11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 17:11-19 (KJV)
I have read this verse and even studied it over time, but this time as I was reading through I noticed a small phrase I had not taken notice of before, “save this stranger”. Every word, every verse and every written comment in the Bible was inspired by God that we may be equipped for His good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If every word, every phrase and every sentence has a meaning, then what is the reason for distinctly pointing out that the one whom returned was a stranger?
When we re-read this verse, we can see “save this stranger” directly correlates to the last phrase, “thy faith hath made thee whole.” Whole in the English language as defined by Merriam-Webster is; free of wound or injury, healed, physically sound and healthy, and complete. Whole within the English context deals with the body and external completeness. As we study deeper, whole as defined within Strongs G4982, is not only relating to physical healing but traces back to the word sozo. Sozo as it relates to Luke 17:19 does not stop at the physical but goes one step further into this individual’s spiritual revelation of who Christ is, our Lord and Savior.
Within Strongs, spiritual wholeness is defined as,” to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save”. This stranger, this Samaritan was not only physically healed, but through his confession and evidence of faith he was saved. We can see this salvation through the Samaritan’s faith as stated by Jesus, “your faith hath made thee whole”. As we know, Romans 10:9 states, “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. What a revelation, this Samaritan, “this stranger”, received complete physical and spiritual healing through salvation when he proclaimed God’s Glory through Christ and believed in his heart as noted, “your faith”.
This revelation by a stranger, this ability for a stranger to recognize God’s Grace through Christ made me begin to think about non-strangers, you and I. As members of God’s household, living in His glory and having received salvation through our Savior, do we take God’s everyday protections, blessings, goodness and favor for granted? 1Thessalonians 5:18 states,” In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” God’s will is we give thanks in all things, that we give thanks for the conveniences we enjoy or the essentials that are made available to us as we live out our days. Through winter storm Uri we were reminded not to take everyday conveniences for granted.
The notion of giving praise continually reminded me of a time when I was in Junior High. We had a school bus driver, a pastor of a small church and he would regularly give thanks every time we went over train tracks, safely passed through an intersection, whatever it was, he would give God the glory. I remember one time as we traveled down a dirt road, a pivot sprinkler got stuck near the road and created a very large mud puddle right in the middle of the road. There was not a way to get around this puddle and we were too far down the road to back up or turn around. The driver stopped the bus, said a prayer and we passed on through the mud. On the other side of the mud, as in every other circumstance, he praised God and gave thanks for getting us safely through. At the time I did not understand and was not as appreciative as I should have been, but what a marvelous example and testament to the verse above and how it ties into 1Thessalonians, “give thanks in all things.”
In your time of prayer and devotion, I encourage you to stop, take a moment and evaluate your daily walk with Christ as it relates to this passage. Are you recognizing the blessings, turning back and glorifying God in all things? Do you give thanks for your family? Many people over the past couple of years have lost someone they love and the realization of our lives only being a “mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14) has really been impressed upon me. We are not on this earth for very long and we do not know the exact number of days, so we should make the best of everyday.
As we walk through our days and continue to be the light, the example God created us to be, I encourage you to be cognizant of the graciousness or lack of graciousness we express for God’s blessings and favor. We should remember, every day is a blessing, God’s love never ceases and His mercies are made new each day (Lamentations 3:22-23). If God begins new each day, then I believe we should. Close the door to the past, repent of what the Lord leads you to release and live free and unbound from condemnation and bondage. God has a plan for your life, a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, a plan to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Take this opportunity to look around and be thankful for the blessings in your life. As it states in God’s Word, give praise in all circumstances and you too can become whole and live a victorious life speaking His Word!
Dear Lord, thank You for the blessings in our life that are known and unknown. We, as believers in the Way (Acts 24:14), take this opportunity to give thanks for the areas in our lives where we have been blessed and/or protected and not given You the Glory. We thank You for Your love, Your strength and Your salvation! We love You and give you all the glory, honor and praise. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.
Shalom!!
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