Where Are the Nine? (1-3-12)

Luke 17:17 - "And Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?""

Here in Luke chapter 17 we have an amazing account of Jesus healing ten lepers. I just want to share a quick devotional thought from this passage and in particular from the question that Jesus asks. This is the account given to us in Luke 17:11-18 - "And it came about while He was on the way to Jerusalem, that He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a certain village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And when He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed. 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 His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Rise, and go your way; your faith has made you well.”"
Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned, so He asked these questions, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?" Jesus was looking for all ten to come back to Him and glorify God but only one did. That's pretty good right? Jesus got ten percent back, isn't that enough? Can you believe that Jesus had the audacity to ask where the other ninety percent was? He should've been satisfied with one out of ten, right? Of course this is a ridiculous thought, and we all readily agree that all of these men should have returned to give glory to God. They were all cleansed 100 percent. The least they could've done is return and thank Him. When we read this account we tend to shake our heads at the response of the nine, but do we respond the same way? Jesus has cleansed each one of us 100 percent. We owe ourselves completely to Him. We were hopelessly lost in sin, separated from God, enemies of God, but God in His great love with which He loved us sent forth His Son born of a woman, to die in our place. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us, and the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all sin.
Christ has purchased us with His blood, why do so many believers have the false idea that God only wants ten percent? And I'm not just talking about money. Christ has purchased us completely and we need to surrender 100 percent of our lives to Him. We're willing to give Him a couple hours on Sunday morning, and we're willing to give Him a percentage of our paycheck, but beyond that we act like everything else belongs to us and God just needs to be satisfied with what we've given Him.
Have you forgotten what Jesus gave for you? He deserves our everything and more. I ask myself, am I willing to give every minute of my life to the Lord? Do I seek His guidance in how to spend every cent that He has given me? It's all His, am I treating it that way? When I read this account I can hear the Lord asking me this question, 'Have I not cleansed you 100 percent? Where's the rest of your life? Where are the rest of your possessions? Jesus doesn't want 10 percent, He demands 100 percent. May we learn to surrender fully to the Lordship of Christ.

Luke 17:17 - "So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?""