Luke 17:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consider this: as mentioned earlier, among ten men who were Israelites, only one returned to give thanks, while nine remained ungrateful. The Samaritan, a foreigner, was the one who returned to show appreciation, thus providing hope for Gentiles and serving as a reminder for the descendants of holy ancestors not to take pride in their lineage. Despite the Jews being cleansed from all leprous impurities through the Lord's intervention, they failed to turn from their pride and honor the Saviour God, neglecting to recognize that He, the true God, willingly endured profound suffering. The Flesh and the Cross stand as the manifestation of God's glory. They did not acknowledge the Incarnate and Crucified One as the Lord of glory.

Nine individuals, all of whom were Jews, succumbed to a forgetfulness lacking gratitude and did not come back to honor God. This highlights the insensitivity and ingratitude prevalent among Israel. In contrast, the traveler—who was a Samaritan and part of a foreign lineage, having origins in Assyria, which is significant in noting 'in the midst of Samaria and Galilee'—returned with a loud voice to glorify God. This illustrates that the Samaritans expressed gratitude, while the Jews remained ungrateful, even after having received assistance.

Although he recognized Christ as a remarkable and mighty figure, he had not yet come to the understanding that He was divine by His very essence.

The Psalmist-Prophet eloquently expressed the condition of the Jewish people of that time: ‘There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh God: all are turned aside, they are not included’ (Psalm 13:2, paraphrase). If these nine individuals, who had been blessed with such a tremendous gift from Christ and had personally witnessed this miracle, failed to recognize that Jesus is Divine, did not return to seek Him out, and did not offer Him the praise and gratitude He rightly merits, what, in fairness, can we deduce about the others?

Among the ten lepers who received healing, only one expressed gratitude. Upon realizing he was cured of his leprosy, he promptly returned from his journey, praising God aloud and humbling himself at the feet of Jesus Christ, offering thanks for His kindness. This Samaritan exemplified thankfulness. Although Samaritans typically had less faith compared to the Jews, showed less reverence for the Jewish priests, and differed in their treatment toward them, this Samaritan approached the other nine Jewish lepers and followed Jesus Christ's command to present themselves to the priests without hesitation. It is clear that although he was of Samaritan descent, he shared a bond of faith with the Jews, embracing all that they believed and accepted. Consequently, Jesus Christ did not refer to him as an outsider or one of a different belief but instead acknowledged him as a man from a different background, yet of the same spiritual faith.

At the outset of His final journey, the Lord encountered a negative attitude from His disciples in a certain area of Samaria. To counterbalance this unkindness, a Samaritan approached Him with greater gratitude than the nine Jews. As the Lord traveled between Samaria and Galilee, He was met by ten lepers. Upon seeing them, He instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they made their way, they were healed of their leprosy. However, from the ten, only one Samaritan returned to express his gratitude and fell at the feet of Jesus.

When Christ set out to embark on His journey to Jerusalem in preparation for the Feast of Passover, He did not travel directly from Ephraim to the city. Instead, He journeyed first to the northern boundary between Samaria and Galilee. There, ten lepers encountered Him, composed of nine Jews and one Samaritan. They did not dare draw near to the Lord due to the contagious nature of their affliction, which compelled them to shout warnings to anyone who might come too close (as the leper was required to cry, 'unclean, unclean'). Thus, they remained at a distance and called out to Him, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ The Lord, responding immediately to their desperate cries, instructed them to present themselves to the priests. They set off without delay to comply with His command.

The Evangelist does not specify the timing of this miracle, but notes that one of those healed, a Samaritan, upon realizing his restoration, returned to Jesus, prostrated himself at His feet, and loudly glorified God. In contrast, the nine Jews who were also healed felt no compulsion to express their gratitude to their Savior. Observing this lack of thankfulness, Jesus lamented, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Why did none return to give glory to God except this outsider?’ Then, addressing the healed Samaritan, He said, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.’

The individuals who were healed did not consider returning to their God. These men failed to think about expressing their gratitude to Him. It is regrettable that only one of them came back, specifically the Samaritan, who "with a loud voice praising God, fell down at His feet, giving thanks to Him."

Amazed by the miraculous healing of his affliction, this man, prior to presenting himself to the priest for validation of his cure, first turned back to the Lord to offer his heartfelt gratitude. He took the time to praise God for the immense mercy he had received. The Gospel narrative does not specify whether he immediately adhered to the Lord's instruction to visit the priest; however, it is reasonable to assume he did go, for without the priest's affirmation, he would have been unable to reintegrate into the community. Moreover, he was obliged to obey the command of the miracle worker who had restored his health.

The Lord Jesus Christ journeyed toward Jerusalem, traveling along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. As He neared a particular village, He encountered ten lepers, one of whom was a Samaritan. Leprosy was deemed a contagious illness, and in accordance with the Mosaic Law, those afflicted could not reside within villages to protect the healthy from infection (Lev. 13:46; Num. 5:2). Consequently, the lepers formed their own communities in desolate areas and were unable to return to their homes for as long as their affliction persisted (4 Sam. 7:3).