Note 4 at Lk. 17:18: Relatively few people who receive the goodness of the Lord return to give Him thanks for what He has done. That does not keep the Lord from doing what is right for us. He healed all ten of these lepers according to their request--not just the one who was thankful. However, there was only one out of the ten that was made "whole" (v. 19).

The Lord desires that we prosper in spirit, soul, and body (1 Th. 5:23; 3 Jn. 2). He wants us to be whole--not just healed. Part of the reason God meets our physical needs is to prove to us His willingness and ability to meet our emotional and spiritual needs (Mk. 2:10-11). The Lord is concerned about our temporal needs (Mt. 6:30), but He is even more concerned about our eternal needs. All of these lepers needed physical healing and the Lord was moved with compassion and met that need. He was also desiring to meet their spiritual needs, but only one out of the ten came back for that.

Thankfulness to the Lord for what He is and what He has done is a very important part of the Christian life. One of the many benefits of thanksgiving and praise is that they keep us from being "self" oriented. Giving thanks is a totally unselfish action and is a key to relationship with the Father that makes us "whole" and not just "healed."