Anyone who knows me or has spent any time with me at all knows I tend to be a little loud. The more excited I get, the louder I become. I have often said it’s because I married someone loud. We are sometimes referred to as the loud family.
There are times in life that call for us to be loud. A celebration, a sports game, seeing someone you haven’t seen in a while, maybe a surprise. You can probably think of many reasons to be loud. When there is something good to share, we want to be heard!
The same was true for a leper that Jesus healed.
When we look at Luke 17:11-19, we see 10 lepers that Jesus cleansed. A Samaritan and nine Jews. They had begged Jesus to have mercy on them (v. 13). So, Jesus sent them to the priests and at that point they were cleansed (v.14). Afterwards, the Samaritan, a foreigner, came to Jesus and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks (v. 15-16). Jesus acknowledged that he was the only one who came with thanksgiving and said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well” (v.19). The man received not only physical healing, but spiritual healing as well. He was transformed.
When you read this story, you can feel the excitement of the Samaritan. He was excited and grateful for the healing he had received. Having been a foreigner and a leper, he had much to be thankful for. He made sure to give glory to God (v.18).
But, what about the nine other lepers? It appears that they just went on their way with no thanks or appreciation at all. They didn’t share what Jesus had done. We are to assume that they were healed physically but not spiritually.
Think about this. When is the last time you found yourself being loud about something Jesus has done in your life? Are you quick to give God glory or are you like the nine lepers who accepted Jesus’ blessing but kept it quiet? Do you still share the same excitement that you did when you first gave your heart to Jesus?
We should long to be like the Samaritan. We live in a world that needs to hear about the good works of the Lord. As Christians we need to be loud about how God has healed us spiritually. This is the Gospel.
Today I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts.
- If you have lost the ability to be loud, ask God to give you a renewed sense of excitement for the things God is doing and has done.
- If you have never experienced the spiritual healing that the leper did then why not today? I can help you with that.
Fun fact: This is my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, now my sister and brother in Christ on the day they were baptized. They have been healed spiritually.