Luke
17:11-19
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned
back, praising God
with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and
thanked him. And he was a
Samaritan.”
(Luke 17:15-16)
Those of us familiar with this story often
focus on the ingratitude of the nine. Though Jesus takes note of only one
returning, I’m not sure that is the focal point of the story. When the one realized he had been made clean,
his grateful praise led him back to Jesus, where he fell at his feet and thanked
him. Luke then added, “And he was a
Samaritan.”
Jesus had a way of turning stories with a
word that often astonished his audience.
Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of conflicts dating back
centuries. Most who heard Jesus would
not have expected the one whose actions honored the Lord to be a Samaritan. Similarly, the parable of the Good Samaritan
placed an unlikely person at the heart of the story as the hero. From the
perspective of Jesus, it would seem that faithfulness, compassion, and gratitude
couldn’t be limited to “people like us.”
Gratitude, regardless of who expresses it, is vital to growing
relationships.
The fact that the grateful man was a
Samaritan seems insignificant, yet… it was significant. So, what then would you say was the most
important element in this story…healing, gratitude, or valuing all persons,
regardless?
Prayer: Gratitude teaches us great life
lessons, Lord. Continue to broaden our perspectives in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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