Sunday’s Gospel:

Where Are the Other Nine?

The meaning of the thankful leper: Luke 17:11-19 explained

The Healing of Ten Lepers by James Tissot (1836–1902) from the Brooklyn Museum Collection via Wikimedia Commons.

Our pastor heals many. So a couple wishing for a baby asked for a miracle: He prayed, and they had a baby.

Once they got their wish, they never returned. How do you respond to blessings?

Everything is a gift. Are we grateful for our blessings — or do we “take the credit,” assuming we “made it happen?” Or do we take gifts for granted?

This Sunday’s Gospel tells a similar story of a “transactional mentality.” Ten lepers see Jesus and want to be healed. He makes it happen, but only one of the 10 returns to offer thanks.

The other nine (90%) receive their gift and go. The one who returns (the 1 in 10) learns three key lessons (in Luke 17:15):

1. Healed.
2. Returned.
3. Glorifying God in a loud voice.

That’s a powerful formula for redemption: healed, returned, glorifying.

Key background: What’s a leper and the modern equivalent?

Leprosy, a chronic bacterial infection breaking out on the skin, is mentioned 68 times in the Bible, but it’s rare today.