If I Could Ask One Question of The Nine Lepers, I would ask “Why Didn’t You Come Back to Say Thank You?”

“On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19

This story, while it seems to be a simple story about thankfulness, has some wrinkles we must address. This is perhaps the only story where people are healed by Jesus without him touching them. In fact they are healed while they are in the act of doing what Jesus told them to do – “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” There are questions we cannot get answered – like “How far did they have to go to see the priests?” Another question I would like to know is “Was the one who went back to Jesus the only Samaritan?” And finally, “Were they all healed at the same moment, or were some healed immediately, and others healed later?”

Now, you may say “Why does any of that matter?” It matters because this story is not just about thankfulness. This story is about obedience, thankfulness, community relationships, and faith. Only one leper returns to Jesus to say thank you, and he is a Samaritan. But did he actually see the priest like Jesus told him? It appears as if he stopped on his way to see the priest, turned around, and went back to see Jesus. Weren’t the other nine obedient in going to see the priest? All of the lepers would have been ostracized by the community, and perhaps their families as well. Anyone with a disease like leprosy would be forced to live outside the community and would not be welcome without shouting out “Unclean”. If they were healed, and certified by the priest as being healed, they would finally be allowed back into their community, and allowed back together with their families. Who among us wouldn’t first want to see our families and give them the unbelievable news, before returning to say thank you?

One of the most difficult things I have encountered in raising my children is getting them to express thankfulness. In a world where more and more people feel entitled, having a heart of thanks seems to be a rare commodity. In that light, I would ask the other Nine Lepers “Why Did You Not Go Back to Say Thank You?” Perhaps they did, and the biblical witness leaves this out of the story. What question would you ask the Lepers of this healing story?

Pastor Dave