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?” Then he said to him, 19 “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.
Jesus was traveling through the regions of Samaria and Galilee on his way to Jerusalem. Samaria was inhabited by people who were regarded as religious and ethnic outsiders by the Jews, due to their different worship practices and mixed ancestry. As Jesus approached a village, ten lepers met him, but they stood at a distance, in accordance with Levitical law. Leprosy in the Bible refers to various skin diseases that render individuals ritually impure (Lev. 13-14), forcing them to live outside of cities and villages, isolated from society.
The lepers, recognizing Jesus’ authority and power to heal, cried out to Him for mercy, which encompassed both healing and compassion. Jesus commanded them to show themselves to the priests, as Mosaic Law required a priest to certify the cleansing of a leper (Lev. 14:2-32). The lepers obeyed, and as they were on their way, they were healed.
One of them, a Samaritan, realizing that he had been healed, returned to Jesus. In a loud voice, he glorified God and fell at Jesus' feet in deep reverence, giving thanks. Jesus’ rhetorical question expresses his disappointment because, although all ten were healed, only this foreigner returned to give thanks. The other nine, presumably Jews, showed no gratitude. The Samaritan's faith, however, not only brought about his physical healing but also led to spiritual salvation, as Jesus declared, "Your faith has saved you."
Good and gracious God, thank You for Your mercy and healing in our lives. Grant us hearts full of gratitude, like the Samaritan who returned to give Jesus thanks. Help us to recognize Your grace and respond with faith, not taking Your gifts for granted. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible. Collier Books, 1965.
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