Master

“As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’” - Luke 17:12-13

In Luke 17, we find one of Jesus’ many amazing miracles. It is a miracle about the healing of ten lepers. In order to understand this story we must think about leprosy in the way we think about Ebola today. It was by far the most serious disease in Biblical times. The very word could strike fear into entire cities. Those carrying the disease were forced into isolation because leprosy could be transmitted by breathing, bodily contact, or even contact with their clothing. As Jesus goes walking by this village of lepers, they cry out and ask Him to heal them.

Notice how they addressed Jesus in verse 13, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” It is not too surprising that they knew His name. He had been traveling around and performing miracles for three years so His reputation preceded Him. What is interesting, however, is that they chose to call Jesus “Master.” Why use that word? This is the only time in the Bible anyone other than one of Christ’s followers called Him “Master.” It literally means, “Commander and Chief.”

Only people who had the authority to do extraordinary things were ever given this title. Yet somehow, a group of discarded lepers had become convinced that Jesus was in complete command of life, death, sickness, and health. They knew He was not just their best hope, but also their only hope for healing. The moment these ten men were healed nobody had to tell them who had done it. They knew God had done it through Jesus.

Every day we ought to be thankful. The very breath that we take and every beat of our hearts is simply a result of the grace of God. Do you know what those ten lepers knew? God is the only one who keeps you alive. He is the one who supplies your needs and answers your prayers. Do you see the many reasons you have to be thankful to Master Jesus?

Father, thank You for the gift of life today. Help me to have a spirit of gratitude and not ever take Your many gifts for granted. In Jesus’ name, amen.