Jesus Healed Ten with Leprosy but Only One Thanked Him.
Ten Men with Leprosy Cried Out to Jesus:
There were ten men with a very contagious skin disease, Leprosy. Nine of them were Jews and one a gentile (or foreigner). When they saw Jesus coming, they yelled from a distance for Jesus to have pity on them. They were begging Jesus to heal them from this horrible disease. They had to yell from a distance because what they had was very contagious and they were separated from the public.
Jesus Responded to Ten Men:
Jesus responded by telling them to go show themselves to the priest (Scriptures 1 – Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy Luke 17:11-19).
Jewish Law for Cleansing From Defiling Skin Disease:
Many years earlier, God gave Moses specific instructions for the Jewish people who were healed from a skin disease (Scriptures 2 – Cleansing From Defiling Skin Diseases Leviticus 14:1-9). They had to go to the priest, do a bunch of ceremonial offerings, bath in water, wash their clothes, shave their hair and be in a separate tent for a time. All this makes sense. If you had a contagious disease, you need to make sure you are not contagious anymore before you go back into public.
So Jesus telling them to show themselves to the priest was within the Jewish law. On their way to the priest, all ten of the men were healed. The nine Jewish men continued to the priest as Jesus (and the Jewish law) instructed. But the foreigner went back to thank Jesus, throwing himself at Jesus’ feet.
Jesus Responded to Gentile Who Thanked Him:
Some could consider Jesus’ response to be surprising or confusing (as he often was). Jesus actually was a bit angry that the other nine men did not come back to thank him as well. I would assume that the Jewish laws were very important to the Jews and it was important to go to the priest and be declared clean first. Afterall, it was what Jesus told them to do and they were just being obedient. Hopefully, they were planning on thanking him and bringing him gifts after.
Conclusion:
What we can get out of this is that it is more important to give God credit and thanksgiving than it is to do what is ceremonially or traditionally correct. We are to recognize that everything comes from him and give him all the glory for everything we have received. And we are to put God first, before anything or anyone.
PDF: Jesus Healed Ten with Leprosy but Only One Thanked Him
See Part 3 #15: A Prayer for Putting God First
See: Free Bible Study Worksheets
Also See: Part 3 – List of Prayers
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