11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:11-19 KJV)
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
We have here an account of the cure of ten lepers, which is not recorded in the other Gospels. Leprosy was believed by the Jews to be a punishment for particular sin and a mark of God’s displeasure. Therefore, Christ, who came to take away sin and turn away wrath, made a point of cleansing the lepers who came to him. Christ was on His way to Jerusalem, traveling through the region between Samaria and Galilee, where He had less acquaintance than in Galilee or Jerusalem. He took this route to find and heal these lepers; for He is found by those who did not seek Him.
These ten lepers, though excluded from society, kept company with each other. They met Christ as He entered a certain village. Even though He was likely tired from traveling, they didn’t wait and He didn’t delay or reject them. They stood at a distance, as the law required (Leviticus 13:46), acknowledging their impurity. A sense of our spiritual uncleanness should humble us in approaching Christ. They lifted up their voices and cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). Those who seek help from Christ must accept Him as Master and submit to His authority. They did not specifically ask to be healed of leprosy, but appealed to His mercy—and that was enough. They had heard of His reputation and, encouraged by it, called out together.
Christ told them to go and show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:14), who were appointed to inspect leprosy (Leviticus 14:2-3). He did not tell them directly that they would be healed, but this command tested their obedience—similar to Naaman’s case: “Go wash in the Jordan” (2 Kings 5:10). Those who expect blessings from Christ must receive them in His way. Some may have questioned the instruction—“Either heal us or don’t, but don’t send us off for nothing”—yet they all obeyed. Since the ceremonial law was still in effect, Christ honored it and upheld the priests’ role. But He likely had a further purpose: to obtain the priests’ confirmation of the healing, that they might witness His power and inquire into the One who had such authority over disease.
As they went, they were cleansed (Luke 17:14), making them eligible for inspection and certification. We may expect God to meet us with mercy when we are walking in the path of duty. If we do our part, God will not fail to do His. Go, attend public worship, pray, read Scripture—though these means cannot heal you by themselves, God may heal you through them.
One of them, and only one, returned to give thanks (Luke 17:15). When he saw that he was healed, instead of continuing on to the priest to be officially declared clean and released from quarantine, he turned back to honor the One who had healed him. He was sincere and passionate in his gratitude: with a loud voice he glorified God, just as he had lifted up his voice in prayer. Those who receive mercy from God should share it so others may also praise Him and trust Him. He not only praised God but also personally thanked Christ (Luke 17:16), falling at His feet in humble reverence. We must give thanks for Christ’s blessings, especially for healing, and we must be prompt, lest time dulls our sense of the mercy. We must also be humble, acknowledging that we are unworthy of the least of God’s blessings (Genesis 32:10).
Christ took special notice of this man—he was a Samaritan, while the rest were Jews (Luke 17:16). The Samaritans, as religious outsiders, lacked the pure knowledge and worship of God that the Jews had, yet this one returned to glorify God while the others did not. Christ said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17). This shows how generous Christ is in doing good—ten healed at once with one word. There is no limit to His healing power. But it also shows how rare true gratitude is. Many receive mercy; few return to thank God properly—scarcely one in ten. And often, those least expected to be grateful turn out to be the most so. A Samaritan returned, but the Jews did not. Those who claim to follow God’s truth are sometimes outdone in piety and devotion by those who follow only natural conscience. This highlights the ingratitude of the Jews in Christ’s day and of the world at large, for whom He has done so much and from whom He has received so little.
Finally, Christ gave this man great encouragement (Luke 17:19). The others were healed and their healing not taken away, though their ingratitude could have justified it. But this man was specially blessed: “Your faith has made you whole.” The others were healed by Christ’s power in response to their plea, but he was healed by faith—faith that Christ recognized as setting him apart. Temporal blessings are especially sweet when obtained by faith-filled prayer and returned with faith-filled praise.