Don’t Miss The Giver Amidst The Gifts

Insight 99 | This past week, something very special happened. The type of moment that you know, with full certainty, was only possible due to its orchestration by God. As such, I have found myself in a particularly grateful mood. One in which I do not tire of giving thanks to the Lord for both this and other smaller details it seems I have suddenly become more sensitive to recognizing.

Naturally, because of this development, I have realized I do not always operate in this state, but it is such a beautiful one to live in. And although I consider myself a grateful guy, today's narrative is a strong wake-up call.

I’ve had to ask myself: do we sometimes become so caught up in our blessings that we lose sight of the one who gives them?

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I have a suspicion that Jesus never failed to hit his ten thousand daily steps. In scripture, it seems that this good man was always on his way somewhere. Traveling from here to there and all around, and on one such journey, as he approached Jerusalem while walking between the border of Samaria and Galilee, ten men with leprosy, a chronic bacterial infection that affects your skin, began to shout at him from a distance.

Out of respect and concern for safety, they stayed a few feet away. Having leprosy, while not always a medical death sentence, was almost certainly a social and economic one. It meant being cast out from society and forced to live separate from everyone else. These individuals were the discarded, the lonely, the forgotten. They had nothing going for them and arguably nothing to be thankful for.

Imagine being one of these men and hearing the whispers of a God-man making his way through the region. Your hopes and dreams would, of course, be to one day meet him! Now consider the joy they must have felt when they found themselves in this very moment as Jesus approaches the edge of town. When they cry for help, Jesus does something interesting; instead of extending a hand and granting them their restoration right then and there, he sends them off to present themselves to the high priest (an interesting note on the correlation between healing and obedience, a topic for a future article). While on their way, they begin to jump for joy as they see their skin heal! Suddenly, they witness their arms, legs, and entire bodies being cleansed.

Considering their state of crisis, one might believe they would not only be ecstatic about this healing but also overcome by gratitude, but here is the part that got me: of the ten, only one, yes, ONE, came back.

When this restored leper returns running to Jesus, he throws himself at his feet and, with a loud voice, praises him. Jesus, humble and kind, realizes this man in particular was not like the others, not only because he came back to say thank you while the others ran on ahead, but because he was a foreigner, specifically a Samaritan. This is worth noting, given the cultural differences prevalent at that time and place. Jesus, taken aback by this act of appreciation, which was made even more impressive by its humility, stands him up, asks about the other nine, and then sends him on his way.

Scripture does not give a name to any of the ten men and only distinguishes the one who comes back as a Samaritan and a foreigner. This is special for two reasons: the first, because we can so easily find ourselves in this narrative, either as a part of the nine or like the one. Yes, we too can relate to feelings of loneliness or rejection from time to time, and we know what it’s like to cry out to God in faith and hope for an answer we like. Secondly, the one with the least reason to be grateful, the outcast among outcasts, is the one who chooses to come back. It is this man, and only this man, who is humble enough to turn around.

We could end this article right here and now, talking about the importance of being grateful, of turning around and praising the Lord (which we should certainly always do), but that would still miss the last and most important point of this story. The one who turned back was not only different physically and culturally; I believe he also had a heart he hadn't allowed to fully harden to the world's harshness. This one leper, the one who came back, was different in a distinct way as well, one that made him particularly sensitive not only to the Lord's healing but also to the Lord's identity.

Because of Jesus' last words to him, we know this leper had held out hope amid difficulties and maintained faith despite them. And we also know that it is for this reason he not only received the blessing but was also able to fully embrace the one behind it. Jesus leaves him with one final thought: “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19).

At this moment, my previous understanding of the story changed. We, as humans, can so easily become hardened by this world that we get caught up in false, transactional interactions with God that contain dialogue but no relationship. When we are not intentional about remaining actively grateful with childlike, innocent faith, we risk settling for gifts when the great Giver is waiting right there, only a prayer away, with his arms wide open.

The other lepers may have seen a prophet who did them a favor, but the one who came back to say thank you met a friend, the Savior who had come to redeem them ALL.

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In a world where we optimize for everything, have the latest systems, and are constantly updating to operate efficiently, perhaps we have been fine-tuning the wrong thing.

There's all this talk about the “top 1%,” but it's completely irrelevant to what truly matters. Sure, physical training, cleaner eating habits, intentional morning routines, and healthy ambition are all part of becoming a better person, but it means nothing if we gain all this while losing our soul, if we focus on the earthly and forgo the heavenly (Matthew 16:26).

What we really should be striving to be like is the thankful leper, the one who had no reason to press on AND YET kept his faith. The very thing that allowed him to see clearly when the 

Savior of the world stood before him.

This also extends to those around us. We too often fall into feelings of entitlement and take them and their work for granted. We notice the action and miss the person! This article is a call to both reconnect with our circles and tell them we’re thankful for who they are and what they do, just as we are to do the same with the Lord.

So yes, this week, go ahead and ask God for whatever you need; he encourages us to do so, as he has promised to provide our every need. But don’t just ask for “more.” Turn around and run back into his arms. Say thank you. And never settle for the blessing when the Blesser is standing right in front of you.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

Sources:

Primary Passage, Story Of The Ten Lepers: Gospel of Luke 17:11–19

A Call To Gratitude: “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Do Not Allow Your Heart To Be Hardened: “As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’” — Hebrews 3:15

Careful To Not Mistake Dialogue For Relationship: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.