And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Ten lepers cried for mercy and were told to show themselves to the priests, and going forward in faith they were cleansed and made whole as they went. One of them was a Samaritan, a stranger despised by the Jews, who when he saw he was healed turned back to find the Healer. Rejoicing at every step and praising God with a loud voice, he fell down on his face at Jesus' feet in deepest humiliation to give thanks and acknowledge the work done for him. He alone appreciated the gift and recognized his deep debt to Christ, while the nine went on without returning to honor God, their hearts untouched by mercy and closed against grace by ingratitude. His gratitude showed faith in Christ as Redeemer of soul as well as body, so that his soul was healed as well as his body, whereas the bodily healing of the nine did not cleanse them from sin.
The Ten Lepers Healed
The ten were so corrupted by loathsome disease that they were shut out from society by prescribed limits lest they contaminate others. When Jesus came within sight they cried to Him for mercy, and He told them to go show themselves to the priests. Their faith was tested by that command, yet they started out in faith that He could heal them and obeyed at once without delay, willing to venture on the prospect of healing. Christ's voice thrilled their hearts with hope and faith and confidence, and as they went they knew a great change had taken place, for they were cleansed and made entirely whole, divine power working a new creation in them. They belong with the poor and afflicted who receive His assurances, while those who think themselves righteous and in need of nothing reject His word.
The one who turned back was a Samaritan, a stranger and outsider, while the other nine were Jews. His nation was despised and hated by the Jews. The disciples had been taught to regard Samaritans with prejudice and had been educated to hate them.
The Samaritan's Grateful Return
Seeing that he was healed, he determined to turn back to find the Healer, coming rejoicing at every step and with a loud voice praising and glorifying God on the way, then in greatest humiliation falling down on his face at Jesus' feet to give thanks and gratefully acknowledge the work wrought for him. His return was the act of one filled with joy and thankfulness and an overflowing heart expressing love and gratitude in the very presence of Christ. He alone among the ten appreciated the healing and recognized his debt and deep indebtedness to Christ, showing that God's goodness should be met with gratitude rather than treated as something owed. The nine passed on without appreciating the work, rendering no grateful thanks and not returning to honor God and Christ, their hearts untouched by mercy and their ingratitude closing their hearts against grace. Only a few recognize and appreciate blessings as gifts received through Jesus Christ, while God's mercies call for praise and thanksgiving and those who receive health should remember mercy and give thanks.
His response showed faith in Christ as Redeemer of both soul and body and made manifest that he was more susceptible to the grace of God and more appreciative of divine love than the nine. His soul was healed as well as his body, while the physical healing of the nine did not itself cleanse them from sin. For the sake of this one man who would make a right and grateful use of the blessing of health, Jesus healed the whole ten. Of the ten Christ cleansed, only one appreciated the gift and gave thanks, and Christ healed all ten for the sake of that one grateful man.
Jesus drew attention to the Samaritan's gratitude to challenge narrow views and teach the disciples, who had been educated to hate Samaritans and taught to regard them with prejudice, that many precious souls among the Samaritans would come to the gospel feast. Having shown love to the Samaritans despite their rejection of him, he used this response to help prepare the disciples to carry the gospel to them with tenderness and love. He was no mean citizen but proved an effective witness for Christ, after the resurrection and ascension bearing decided witness that Christ is the Son of God, repeating the story of his restoration and urging those he met to believe in Jesus. Testimonies like his turned men from the established teachings and worthless traditions of the scribes and Pharisees in sharp contrast to their heartless ritual.
Calls to Thankful Living
Being healed places a person under renewed obligation to the Creator, calling for remembered mercy and for praise, glory and thanksgiving to God through Jesus Christ. Restored health is to be met with gratitude rather than an unthankful heart, and above all thanks is due for the gift of His Son, with those cleansed from sin likewise to praise God and give thanks. The one healed leper who returned to fall at Jesus' feet and give thanks was a Samaritan who gave glory to God, while the other nine were healed but did not return to honor God and Christ. His gratitude is the pattern for how God's mercies and gifts are to be received through Christ, since only a few recognize and appreciate their blessings, and forgetting God's goodness is dangerous. God's works and righteousness are not to be met with silence, but to be praised and glorified.
Workers for suffering humanity, including physicians and helpers, must not become weary, discouraged, disgusted, or lose pity, sympathy and patience when their labor is unappreciated and seems thrown away and ruined. Ruined, weak patients often fail to appreciate the labor received and will not use regained strength to bless society, yet workers are to remember Christ who pitied the weak and those who brought disease on themselves by violating natural law and who touched the loathsome though few appreciated His divine aid. They should feel satisfied and grateful, thank God, take courage, and feel amply repaid for all anxiety and care if even one out of twenty makes a right use of benefits received. If one life in ten is saved and one soul in a hundred is saved in the kingdom of God, they are amply repaid, and they should blush to complain if feeble efforts are not appreciated by all when so few appreciated Christ.
The nine who did not return to give God glory correctly represent Sabbath-keepers who come as patients to the Health Institute. Though receiving much attention often at reduced prices or for no pay, they are the most difficult to manage, most free to complain and question and to speak disparagingly of the means used for recovery, causing unnecessary care and burdens and exerting an influence against the institution. By contrast strangers, worldlings, and professed Christians of other denominations, like the Samaritan stranger, do their duty, appreciate the efforts made for their recovery, and when they return home exert an influence in favor of the institution. The Lord regards those complaining, ungrateful Sabbath-keepers as He did the nine lepers who returned not to give God glory.
Ten lepers cried for mercy and were told to show themselves to the priests, and going forward in faith they were cleansed and made whole as they went. One of them was a Samaritan, a stranger despised by the Jews, who when he saw he was healed turned back to find the Healer. Rejoicing at every step and praising God with a loud voice, he fell down on his face at Jesus' feet in deepest humiliation to give thanks and acknowledge the work done for him. He alone appreciated the gift and recognized his deep debt to Christ, while the nine went on without returning to honor God, their hearts untouched by mercy and closed against grace by ingratitude. His gratitude showed faith in Christ as Redeemer of soul as well as body, so that his soul was healed as well as his body, whereas the bodily healing of the nine did not cleanse them from sin.
The Ten Lepers Healed
The ten were so corrupted by loathsome disease that they were shut out from society by prescribed limits lest they contaminate others. When Jesus came within sight they cried to Him for mercy, and He told them to go show themselves to the priests. Their faith was tested by that command, yet they started out in faith that He could heal them and obeyed at once without delay, willing to venture on the prospect of healing. Christ's voice thrilled their hearts with hope and faith and confidence, and as they went they knew a great change had taken place, for they were cleansed and made entirely whole, divine power working a new creation in them. They belong with the poor and afflicted who receive His assurances, while those who think themselves righteous and in need of nothing reject His word.
The one who turned back was a Samaritan, a stranger and outsider, while the other nine were Jews. His nation was despised and hated by the Jews. The disciples had been taught to regard Samaritans with prejudice and had been educated to hate them.
The Samaritan's Grateful Return
Seeing that he was healed, he determined to turn back to find the Healer, coming rejoicing at every step and with a loud voice praising and glorifying God on the way, then in greatest humiliation falling down on his face at Jesus' feet to give thanks and gratefully acknowledge the work wrought for him. His return was the act of one filled with joy and thankfulness and an overflowing heart expressing love and gratitude in the very presence of Christ. He alone among the ten appreciated the healing and recognized his debt and deep indebtedness to Christ, showing that God's goodness should be met with gratitude rather than treated as something owed. The nine passed on without appreciating the work, rendering no grateful thanks and not returning to honor God and Christ, their hearts untouched by mercy and their ingratitude closing their hearts against grace. Only a few recognize and appreciate blessings as gifts received through Jesus Christ, while God's mercies call for praise and thanksgiving and those who receive health should remember mercy and give thanks.
His response showed faith in Christ as Redeemer of both soul and body and made manifest that he was more susceptible to the grace of God and more appreciative of divine love than the nine. His soul was healed as well as his body, while the physical healing of the nine did not itself cleanse them from sin. For the sake of this one man who would make a right and grateful use of the blessing of health, Jesus healed the whole ten. Of the ten Christ cleansed, only one appreciated the gift and gave thanks, and Christ healed all ten for the sake of that one grateful man.
Jesus drew attention to the Samaritan's gratitude to challenge narrow views and teach the disciples, who had been educated to hate Samaritans and taught to regard them with prejudice, that many precious souls among the Samaritans would come to the gospel feast. Having shown love to the Samaritans despite their rejection of him, he used this response to help prepare the disciples to carry the gospel to them with tenderness and love. He was no mean citizen but proved an effective witness for Christ, after the resurrection and ascension bearing decided witness that Christ is the Son of God, repeating the story of his restoration and urging those he met to believe in Jesus. Testimonies like his turned men from the established teachings and worthless traditions of the scribes and Pharisees in sharp contrast to their heartless ritual.
Calls to Thankful Living
Being healed places a person under renewed obligation to the Creator, calling for remembered mercy and for praise, glory and thanksgiving to God through Jesus Christ. Restored health is to be met with gratitude rather than an unthankful heart, and above all thanks is due for the gift of His Son, with those cleansed from sin likewise to praise God and give thanks. The one healed leper who returned to fall at Jesus' feet and give thanks was a Samaritan who gave glory to God, while the other nine were healed but did not return to honor God and Christ. His gratitude is the pattern for how God's mercies and gifts are to be received through Christ, since only a few recognize and appreciate their blessings, and forgetting God's goodness is dangerous. God's works and righteousness are not to be met with silence, but to be praised and glorified.
Workers for suffering humanity, including physicians and helpers, must not become weary, discouraged, disgusted, or lose pity, sympathy and patience when their labor is unappreciated and seems thrown away and ruined. Ruined, weak patients often fail to appreciate the labor received and will not use regained strength to bless society, yet workers are to remember Christ who pitied the weak and those who brought disease on themselves by violating natural law and who touched the loathsome though few appreciated His divine aid. They should feel satisfied and grateful, thank God, take courage, and feel amply repaid for all anxiety and care if even one out of twenty makes a right use of benefits received. If one life in ten is saved and one soul in a hundred is saved in the kingdom of God, they are amply repaid, and they should blush to complain if feeble efforts are not appreciated by all when so few appreciated Christ.
The nine who did not return to give God glory correctly represent Sabbath-keepers who come as patients to the Health Institute. Though receiving much attention often at reduced prices or for no pay, they are the most difficult to manage, most free to complain and question and to speak disparagingly of the means used for recovery, causing unnecessary care and burdens and exerting an influence against the institution. By contrast strangers, worldlings, and professed Christians of other denominations, like the Samaritan stranger, do their duty, appreciate the efforts made for their recovery, and when they return home exert an influence in favor of the institution. The Lord regards those complaining, ungrateful Sabbath-keepers as He did the nine lepers who returned not to give God glory.