Introduction

Some of us walked in today with full calendars and thin reserves. Bills on the table, worries in the heart, a sigh that sits a little too close to the surface. We could use a fresh breath of grace. We could use the reminder that God isn’t just good to us; He is near to us. Near on the mountaintop. Near in the middle of a mess. Near in the ordinary Tuesday when the coffee is cold and the traffic is hot.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” That line lands like a friendly hand on the shoulder. Gratitude does something to us. Gratitude tunes our ears to the music of mercy. Gratitude steadies our steps when the ground feels wobbly. Gratitude clears the fog so we can see Jesus again.

Luke gives us a story for hearts like ours. Ten men cry out. Ten lives hang in the balance. Ten voices ask for mercy. A word is spoken. A walk is taken. Skin clears. Strength returns. And then—one turns around. One comes back. One finds more than clean skin; he finds a whole soul. Could it be that the shortest road to a deeper healing is a simple pivot back to Jesus with a thankful heart?

Have you ever been helped and hurried on without a thank you? Have you ever realized that God answered a prayer you whispered months ago, and you barely looked up to say, “I see it, Lord—thank You”? Today, let’s come back. Let’s bring loud gratitude and low hearts—voices lifted high and knees bent low. Let’s return to Jesus and watch Him complete what He started. Let’s offer thanks and discover that thanksgiving opens doors we didn’t know were there. And then, let’s practice this—right now, later today, and tomorrow morning—so that we live under the smile of God’s blessing.

Here is the story, and here is our Savior in it:

Luke 17:11–19 (KJV) 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Maybe you need this word today: the God who hears your cry is the God who welcomes your thanks. He loves the sound of your gratitude. He knows what gratefulness does in you. It stitches up the frayed parts. It strengthens tired hands. It teaches your tongue to tell the truth about God’s goodness. And as you come back to Him—again and again—He completes the healing He began. He doesn’t just fix what is broken; He fills what is empty. He doesn’t just clean the skin; He calms the soul. Could that be what you need? A returning heart. A thankful voice. A faith that walks and a faith that turns around.

So, friend, bring your need and bring your thanks. Bring your past with its bruises and your present with its pressures. Bring your whisper and your shout. Jesus is here. He is kind. He is ready. And when you come back to Him—today, this very moment—you stand under a wide, warm waterfall of blessing.

Opening Prayer: Father, we come to You with open hands and hopeful hearts. Thank You for hearing our cries and for meeting us with mercy. Thank You for every quiet kindness we’ve missed and every loud rescue we’ve noticed. By Your Spirit, turn our hearts back to Jesus. Teach us to return quickly, to say “thank You” freely, and to walk in the wholeness only You can give. Open our eyes to see Your goodness, open our lips to glorify Your name, and open our lives to live under Your blessing. Make us grateful people who run to You and rest in You. In the name of Jesus, our Healer and our Hope, amen.

Return to Jesus to complete the healing

Healing in this scene comes in layers. There is the first touch you can see. Then there is the deeper work that reaches who you are. Ten people feel change in their bodies as they obey. One person comes back to the Healer. Jesus speaks a fresh word over that person. He says the faith at work here has brought real wellness. That tells us something important. Relief is good. Completion comes when we return to the Lord with thanks.

Think about what happens when someone comes close again. Distance gives way to presence. A person who had been kept on the edge now stands right at the feet of Jesus. Gratitude is the step that brings him there. Praise rises. Face goes to the ground. This is more than manners. This is worship. In that place of worship, Jesus moves from a general act of mercy to a personal word of blessing. The person is seen, named, and sent in peace.

We also see how faith works from start to finish. Faith hears a command and starts walking. Faith also sees the gift and turns back. It is the same trust, lived in two directions. First toward the priests, because that is what the Lord said. Then toward the Lord again, because the heart realizes who did this. The turn is simple. The turn is decisive. That turn opens the way for a fuller work in the soul.

This story shows that thanks is not extra. Thanks is part of healing. Many want the cure and keep moving. One stops, looks, and honors God. That act marks the person in a lasting way. Gratitude keeps the heart from hardening. Gratitude keeps the person close to the Giver. In that closeness, the Lord does more than restore health. He restores life with Him.

Jesus sends the ten to the priests. That command fits the law of Moses. The priests confirm cleansing and welcome people back into the camp. The ten start walking while their skin still shows disease. This is faith in action. They trust His word before they see proof. As they walk, the change shows up on their bodies. The way opens before them because the Lord has spoken.

Now see what happens next. The person who returns is still obeying Jesus. He is obeying the Lord’s heart. He recognizes the source of mercy and goes straight there. He falls at the feet of the One whose word has power to heal and to declare clean. Jesus meets him with another word. A first word sets him on the road to restoration in the community. A second word brings wholeness that reaches deeper than a test by a priest.

There is also a lesson about how the voice of Jesus works. When He speaks, things change. When He speaks again, things are completed. We need that second word. We need the presence and the blessing that only come from Him face to face. Obedience starts the walk. Worship keeps us near. Together they open the way to a full life.

At first, all ten stand at a distance. Disease kept them away from people and places of worship. They lift their voices from afar. Mercy meets them while they stand out there. Yet the one who returns does not stay far away. He comes close. He lowers himself at Jesus’ feet. The gap closes. This is where the deeper work happens.

Nearness matters. There is healing in the presence of Jesus that goes beyond visible change. In His nearness, fear calms down. Shame loses its grip. The person before Him is more than a case to be managed. He is a beloved image-bearer with a name and a story. Jesus speaks to him directly and sends him on with peace. That is what nearness brings.

Gratitude is the step that carries us from far to near. It is simple. It is concrete. It is a voice raised to honor God. When we thank Him, we bring our whole selves. Body, mind, and spirit line up. Our eyes open wider to grace. Our ears tune to His voice. Our feet find their way to His feet. And in that place, He makes us sound in ways we did not even know we needed.

There is a line in the story that matters. “When he saw that he was healed, he turned back.” Seeing leads to turning. Turning leads to thanking. Thanking leads to wholeness. Many receive help and miss this chain. We can learn it. We can practice it every time we notice an answer, a kindness, a door opening. Name it. Turn to Him. Give glory to God. Come close.

Thanksgiving is truth-telling. It names God as the Giver. It sets the heart in the right place. It guards us from slipping into self-congratulation or forgetfulness. When we tell the truth about what God has done, we make room for Him to do even more. The Spirit uses this simple movement to mend what is torn inside us, to steady our steps, and to shape us into people who live awake to grace.

Gratitude also rebuilds community. The priests reintroduce a cleansed person to public life. Worship reintroduces a grateful person to God’s presence. The man who returns leaves the category of “leper” and stands as a worshiper. His loud praise is an announcement that God is at work here and now. That public thanks becomes a witness that strengthens others who are listening.

Luke points out that the thankful man is a Samaritan. He stands outside the usual group. He is the last person the crowd would expect to model mature faith. Yet he becomes the picture of what faith looks like in real time. He takes the grace he has received and brings it back to the Giver with open praise. Jesus notices him. Jesus honors his trust. Jesus holds him up as the one who got the heart of the matter.

This tells us something about how God’s grace reaches across lines. It reaches into surprising stories. It lifts the person the crowd overlooks. Gratitude levels the ground. In the act of thanking, the man steps into a new kind of belonging. He is no longer defined by disease or by ethnicity in this moment. He is defined by faith that returns and worship that rings out.

There is also a hint of priestly work here. The law sends cleansed people to priests for verification. The Samaritan may face barriers there. He finds no barrier when he comes to Jesus. He honors God where the mercy met him. Jesus receives him. Jesus blesses him. Jesus sends him on with a word that reaches to the core.

When Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well,” He is speaking about more than skin. He is speaking about rescue, wellness, and salvation that touches every layer of life. The person who returns receives that word. This shows the way for us. When grace touches us, we come back. When we come back, He finishes what He began.

Give thanks and become whole

The scene slows down around verses 15–16 ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO