Turning Back

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” - Luke 17:11-19 (ESV)

In most of the western world, we don't have a strong grasp on what it meant to be a leper back in the time referenced by this scripture.

Lepers were completely cut-off by society. They could not be with their families. For most, they couldn't work in their trained profession as it require them interacting with others. They were required to wear bells so that people would know that the 'unclean' people were near.

Look at the passage - 'who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices'. They were required to keep their distance.

And so to have someone completely heal them and restore their lives, profession and families, you would think they would be forever grateful?  Right?! And yet, only one 'turned back' and acknowledged the source of their true cleansing.

How many times have I been one of the other 9 lepers? How many times has Jesus been asking himself the same questions when I've failed to acknowledge source of the miracles all around me, and yet, how quickly do I turn to Him when things don't go the way that I want them to go?

And isn't that the way things go in our society today?  The Sunday right after the 9/11 tragedy saw impressive numbers at churches all over North America.  But when we get the perfect new job, do we rush out to church and give thanks? When we celebrate the birth of a baby, do we drop on our knees to give praise to the giver of life?

I find the dialog that Jesus has in response to the one who did return to be quite interesting.  He asks a number of questions that seem to be rhetorical and probably not directed at the one who did return. Could it be that the questions were directed to us? A reminder for us to stop and acknowledge a blessing that we haven't 'turned back, praising God with a loud voice;' falling on our face 'giving Him thanks'?

What area of your life do you need to turn back to and give praise to God?

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Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many Wandering Thoughts that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below and share your own personal revelations; or send me a personal message on Google+, Facebook or by emailing me.

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