“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 17:17-19

The journey to Jerusalem, begun in Luke 9:51, resumes along the border with Samaria. A group of people with leprosy, banded together across racial tensions by their desperate plight, seize their opportunity. Standing at a distance— because they fear making others unclean and their condition provoked loathing— they shout out together as loudly as they can. They want to stop Jesus before he enters the village, from which they were barred. They name Jesus as their Master and implore him to share God’s mercy with them.

Halted by their shouts, Jesus tells them to go and present themselves to the priests according to the Law: being certified as clean by a priest released them from isolation and restored them to community. Then, as they exercise faith in Jesus and obey his instruction, something amazing happens: they are cleansed.

But only one gives proper acknowledgement to Jesus. Feeling it seemingly in his body, he returns full of loud and ecstatic praise. Here, Jesus wonders how the other nine have not been similarly moved. This foreigner, responding in joy, not just from obligation, has discerned the right response. Jesus sends him back to life and community as another healed by his faith in Jesus, who alone has the authority to heal.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I am grateful for the grace and mercy you have poured out on me. Help me to express my thanksgiving in ways that bless you and make a difference, even an eternal difference, in the lives of those around me.

(Edited from Encounter with God)