#DailyDevotion We Should Give Thanks To God Like The Samaritan

Luke 17:15-18 ¹⁵One of them, seeing he was healed, turned back and loudly praised God. ¹⁶He bowed to the ground at His feet and thanked Him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷“Weren’t there ten cleansed?” Jesus asked. “But the nine — where are they? ¹⁸Weren’t there any who came back to give God glory except this foreigner?” ¹⁹And He told him, “Get up and go! Your faith made you well.”

One, one turned back and loudly praised God for his healing. One bowed to the ground at “His” feet and thanked “Him.” You may wonder why I put those pronouns in quotes. I just want to call your attention to the fact the man was praising God and fell down at God’s feet and thanked God. Some translations insert the name of Jesus where “His” is. While it may be helpful in one instance to know the name of whose feet it is being bowed to and to whom was given thanks, but some may use this insertion to deny Jesus is the God whom the Samaritan was giving thanks to and worshiping. The Samaritan recognized in his healing who is it that said, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” Yes, it was Jesus, but even more so, Jesus is God. There are some in certain circles who call themselves Christian, who belong to Trinitarian denominations who seem to have fallen off the horse recognizing Jesus is God. They say, “No, he is the Son of God” as if Son of God is something less than God. This is the ancient Arian heresy (false teaching). The Father didn’t beget something less than him from all eternity. The Father begat the Son from all eternity, someone who is equally divine and one with himself. Jesus isn’t any less God than the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Each person totally God, equal in power, wisdom, glory and might.

Jesus seems surprised the other nine didn’t recognize him. Now some will argue the Samaritan didn’t have priest to go and show himself to but that is not true. The Samaritans had a version of the Torah, not much different than the Torah used by the Jews. They had their own place of worship and priesthood through whom the regulations of the Torah were to be carried out. He could have gone to one of his priests like the Jewish former lepers went to go to. But he, just with his Torah recognized who healed him and made him whole. He recognized Jesus was the Messiah, the very Son of God.

So Jesus tells the man to get up and go. This Samaritan to go back to his people and tell them about Jesus just as the Samaritan woman at the well. When the apostles late went back through Samaria proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection, their hearts would be prepared to receive it through this Samaritan previous word. His faith had made him well. Would that we all had such faith. But we must realize the purpose of such miracles Jesus and the apostles did. They were to point us to Jesus as the one whom God has sent as the Savior of the world. The miracles the apostles did show their message about Jesus is authentic. If you don’t perform miracles and heal people or even yourself do not berate your faith too much. Your faith in Jesus will make you whole at the resurrection on the Last Day. We are to point to Jesus and his miracles to show who Jesus is and what he promises to do when he ushers in his kingdom. He has not told you to go and show yourself to the priest. He calls you to believe he is the High Priest who sacrificed himself for your salvation.

Heavenly Father, grant us faith to turn to your Son Jesus Christ, fall on faces before him worshiping him and giving him thanks for the salvation he has won for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.