Ten Lepers

Ten Men with Leprosy

The healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19 offers us a lesson about thankfulness as well as being illustrative of Israel's hardheartedness and blindness regarding their Messiah.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, passing through Samaria. He came to a village and outside the village were ten leprous men, "who stood afar off." According to the Law, lepers were to live outside city limits. Leviticus 13:46 states, "He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." They recognized Jesus and called to Him, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus saw them, and simply said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests". This was outlined in Leviticus 14 concerning the cleansing of lepers required in the Law. As they went to do what Jesus told them, they were completely cleansed of their leprosy.

Only one of the ten men, when he saw that he was healed, turned around and came back to Jesus. With a loud voice he praised God, and fell down on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks. This man was a Samaritan, implying that all the others were Israelites.

Jesus then used this opportunity to teach His disciples. "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" Jesus asked these rhetorical questions, as He often did, to stimulate thinking, especially in the men He was training. He was pointing out that nine of God's chosen people essentially took God's blessing for granted, as if they deserved it, and didn't even say, "Thank you." Only one Samaritan, despised by the Israelites, received the blessing with great humility and heart-felt gratitude. He left the others and came back to Jesus to offer his thanks and praise to God.

Jesus said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." In the King James, it says "Thy faith hath made thee whole." The word whole in the Greek is sozo. This word is usually translated "save" and "saved" as in Romans 10:9: "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." In the context of the healing of the ten lepers, the Samaritan's thankfulness brought him a wholeness that the other nine did not receive. The Message offers this rendering: "Your faith has healed and saved you." All ten kept their healing, but only this one received the full blessing that God had in store for him.

This unappreciative snubbing of the nine men was symbolic of Israel's rejection of their Messiah, the true King and Lord, Jesus Christ. Throughout Jesus' ministry, He did His utmost to reach out to His own, Israel, "and His own did not receive Him." (John 1:11) The Samaritan, detested and rejected by Israelites, and, in this case, also a leper was a reject of the rejects. Only he graciously and thankfully responded to the Lord's goodness. "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" The answer was "no." Just like the one that returned, it is often the rejected of society who most willingly accept God's free gift of salvation, who know they are undeserving, but who bravely leave the ungrateful and humbly come to the Master.

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Healing Video Healing Video & PDF Main Menu Home About US Healing Scriptures Does He Want To? Healing For Everyone Healing Prayer Model Holy Spirit Who / What? Hopeless Case Healed Jesus Healing Ministry Lay Hands & Anoint Name Above All Names Pray For Others? Some Not Healed Where From Here? Scripture Quotations Q&A Healings of Jesus Blind Man Blind Man at Bethesda Boy with the Demon Centurion's Servant Crippled Woman Demon Possessed Man Devil Possessed Man High Priest's Servant Man Born Blind Man with Dropsy Man with Leprosy Man with Palsy Peter's Mother-in-Law Possessed by Demons Ten Lepers Woman with Bleeding Resources Recommended Reading Read the Bible in 1 Year Contact Us Schedule a Seminar Meet the Board Purchase Video Music Join Our Mailing List Seminar Files Login Form User Name Password Remember Me Forgot your password? Forgot your username?	Ten Men with Leprosy The healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19 offers us a lesson about thankfulness as well as being illustrative of Israel's hardheartedness and blindness regarding their Messiah. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, passing through Samaria. He came to a village and outside the village were ten leprous men, "who stood afar off." According to the Law, lepers were to live outside city limits. Leviticus 13:46 states, "He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." They recognized Jesus and called to Him, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus saw them, and simply said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests". This was outlined in Leviticus 14 concerning the cleansing of lepers required in the Law. As they went to do what Jesus told them, they were completely cleansed of their leprosy. Only one of the ten men, when he saw that he was healed, turned around and came back to Jesus. With a loud voice he praised God, and fell down on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks. This man was a Samaritan, implying that all the others were Israelites. Jesus then used this opportunity to teach His disciples. "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" Jesus asked these rhetorical questions, as He often did, to stimulate thinking, especially in the men He was training. He was pointing out that nine of God's chosen people essentially took God's blessing for granted, as if they deserved it, and didn't even say, "Thank you." Only one Samaritan, despised by the Israelites, received the blessing with great humility and heart-felt gratitude. He left the others and came back to Jesus to offer his thanks and praise to God. Jesus said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." In the King James, it says "Thy faith hath made thee whole." The word whole in the Greek is sozo. This word is usually translated "save" and "saved" as in Romans 10:9: "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." In the context of the healing of the ten lepers, the Samaritan's thankfulness brought him a wholeness that the other nine did not receive. The Message offers this rendering: "Your faith has healed and saved you." All ten kept their healing, but only this one received the full blessing that God had in store for him. This unappreciative snubbing of the nine men was symbolic of Israel's rejection of their Messiah, the true King and Lord, Jesus Christ. Throughout Jesus' ministry, He did His utmost to reach out to His own, Israel, "and His own did not receive Him." (John 1:11) The Samaritan, detested and rejected by Israelites, and, in this case, also a leper was a reject of the rejects. Only he graciously and thankfully responded to the Lord's goodness. "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" The answer was "no." Just like the one that returned, it is often the rejected of society who most willingly accept God's free gift of salvation, who know they are undeserving, but who bravely leave the ungrateful and humbly come to the Master.