11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, 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 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
This story epitomizes the condition of the heart today. When people are desperate they are willing to do anything to resolve their issue. One such story comes to mind. A young Samaritan girl was diagnosed with cancer and required a bone marrow transplant. They attempted to do the transplant and it did not take for her body rejected it. In her desperation she was willing to do anything to stay alive. Her family shared her willingness. Finally she heard of an alternative method of dealing with her body’s immune system but she would have to travel a great distance to check out this toxin removal methodology. Money was no issue for she was on the road to death much like the lepers. After all, she couldn’t take her money with her. The Samaritan girl made the trip and began the process of toxin removal. A few weeks later she made another trip, then another. Suddenly, there was another bone marrow transplant process available and she agreed to do it. This time it worked. She was excited and sent word to everyone that she beat the cancer and credited the transplant process. She forgot that fact that the toxin removal process allowed her immune system to function on a more normal basis. Would the transplant have worked without the toxin removal? I doubt it. However, once a person is no longer desperate he or she tends to have a short memory about his or her deliverance.
This fictional story depicts the state of man’s heart today. At the core is greed. If a man is diagnosed by a top clinic in the world to have less than six months to live, he will do anything, he will spend anything, and he will go anywhere in an attempt to live. But once the cancer is resolved or contained, greed once again sets in. His gratefulness dissipates in record time. Rather than make it his mission to see that others who are less fortunate get the same opportunity to live, he gets back to his life before the threat of cancer. Where is Our Heavenly Father’s Love in his life? What happened to his gratefulness?
Fear and greed are interesting to observe, especially in their subtleties. Ten lepers were healed but only one was truly grateful for his life. Jesus did not required his servitude but did expect his gratitude. Jesus did not force the leper to be grateful but did express His approval of the leper’s actions.
Everyone wants a solution that promotes worry-free health on a personal level. Very few care whether the less fortunate attain the same state of health. It is all about “me and my four and no more!” The Scripture has many stories that parallel the lepers’ responses to deliverance. Rather than asking the question “What’s in it for me?” you should be asking “How can I help?”
What a sad commentary.