, or ‘whole’. The Greek word ‘sozo’ used in this sentence is a holistic word, signifying total restoration of body, soul (mind, emotions and will) and spirit. Healing at every level — no more physical pain and seeping wounds and jagged scars. No more being shunned and marginalised. All emotional brokenness restored to wholeness. For this man, his days of rejection and sadness, loss and grief are over. 

It is interesting to note that research into the neuroscience of gratitude has shown that regular practice of gratitude can lead to long-term positive changes in the brain, supporting mental health and resilience, and one study indicates that participants who practiced gratitude-journaling were also happier and emotionally stronger. *

Apply: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, reminds us to ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’.

I wonder how things might look for me if I was more intentional in the regular practice of gratitude?

Devote: Father God — I know that there is so much to be grateful for, and so much that I take for granted. I want to be whole in every sense of the word and ask that your Spirit would remind me daily to express my gratitude to you.

* (McCanlies et al., 2018)