Have you ever been disappointed in someone? Have you ever realized too late that you have been taken advantage of? Have you ever helped someone and never received even a “thank you” in return? I’m sure most, if not all of us, can answer yes to at least one of those questions. The tendency is for us to become coldhearted and declare, “I will never be in that situation again!” Most of us would also feel that we are perfectly right to have such an attitude after the way we have been treated.
While the above attitude is certainly understandable, it is not necessarily what God would have us to do. Remember that Jesus could also answer yes to all the above questions, many times over, yet His reaction was quite different from ours. In Luke 17:11-17, Jesus came upon ten lepers. They lived a miserable existence, and they earnestly pled for mercy from Jesus. He extended mercy, healed them and told them to show themselves to the priest. Somewhere along the way, they were healed, but only one returned to thank Jesus for such a wonderful blessing. Luke emphasized that this one was a Samaritan, one that most Jews would look upon with great disfavor. In verse 17, Jesus asked a pointed question, which may indicate the sadness in his heart, “Where are the nine?” Yes, Jesus was disappointed many times over, especially by the Jewish leaders, but he never quit showing kindness.
What about ourselves? Have we ever disappointed God? Have we ever overlooked thanking Him for some great blessing? Again, I’m sure all of us could answer those questions in the affirmative. However, God has not and will not turn His back on us. He loves us in spite of our weaknesses. He will continually forgive, even though we continue to make mistakes. If God will do that for us, maybe we need to rethink our declaration, “I will never help anyone again!” “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you”(Matthew 7:2).
