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The Healing of the Ten Lepers


The Healing of the Ten Lepers
Lk 17: 11 – 19


Introduction

Today’s reading is about ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. Surprisingly, only one of them returned to Jesus to thank him.


The Gospel

11 As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.[a] 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” 14 And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”[b] As they were going they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 19 Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”


Reflection


Today’s Gospel is a familiar story about ten lepers who were healed by Jesus but with only one of them returning to thank him. In this gospel, Luke takes us to a quick sweep of some Jewish cultural and religious traditions at that time.

Lepers, according to Jewish law, were considered unclean. Because of their condition, they were to leave the community and live segregated from everyone else. They were forbidden to enter public spaces. And if they happen to go anywhere near villages or communities, they were to warn people of their presence by shouting “unclean” so people could readily avoid any kind of contact with them.

In our gospel, Luke describes how Jesus met these ten lepers as he was entering a village, writing: “They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Notice that the lepers stood at a distance from Jesus, since they cannot come any closer to anyone. And from a distance they begged Jesus to cure them. Thereafter, we see Jesus telling them to present themselves to the priests since it was only the priests who could certify that they have indeed been cured of their leprosy.

The gospel then tells us that as they went on their way to show themselves to the priests, all of them got cured. One of them, however, having realized that he was cured, returned to Jesus to thank him as he glorified God for being healed. Luke, however, highlights the fact that only one of them returned and that he was a Samaritan who was considered by Jesus as a foreigner. Samaritans and Jews were at odds on many issues. One could say that there was mutual disaffection and dislike on both sides.

But the most surprising thing about this reading is what Jesus told this lone grateful leper who was healed, saying : “ Stand up and go, your faith has saved you.” Apparently, while everyone else was healed, only one, because of his faith, was actually saved.

There is one central theme in this story; it is gratitude. Gratitude is the response of a heart that has been blessed. It is the response of a heart that has been shown mercy and great favor.

It is interesting to see that Jesus expected all ten lepers to return to him and thank him when he said: “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” In a similar way, God expects us to respond to him with a grateful heart for all the blessings we have received from him. He expects us to go back to him to thank him for the mercies and blessings we have received throughout all our lives.

And why would God want us to be grateful to him? Does God really need our gratitude whenever he does us any favor? Well, the answer to this can also be seen from our reading today. When the lone leper returned to Jesus to thank him, the leper’s gratitude was also a recognition of his belief and faith in Jesus. The leper returned to recognize Jesus. Recognizing Jesus as the healer was a statement of his faith in Jesus.  

A grateful heart, therefore,  recognizes him who has given the blessing. In being grateful, we recognize and acknowledge God as one who has blessed us. In recognizing him by our gratitude, we likewise proclaim our faith in him who has blessed us. It is this faith which is the fruit of gratitude that in fact saves us.

A grateful heart will always be one who recognizes him who has blessed us. It is not surprising therefore, that the origins of the meaning of the word, Eucharist which we celebrate at Mass means “thanksgiving.” So when we celebrate Holy Mass, we are actually celebrating our gratitude, our thankfulness to God who has blessed us with the body and blood of Jesus our savior.

We have a lot of things to thank God for. Today’s reading tells us to thank God and recognize him for the bountiful blessings he has given us. Making gratefulness our daily habit not only keeps us happy and feel blessed; it also strengthens our faith in him who never stops to do wonderful things in our life.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for all the grace and mercy you pour into my life. Yet, many times, I fail to recognize these blessings. This is maybe the reason why I am not as grateful as I should be. This is also maybe the reason why my heart fails to remain happy, because I am not grateful. Let me recognize your blessings in my life Lord, so I can remain always grateful and believe that you really never stop in filling my life with your goodness and generous blessings. Amen.


“ In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. “
– 1 Thessalonians 5: 18

Comments

  1. MaritaOctober 12, 2019 at 4:30 PM

    As always, your reflection is meticulous and relevant. I just remembered that I’ve been remiss in thanking you for your weekly sharing which you never failed to do no matter how busy you are.
    I was touched by your prayer because it reminds us that indeed sometimes we fail to be cognizant of the fact that our victories can never be if not for God’s grace.

    In some translations, the healed Samaritan ‘fell on his face’ which is a sign of worship. I see this as very helpful in our deeper understanding of the conversion of this grateful gentile.
    More power Mike!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the vineyard laborerOctober 19, 2019 at 1:04 AM

      Hi Marits. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I have been writing in this blog for more than a year now. But I continue to do this because I have found healing in doing this. Reflecting on Jesus is my personal way of getting to know Jesus and his power in my life. Thanks Marits. Let's keep reading God's word!

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