Two Little Words

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him – and he was a Samaritan.” - Luke 17:15-16

A part of the body that is always affected in leprosy patients, eventually, is the vocal cords. Over time, your voice becomes squeaky and raspy until your larynx effectively shuts down. In Luke 17:15, we see that this leper knew he had been healed, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. The Bible tells us that he praised God in a loud voice. The words “loud voice” in the Greek language give us the word, “Megaphone.”

It had been so long since this sick man could hear himself, much less anyone else hearing his voice. And here he is praising God at the top of his lungs. People might have been able to hear him all over the city. And what did he say to Jesus? “Thank You.” We should never underestimate the power of those two little words…even to God.

We live in a world of ingratitude. Just go to a restaurant and watch how many people get their food, eat it, and never even acknowledge the God that both gives them that food and grants them the ability to eat it and enjoy it. In this recorded miracle we see that Jesus loves to hear us say, “Thank You,” but also that it hurts Him when we don’t thank Him. After the leper thanks Jesus He asks, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” Of course, these are rhetorical questions because Jesus already knew the answer. What He was really asking is, “What is wrong with this picture?”

The truth about gratitude is this: You are either the one leper or you are the nine. All of us fit into one of these categories. Are you grateful, or ungrateful? Do you take the time to thank God, or just go about your day? As believers in Christ, we have every reason to be thankful.

Father, please help me to be like the one leper who thanked You. In Jesus’ name, amen.