Where are the Nine?

In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus is traveling south on His way to the capital city of Jerusalem. Along the route, He passes through some undisclosed village when ten men, all afflicted with leprosy, call out to Him for help. In that ancient age, when there was no medication or cure for leprosy, those afflicted were relegated to a secluded and nomadic life. 

For sanitary reasons, and to keep the contagion from spreading, lepers were forced from their homes and confined to live in colonies outside the city limits. Consistent with Old Testament law, these men kept distance between themselves and the crowds. So, in an act of desperation and to get the attention of Jesus, they raised their voices and cried aloud; “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” In an act of supernatural power, Jesus simply speaks a few words and all ten of these men are instantly healed. 

Let me interject at this juncture; this is one of those occasions when those reading that passage or this article, must make up their minds whether or not they believe the Biblical narrative. I leave it up to you to determine for yourself, whether you will take God at His Word and believe this actually happened, or not.

An interesting side note is this: the human author of this event was Luke, who was himself a physician. There is every reason to trust this supernatural miracle happened just as he recorded. The good doctor would not be easily duped. 

Yet as Dr. Luke recounts this miracle done by the Messiah, he adds something of note. And here it is: of the ten men who were healed, only one of them took the time to stop and praise God for the miraculous healing done in his life. The other nine men went on their way without so much as a “thank-you” to Jesus. But one of them, fell at the feet of Jesus and glorified God. 

Now the primary point of this passage is to show that Jesus is the Son of God, who has the Divine ability to heal the sick. Only God can cleanse lepers, give sight to the blind, and cause the lame to walk. Hence, Jesus is God. Not only that, He is Israel’s Messiah who has come with to bring healing. Not just physically, but spiritually as well. However, after these men are healed, the Lord Himself asks a series of rhetorical questions: “Where are the nine? Were there not ten lepers cleansed? Why only one who returned to give God praise?”

There is a certain expectation, and rightly so, that these men who had been given a new lease on life, would at least take a few moments to thank God for being healed. Jesus Himself expresses some measure of divine displeasure that these men would be so unappreciative, as to go on their merry way without a single word of thanksgiving. After all, if you or I give a homeless person a few bucks, the least they could do would be say thank-you, right? 

How much more should these men, who have been miraculously healed, express their gratitude to God. Because of Jesus, they are healed … and can return to their homes, their wives, and their families. Yet, only one of them had the civility to praise the Lord who gave them new life?! 

Learn this lesson dear reader, ingratitude for God’s goodness is an egregious sin. Make no mistake, an unthankful spirit is odious to the Almighty. Yet, this event we are discussing is not an isolated one. Rather, every single day, the majority of the people on this planet go about their lives without ever stopping to give God thanks. 

Where are the nine? They are all around us. And perhaps even we, are often numbered among them. While the annual Thanksgiving Holiday is a good thing, heartfelt gratitude to God should be done more than one Thursday a year. Instead, it should be a way of life for all people. Especially those who have been given spiritual life from the Lord. 

To be sure, God is good to all people. In an act of mercy, God causes His sun to shine on the just and the unjust. He brings rain on the fields of the believer and the unbeliever. Friend, whether you realize this or not, every breath and every bite is a gift from God. And yet, most of humanity rarely stop to thank God for His goodness. We live on His planet, eat His food, drink His water, breathe His air, and our hearts beat by His allowance. 

But where are the nine that should be praising God? Answer … busy going about their lives without giving God a single thought. Folks, ingratitude for God’s goodness is an egregious sin, which should be repented of. 

Psalms 92:1 states, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD …” 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Repeatedly the Bible exhorts and commands that we give thanks to God for His goodness. 

My encouragement to you is this, learn a lesson from the one. The one who earned recognition from Jesus for doing what was right, by taking a few moments to give God praise for His mercy. Don’t be numbered among the nine, but among the one. Be in the minority, and not the majority, and fall at the feet of Jesus and give Him due praise. He is worthy! 

I pray you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and as you gather around that turkey and table, take the time to do as the old hymn says, and “Count your blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”