Luke 17 Devotional

Gratitude That Turns Back

“When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice.”Luke 17:15 (BSB)

Ten lepers stand at a distance and cry out to Jesus for mercy (17:12-13). He simply sends them to show themselves to the priests, and on the way they are cleansed (17:14). All ten receive the same mercy. Only one turns back, praising God in a loud voice, and falls at Jesus' feet to thank him. Luke adds that he was a Samaritan (17:15-16).

Jesus asks where the other nine are (17:17-18). Then he tells the man to get up and go, because his faith has made him well (17:19). All ten were cleansed, but only the one who returned heard that word from Jesus himself. Earlier Jesus reminds his disciples that even if they did everything commanded, they would still be servants who had done nothing beyond what was owed (17:10). Everything we receive from God is mercy, and gratitude is what it looks like to see that clearly. You can turn back today and thank him for mercies you have been carrying away in silence.

To think about: What mercy from God have you received lately without stopping to turn back and thank him for it?