As I was searcing the internet for a bible verse that sounded good for a Thanksgiving day Facebook post in my fourth straight hour of bible study, I landed in Luke’s account of the Gospel. There are two words in chapter seventeen I believe are appropriate for Thanksgiving but first, let’s talk about how terrible leprosy is. Bet you never thought you’d see those two words in the same sentence.

If you were on Family Fued and Steve Harvey asked for the top five things people remember Jesus healing, the man with leprosy in verse fourteen is making the cut. Until today, I had no idea how brutal this now rare disease is. How do I know its rare? Because I Googled it, you’re welcome.

Most commonly known symptoms are skin related: open wounds, ulcers, hair loss, lumps, bumps, etc. But it also ravages the nervous system and anything with a mucous membrane. Left untreated, it can cause blindness, shortening of fingers and toes, paralysis, and permanent disfigurement. Painful would not begin to describe the complete misery of having every inch of your body and mind screaming in agony every moment of every day. With that background, you’ll understand how appropriate one man’s response to Jesus’ healing him is.

“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks to Him.”

Luke 17:15-16a (NASB)

Who knows how long these people were suffering. Based on the symptoms, even one day would be unbearable. The only appropriate response to an immediate healing of a very public disease would be loud praise and falling on your face in gratitude. In what I believe is cautionary for our benefit, Jesus calls out the other nine men for an absolute lack of response. Not a word. None “except for this one foreigner,” Jesus said. Can you imagine being remembered in history as the people who didn’t say “thank you” to J-e-s-u-s? Or the guy who slapped him. Or the guy who’s name is forever attached to the phrase “the one who betrayed Jesus.” Oof.

Praise and thanksgiving are the only appropriate responses to what Jesus has done for you.

When Jesus was betrayed, beaten, scourged and murdered on a cross, He did it so the world would have an opportunity to receive forgiveness of sin and avoid an eternity of something inexpicably worse than anything you or I will experience here on earth. Be the foreigner today. Be loud with praise and thankgiving. Fall on your face. Give God the glory He deserves for His love, all He’s done and is doing in your life!

“…Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 (NASB)