Thanking Him
[11-29-09]
Luke 17:12-19) 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.
NOTE: Misery loves company! One of these 10 lepers was a Samaritan, a half-breed, who the Jews despised. However, this leper was seemingly welcome among the other 9 because they were all lepers. Their common plight did away with their racist attitudes.
ANOTHER NOTE: Only 1 out of 10 returned to give Him thanks for His healing them, the Samaritan. I wonder if we only remember to thank God for about 10% of the things we ask Him for, and receive.
QUESTION: What did the Samaritan leper thank Him for?
ANSWER: He thanked Him for healing him. He received a visible answer to prayer and he responded with worship.
Matthew 15:30-38) And great multitudes came unto him, having with them [those that were] lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
31) Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Concerning “maimed,”
“having lost a limb, an arm, or a leg, or so enfeebled by some disease or another, as the palsy, that their limbs were useless to them” [Gill].
“Those to whom a hand or foot was wanting. See Mat_18:8. To cure them – that is, to restore a hand or foot – was a direct act of creative power. It is no wonder, therefore, that the people wondered” [Barnes].
Matthew 18:8) Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire
NOTE: It certainly appears to me from the language of verse 31 that “maimed” referred to those who had lost a member of their physical body, either through an illness such as leprosy, or as a result of an accident, or as a result of physical torture, or as a result of a birth defect. WHAT A MIRACLE WORKING GOD WE HAVE!
32) Then Jesus called his disciples [unto him], and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
33) And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
34) And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
35) And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36) And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake [them], and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
37) And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken [meat] that was left seven baskets full.
38) And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
NOTE: This is the 2nd time that Jesus fed a multitude. In the previous chapter (Matthew 14:14-21) He fed “about five thousand men, beside women and children.” In this chapter He feeds “four thousand men, beside women and children.” In the feeding of the 5000+ they had 5 loaves and 2 fishes; in the feeding of the 4000+ they had 7 loaves and a few little fishes. In the 1st feeding He “blessed” the food; in this 2nd feeding He “gave thanks” for the food. In Chapter 14’s story Jesus sends the disciples on ahead of Him in a boat while He “went up into a mountain apart to pray.” When the boat is in trouble in a storm Jesus walks on the water to rescue them. In Chapter 15’s story they all sail together to “the coasts of Magdala.”
QUESTION: What did Jesus give thanks for? He had thousands of hungry people to feed and only had “7 loaves and a few little fishes” to feed them with.
Romans 4:17-21) [GW] as Scripture says: “I have made you a father of many nations.” Abraham believed when he stood in the presence of the God who gives life to dead people and calls into existence things that don’t even exist.
18) When there was nothing left to hope for, Abraham still hoped and believed. As a result, he became a father of many nations, as he had been told: “That is how many descendants you will have.”
19) Abraham didn’t weaken. Through faith he regarded the facts: His body was already as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old, and Sarah was unable to have children.
20) He didn’t doubt God’s promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, giving honor to God for the promise, he became strong because of faith
21) and was absolutely confident that God would do what he promised.
Hebrews 11:1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(CEV) Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.
(GW) Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.
ANSWER: Jesus thanked His Father for the 7 loaves and few fishes because He knew, by faith, that His Father was about to perform a miracle and multiply the food so that it would feed the 4000+ who were gathered there.