THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

155God puts ingratitude along with wickedness:“For He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (6:35).Ingratitude is a fault always attended with other vices. Trust the ungrateful person withmoney, he will steal it; with honor, he will betray it; with virtue, he will violate it; with love, hewill transmute it into lust; with your good name—and he will defame it.Ingratitude is an affront to God!Gratitude is an inner disposition towards life as a whole. Two people gather grapes; oneis happy because he has found them and the other is unhappy because the grapes have seeds inthem. Two people pick roses; one is overjoyed with their fragrance and the other is unhappybecause it has thorns. We see what we are trained to see in life. We see what we look for.Instead of complaining because we don’t get what we want, we ought to be thankful wedon’t get what we deserve.The word foreigner (allogenes) is found on the limestone block from the temple of Israelin Jerusalem. It was placed in the court of the Gentiles next to the Court of the Women. "Let noforeigner enter," it stated. A foreigner might not be permitted to enter the Jewish part of thetemple (upon penalty of death); but one foreigner or stranger found favor with the Lord of thetemple!Twice in this episode, the worship of the healed Samaritan, was called "giving God theglory" (vv. 15,18) and as it was Jesus whom he worshiped, we must understand that Jesus is Godin human form; worshiping Jesus is worshiping God.Often God receives more praise and affectionate obedience from those who had longlived without His knowledge and fear, than from those who were bred up among his people, andwho profess to be called by his name. The simple reason is “. . . her many sins have beenforgiven—for she loved much” (7:47).A LEPER WHO WAS HEALED BY HIS FAITH (17:19)Jesus attributes the healing to the man’s faith:“Then He said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (v. 19).