Aside from the obvious message of the value and significance of gratitude/thankfulness, the gospel about the story of the ten lepers wants us to examine our own attitudes and intentions in coming or approaching Jesus.
All of the ten lepers wanted to be healed. No question on that. They all believed in what Jesus could do. So, we may say that they all had faith. But what kind of faith? Here lies the difference. The nine lepers who didn’t go back to thank Jesus saw faith purely as a means to an end. It’s all about me. I came to Jesus because I was in need. I see him as a tool to be utilized; yes, I believed in what he could do, but that’s it. Once I got what I wanted, once I got what I desired, then life continues for me just like before. Jesus is out of the picture again. For them, Jesus was essentially a means to an end: Jesus was exploited to accomplish a goal.
By application, we must ask ourselves:
“Is Jesus our Master or just a means to an end?”
“Am I serving God for my gain or to glorify Him?”
“Is my focus on my healing or The Healer?”
Instead of celebrating the healing, we celebrate the Healer like the tenth leper did. Aside from celebrating the blessing, we must celebrate the “Blesser.”
Jesus makes a clear distinction between being healed and being made whole. The tenth
leper was the only one with enough faith for salvation and so he wasn’t just healed, he was made whole: he was healthy in body, soul and spirit. Nine of the lepers settled for being healthy in body only. Likewise, we may frequently seek only material/physical miracles from God, often forgetting to seek out spiritual miracles. Jesus frequently reminds us that the inner man is more important than the outer man.
To accomplish the will of our Master, Jesus, we must be transformed inwardly. Being healed of leprosy in our flesh is of little consequence if we still have leprosy in our spirit. Will we cry out to Jesus for the healing of our spirit/mind as much as we cry out for the healing of our bodies and the healing of our finances? Ten went for sanitation. One returned with salvation. Ten “lepers” in a pew, which one are you? – Fr. Cary