Luke 17:15-19 15But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back with a loud voice praising God, 16and he fell on his face at his feet, giving thanks to him. And he was a Samaritan. 17And answering Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? So where are the nine? 18Was no one found returning and to give praise to God except this foreign one?” 19And he said to him, “Rising go; your faith has saved you.”

The rest of the story of the cleansing of the ten lepers explores the spiritual side of the healing. One of the lepers had a deeper spiritual experience than the other nine. This now physically healed leper did four things. First, as soon as he noticed he was healed, he returned to Jesus. The object of his hope was not the priests or the religious regulations but Jesus. Second, he praised God loudly. He knew that only God could do such an instant miracle like this. God was obviously working through Jesus. Third, he fell face down, which was a sign of worship. There was more to calling Jesus “Master” than just a polite “Sir.” Jesus had divine power. The leper may not have understood all that this implied, but he did not need a theology lesson to worship Jesus. Fourth, he thanked Jesus because Jesus was his hope and savior.

Luke notes that he was a Samaritan, which might surprise any Jewish reader because of the animosity between Jews and Samaritans. A Gentile reader in distant lands might miss this surprise, but based on the earlier Parable of the Good Samaritan in chapter 10 might also pick up this note. Jesus’ mercy knows no cultural barriers.

Jesus’ response to the leper was more likely directed to those standing around who had witnessed the whole exchange. The questions engaged the witnesses and allowed them to experience the miracle of strengthened faith. The apostles had earlier asked Jesus to grow their faith (verse 5), and here was an opportunity for that to happen. The surprise was that the other nine cleansed lepers did not return. The assumption was that they were not thankful but more focused on themselves and getting back to normal life. The one leper who returned was more focused on God’s miracle and giving thanks to Jesus. The other nine may have been healed physically but were missing out in something deeper and more profound in their lives. No one gave thanks about the situation, not even the disciples, except this Samaritan who was at the bottom of the social ladder physically because of his leprosy and socially because of his race.

Jesus then addressed the Samaritan specifically. At first glance, his response might be a simple reply, but there is much more implied than simply a greeting. Jesus recognized the deeper faith of this Samaritan. The healed man had more faith than the others because he returned in worship and did not focus simply on himself. The result of the man’s faith was physical healing but even more. The word often translated as “healed” in this verse can also be translated as saved (sesōken). There two significant ideas about this word. First, it is the same word used for spiritual or eternal salvation. Salvation is healing, and healing is salvation. The man experienced spiritual salvation and not simply physical healing. Second, the verb is perfect tense, which indicates that he was saved at that moment and would continue on in that salvation as his journey of faith continued. The man’s faith (pistis) in Jesus was the key. Faith in Jesus brings the kind of healing people really need.

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