The Story: Ten Lepers Luke 17:11-19
Cleansed
When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Luke 17:14 NASBStr
Cleansed: The Greek word for cleansed is Katharizō which means, “to cleanse: to make clean.” (From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) The idea of this word is to wash away a physical stain or dirt. The word is used 17 times in the Gospels and is used of lepers, pharisees and one time for food.
Cured
Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. Luke 17:15 NASBStr
Healed: The Greek word for healed is iaomai which means, “to heal or cure.” (From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) Isn’t it interesting that only one recognized that there was something more than being cleansed? Whatever it was it created a sense of awe, wonder and thankfulness for this one and it was enough for him to turn back with the purpose of saying, “Thank you."
Complete
And He (Jesus) said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well. Luke 17:19 NASBStr
Well: The Greek word for well is sōzō which means, “saved, made well, restored.” (From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) There was only one out of ten that was made whole again. Only one who was saved. Only one who was restored. Only one who was truly made well.
Verse 19 says that the Samaritans faith was what made him well. However, it was his attitude of gratitude, his thankful heart that got him the appointment. The one leper who returned, fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Luke 17:16 NASBStr
Thanks: The Greek word for thanks is Eucharisteo which means to actively express gratitude. I meet many thankful people each day as I'm sure you do. We may hold a door open for someone to which we get a "Thank You" response. Maybe we wave someone into our lane as we are driving and we get the "Thank You Hand Wave" from the other driver. However, there are times when we encounter those who are less thankful or even ungrateful. In my experience ungratefulness is a byproduct of entitlement.
Only a thankful heart is a Complete heart.
Question:
1. Who do you need to thank today?