The Pillars of Christian Character by John MacArthur

Author:John MacArthur
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2010-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

9

ALWAYS A PLACE

FOR GRATITUDE

Ingratitude is one of the ugliest attitudes anyone can possess. The Gospel of Luke drives home this point in a fascinating passage that has been vividly etched in my mind ever since I first read it many years ago. It’s the story of the ten lepers:

And it came about while He was on the way to Jerusalem, that He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten leprous men, who stood at a distance; and they raised their voices saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And when He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Were none found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Rise, and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

—17:11-19

In those days lepers were quarantined in colonies, some distance away from cities and towns because their dreaded disease was so contagious. That’s why in Luke’s account the group of ten stood some distance away as Jesus and the others entered the village.

Jesus’ seemingly strange command for the men to show themselves to the priest was part of the normal process, as prescribed in the Law of Moses, for dealing with leprosy and aiding with recovery from it. When a person was confident that he or she was recovered from the disease, he or she was to submit to a purification ceremony from the priest to ensure—as much as was possible in ancient times—that he or she was indeed healed and could rejoin normal society. In this remarkable account, the healing occurred miraculously and unmistakably as the men exercised faith and went to see the priest.

It is almost inconceivable that anyone could be cured from a frightening disease such as leprosy, which isolated a man or woman from family and friends and cut him or her off from normal events in society and the synagogue, and not be abundantly and permanently grateful. But that is exactly what happened with nine out of the ten lepers Jesus healed. Furthermore, the grateful one was a Samaritan, which meant he was from the half-breed ethnic group that was the product of Jewish intermarriage with the Canaanites and the Assyrians. Samaritans were despised by devout Jews, and as a result a mutual hatred had developed between the two peoples. So it was indeed remarkable that a Samaritan should be the only one falling on his face at the feet of Jesus, a Jew, and thanking Him.

The story of the ten lepers is a powerful illustration of just how ugly the sin of ingratitude is.

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