The 10 lepers

Luke 17:11-19 Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”  Luke 17:11-19 NIV

We can plainly see that one was not only heeled, but was transformed by this encounter with Jesus. But what about the nine others? Did Jesus waste the kindness on some who did not fully appreciate who it was that did this for them? What do you get from this story?

For me there are several things:

1. They all recognized him & knew He could heal them, & He honored their faith.
2. He loved them all even though he knew only one would love him back.
3. The nine had to go show themselves to the priests who would surely ask how this thing happened. Then likewise when they returned to their families & villages they would likely ask the same question. So the name of Jesus, his power, & his mercy went out even if there wasn’t the hoped for response.
4. Likewise for us as His followers, our love, kindness, & caring bring Him Glory even if we don’t always experience the gratitude we might expect.