As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 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.” 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.”
As Jesus travels toward Jerusalem, ten men suffering from leprosy call out to Him for mercy. In biblical times, the term leprosy referred to various skin diseases, not necessarily the illness known today as Hansen's disease. The Law of Moses required those afflicted with such conditions to remain separated from the community (Leviticus 13:45–46). Their suffering involved more than physical illness. They were also excluded from ordinary family, social, and religious life.
Jesus instructs them to show themselves to the priests, who were responsible for determining whether someone had recovered and could return to the community (Leviticus 14:1–9). The ten men had already demonstrated faith by turning to Jesus for mercy. Now they show their trust in His word by obeying His command before they are healed. As they go, they are cleansed.
Yet the healing is only part of Luke's account. One man returns to Jesus, glorifying God and falling at His feet in thanksgiving. Luke identifies him as a Samaritan. Although Jews and Samaritans shared much of their religious heritage, longstanding religious, historical, and cultural differences separated their communities. His return is especially significant because he gives glory to God by thanking Jesus, through whom he has experienced God's mercy.
The Samaritan's response recalls Naaman, a Syrian commander and Gentile who suffered from leprosy. When the prophet Elisha instructed him to wash in the Jordan River, Naaman obeyed and was cleansed (2 Kings 5:10–14). He then returned to Elisha and declared, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15). Both men, regarded as foreigners, experienced God's healing mercy and responded by acknowledging its divine source. While Naaman returned to God's prophet, the Samaritan returned directly to Jesus.
Jesus asks, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” (v. 17). All ten had trusted Jesus enough to seek His mercy and obey His command, but only the Samaritan returned to give thanks. Luke does not tell us why the others failed to return or what subsequently became of them.
Jesus then says to the Samaritan, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you” (v. 19). These words reveal the deeper meaning of the encounter. All ten were physically healed, but the Samaritan alone receives this explicit declaration of salvation. The Greek word translated as saved can also mean healed, yet Luke's account points beyond the restoration of physical health. Jesus uses similar words when He tells a repentant woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50). In both encounters, Jesus reveals the importance of faith in salvation.
Salvation, however, originates in God's mercy and grace. Saint Paul explains that God saved us “not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5). He also teaches, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Faith does not earn salvation; it is our response to God's grace, made possible by that same grace.
Lord Jesus, open our hearts to recognize Your mercy in our lives. Strengthen our faith so that we may receive Your saving grace with humility and thanksgiving. Amen.
______________________
Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 17:11–19 and notes; Leviticus 13:45–46; 14:1–9; 2 Kings 5:10–15; Luke 7:50; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 139.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, general editor. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 321–322.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, editors. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 709, §153.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., editors. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1080–1081.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, editors. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1339–1340.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 294–296.
Comments