As Christ journeyed to Jerusalem He came upon a village plagued with leprosy. When He arrived He saw ten lepers who carefully kept their distance from the Lord. They cried out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13 KJV). He told them to go to the priests and as they did all ten of them were healed. However, only one of them was spiritually made whole. When the other nine walked away after being healed, only the one turned and gave thanks to the Master. Jesus questioned him regarding the other nine and told him he was made whole by his faith (17:17-19). The other nine could have claimed to be grateful but only the one who showed it was accepted by Christ.

Thanksgiving may be a holiday that comes around once each year, but it is something Christians should practice daily. This includes more than claiming to be thankful in speech or in prayer. Notice the leper did not just turn around and speak words. He supplemented those words by throwing his entire body at the feet of Christ. That is the moment the Lord describes him as “giving him thanks” (17:16). Claiming to be thankful to the Lord is one thing. Proving that gratitude in a lifestyle is something totally different. The inference in this passage is that Christ condemned the other nine and received the faith of only the one.

This account is very symbolic and practical in the lives of Christians today. Leprosy was an incurable disease that destroyed the physical body. Sin is an incurable disease that destroys our spiritual body. The nine thought they were healed, but truly their greatest ailment had not yet been cleansed. Sincere gratitude was reflected in the decision of the one to lay down his life at the feet of Christ. That is the measure of a thankful heart today. Therefore, every individual must ask the question, “Am I one of the nine or am I the one?”

As Israel wondered through the wilderness those forty years God always provided their necessities. They were not always happy with the menu, but God was faithful. Interestingly, there were two special cases in which God provided them water from a rock. On the first occasion He instructed Moses to smite the rock and he obeyed (Ex 17:6). However, on the second occasion his instructions were to speak to the rock (Num 20:8). Instead, Moses smote the rock as he had before. He disobeyed God and lost his passage into the Promised Land. While this was certainly discouraging for Moses, he may not have realized the significance of the rock he had smitten. The apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that this rock was Christ (1 Cor 10:4).

In the omniscient mind of God, He used this rock as a shadow of His Son. Just as the rock was smitten unjustly so was the Son of God (Matt 26:67). That smitten rock brought forth water abundantly for the people. Christ taught that He was the water of life (Rev 21:6). Furthermore, Israel had to make the decision and effort to drink the water presented before them. For those who desire to drink of Christ’s water today, they must decide to drink of it as well. Another consideration would be the point in which the water flowed. There was no water for Israel until it was smitten. Although Christ was on Earth in the flesh, salvation was not available until He was smitten likewise. Considering these comparisons certainly explains why Paul would describe that rock as Christ. Christ is the Rock of Ages who was smitten for the salvation of all who will accept it.

One of the most well-known Messianic prophecies is found in the fifty third chapter of Isaiah. The prophet foretells the suffering, the rejection, the scourging, and even the burden of sin Christ would endure on the cross. However, there is a phrase often overlooked by Christians that is commonly noted by the skeptics of our Lord. Isaiah wrote, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7a, emp added). Obviously this cannot be taken literally as if He would not drink, eat, or even breathe through His mouth between the garden and the cross. We know this has reference to His speech, but skeptics are quick to remind us that Christ spoke several times from the garden to the cross. Does this prove the Bible is errant or that Christ wasn’t really the Messiah?

When the prophet Isaiah referenced Christ not opening His mouth He didn’t mean He would not speak a single word during His trials and crucifixion. Instead, Isaiah was referencing that Christ would not speak freely in giving a defense for Himself. If we compare Christ with men like Philip, Peter, and Paul we notice a significant difference in the amount of words used during their trials. Any other man would speak out to defend himself and attempt to have his charges dropped. Clearly Christ had more of a defense than in man ever had or ever will have. Yet, He chose to simply respond to their questions and speak God’s Word to a few individuals along the way (Matthew 27:11, Luke 23:43). In fact, there were times He chose not to speak at all (Matt 26:62-63). He didn’t freely speak out to defend Himself or argue with his oppressors, nor did He call twelve legions of angels. What a powerful display of submission to God and love for mankind!