A Savior That Knows Us

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 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!’

When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. 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. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”

- Luke 17:11-19

In Luke 17, Jesus encounters some of the lowest of the lows.

Lepers, social outcasts, the ceremonially “unclean.” He invites them to go to the priests, they have faith and go, and on their way they are cleansed of their leprosy.

At the end of telling this story, an interesting point is included, one leper comes back and thanks Jesus.

I always find this passage fascinating because the focus isn’t simply the miracle of healing. Luke includes the shocking point that only one, a hated Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus.

This story strikes me because it shows how personal Jesus is to us. He isn’t just some wizard casting spells and healing people. He is more concerned about the inner workings of the heart.

Yes, all ten of them followed the religious ritual of going to the priest, and by faith were physically healed. But only one showed a true inner heart changed. Only one came back flooded with gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise, ready to acknowledge the person of Jesus, not just the outworkings of his power.

How often do we come to God simply looking for the product of his power?

How often do we want to perform enough spiritual rituals to get the healing or outcome we had been praying for? How often do we get the answer to prayer we were wanting and never even think about thanking God? I’m not too ashamed to admit that there are many mountaintop moments where I finally got what I wanted, and thanking God is an afterthought.

Friends, our Savior is personal. He knows you, he knows the inner workings of your heart. He deeply loves you and notices how your heart shifts and changes. He notices when you don’t experience gratitude - not to shame you. But because He cares about your future and shaping you more and more into his image.

It’s time to do a heart check. As we approach Easter and reflect on the work Christ did on the cross, it’s time to ask ourselves, are our hearts changed and moved to gratitude by the saving work of Jesus? Or are we just looking for the product of his power? Are we overly focused on the “Get Out of Jail Free” card that salvation offers?

Friends, this Easter, our hearts should be deeply grieved if the only thing we’re concerned about is what God can GET us.

What healing, what future success, or what personal gain. Instead, we must encounter him in a deep, personal, messy, real way. And let him change us. Let him change our hearts so that we would be like the one leper who came back and fell at the feet of Jesus with thanksgiving.

If that’s not you today, if your heart isn’t radically transformed, don’t worry. You’re not alone, we’re all “works in progress,” easily numbed by the brokenness of the world. But this Easter, let’s spend some time focusing on the person of Jesus who knows our hearts. Who knows the inner workings of our mind. And as we get to know him, watch as he shapes us into the person we’re made to be. As we get to know him let’s celebrate the relationship we have with him, rather than the product his power can get us.

Cristina Schmitter

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