Where are the nine?

Luke 17:11-19

11 It happened that as Jesus made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance 13 but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. 15 One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. 16 He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough--and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? 18 Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you." 

Food for thought!

The lepers kept their distance.

This was in accordance to Lev.13:45-46 that stated “Any person with a serious skin disease must wear torn clothes, leave his hair loose and unbrushed, cover his upper lip, and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as anyone has the sores, that one continues to be ritually unclean. That person must live alone; he or she must live outside the camp''.  

Another injunction was in Num. 5:2 that banned from the community anyone who has an infectious skin disease. It was because of these Old Testament commands that made the lepers stand at a distance, lest they contaminated Jesus and his disciples. In other words, Jesus's healing was not only of the disease; it was of the isolation, discrimination and separation as well. Sounds familiar? Leprosy was then what Ebola is today. 

No story in all the gospels so poignantly shows man's ingratitude. The lepers came to Jesus with desperate longing; he cured them; and nine never came back to give thanks. So often, once we get what we wanted, we never come back. It means that nine out of ten people are ungrateful. It means still in every ten times we express our gratitude only once; most of the time most people don't express their gratitude. We take most of the things for granted.

(i) Often we are ungrateful to our parents. There was a time in our lives when a mother's neglect would have killed us. Of all living creatures man requires longest to become able to meet the needs essential for life. There were years when we were dependent on our parents for literally everything. Yet the day often comes when an aged parent is a nuisance; and many young people are unwilling to repay the debt they owe. As someone once said: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!"

(ii) Often we are ungrateful to our fellow-men. For all of us, there's somebody who did something for us which we could not afford to do ourselves; but the tragedy is that we often do forget those people and their help. 

(iii) Often we are ungrateful to God. In some time of bitter need we prayed with desperate intensity; we got what we prayed for and we forgot God. Many of us never even offer a grace before meal, let alone after meal. God gave us life and all its compliments, and we forget to say thank you!  Next time you take a shower, before you leave the bathroom, thank the Lord for the gift of water that cleanses  your body and restores your freshness.  There's a lot happening around us that we should be thankful for.

Take a look at your life and count your blessings. Even in situations that at first appear difficult or unpleasant, bless the Lord who can transform everything into good. Remember Romans 8:28 (And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans). So, despite what's happening, give thanks ahead of time for whatever good you desire in your life. This is what the Samaritan did. And this is why Jesus told him: "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you." This man was healed in both the body and the Soul. The other nine were healed in only their body.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." (Psalm 103:2)