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Luke 17 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

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Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
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today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
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read along episode in this podcast feed.
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If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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now. When you're ready, let's dive
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into God's Word together. In Luke chapter 17, as Jesus
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enters a village on the way to Jerusalem, he meets 10 men with
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leprosy. These men are described as
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standing at a distance, and that would have been the reality of
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their whole lives. They would have been outcast,
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visibly identifiable as ones who didn't belong, ones that should
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be avoided. Listen to their cry to Jesus.
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Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Jesus does indeed show mercy on
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them and heals them. He tells them to go and show
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themselves to the priest, to be confirmed by the priest as
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having been healed, the requirement for them to be able
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to reintegrate into society. And as they go to the priest,
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they realize that they have indeed been healed.
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Their leprosy is gone. Now here's where the story gets
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interesting. One of the 10, when he realizes
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that he has been healed, turns around and goes back to Jesus.
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He begins glorifying God with a loud voice, shouting audible
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praises to the Lord. When he meets Jesus again, he
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falls at his feet and gives thanks to him.
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And the text makes clear that this man, this one who showed
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thankfulness out of the 10 who were healed, is a Samaritan.
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Jesus says to him, were there not ten cleansed, but the 9?
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Where are they? Was no one found who returned to
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give glory to God except this foreigner?
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10 were healed, one gave thanks, ten were cleansed, one returned
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to glorify God. Thankfulness is not the pattern
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of this world. Thankfulness is not the norm.
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But here we see that Jesus links this thankfulness.
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The leper offers for his healing directly with giving glory to
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God. When we're thankful to God, who
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provides and heals and blesses and forgives and loves and shows
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mercy, we are glorifying God. When we lack in thankfulness, we
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demonstrate both a lack of giving God glory and ultimately
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a lack of faith on our part. The Westminster Shorter
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Catechism says the chief end of man.
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His primary purpose in this life is quote, to glorify God and to
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enjoy him forever. We were made to glorify our
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Creator. We were made to experience,
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enjoy and express the glory of God.
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And what this leper teaches us is that when we are thankful, we
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do just that. When we stop and praise the Lord
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for what he's done for us, when we consider all the ways God has
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worked on our behalf and thank him for them, then we are living
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our lives for the glory of God. So let your first response today
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be thankfulness. Do not run ahead like the other
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9 lepers. Do not rush to enjoy the gift
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without first praising and thanking the giver.
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Sing with the psalmist David in Psalm One, O 3.
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Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me.
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Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
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forget none of his benefits. Who pardons all your iniquities?
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Who heals all your diseases? Who redeems your life from the
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pit? Who crowns you with loving
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kindness and compassion? Who satisfies your years with
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good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle?
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Let thankfulness and glory to God fill your life to day.