11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11–19)
This passage is about ten lepers who asked the Lord Jesus to cleanse and heal them. After Jesus healed them, only one man, a Samaritan, returned to thank Him and give glory to God. The ten lepers, helpless and desperate, pleaded with Jesus for healing. However, Jesus did not heal them immediately. Instead, He instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests. Why did Jesus command them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests”? According to the Law of Moses in the Old Testament (Leviticus 14), a person with leprosy was considered “unclean.” According to the regulations given in Leviticus chapters 13 and 14, a person who had recovered from leprosy could not simply return to society. The individual first had to be examined by a priest and undergo prescribed cleansing rituals.
These ten lepers were cleansed while they were on their way. Because they believed Jesus’ words and obeyed His command, they experienced a miracle. Yet after all ten received healing, only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus and give glory to God. Jesus then said to him, “Your faith has saved you.” Here we see that all ten experienced the Lord’s healing, but only one came back to express gratitude. This reminds us that many people fail to show gratitude to the Lord. The passage reminds us the importance of gratitude. We should continually give thanks to the Lord.
May God bless you and your family!
