.Luke 17:11–19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Commentary
In the third year of his public ministry, Jesus knew that his time was coming. He decided to go to Judea to spend his last Passover before his Passion. From Galilee to Judea, Jesus must pass through Samaria. Only a few months ago, the locals of a Samaritan village refused to play host to Jesus who wanted to spend a night there on his journey to Jerusalem but unlike his disciples, Jesus did not feel offended about this inhospitality displayed by the Samaritans (cf Luke 9:51–56). This time, Jesus healed ten lepers when passing through another locality in Samaria
Because of its visible symptoms and smells, lepers were rejected and lived in exile because the law forbade lepers from living with others. When seeing people approaching, they had to shout, “Don’t get close because I am unclean!” The Jews believed that people suffering from this disease was a sign of God’s punishment.
Lepers were sinner because they lost the image of God. It is like the angels of light turned into evil when they disobeyed God, or like our first parents were sent to the valley of tears after eating the forbidden fruit.
However, we can learn something positive from the lepers in today’s Gospel passage. Firstly, they have compassion to each other and stay together so as to comfort and to encourage each other.
Secondly, they take every possible opportunity to look for healings. As soon as they learned that Jesus would pass through the locality, they quickly to come close to the village and set up watches on the high ground.
Thirdly, when they saw Jesus, they prayed together saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
Fourthly, they had faith and hope. What they asked from Jesus was not food or other material goods but healing because they believed that Jesus had the power to heal them and that Jesus would grant their request.
From this Gospel passage, we may ask ourselves, have we taken every possible opportunity to comfort others? Have we pray with others? Do we believe and hope that Jesus would grant us the graces that we need on our pilgrimage to our home in heaven?
Having heard what Jesus told them, the lepers went to see the priests. Their action showed that they had faith in Jesus because they did not ask Jesus how could they go and see the priests whilst they were still suffering from the disease. They simply obeyed Jesus and started to walk to find the priests. Something happened on their way to see the priests, they became clean. Their joy was beyond imagination.
All went well up to this point. The lepers were so overwhelmed by their joy and forgot about God. How often it happens to us as well. We look for God in our sufferings and pains and forget God as soon as our sufferings and pains are gone.
Nevertheless, there was one of the lepers who remembered God. The Gospel passage highlights the grateful leper was a Samaritan. This may imply that the other nine were either Jews or Galileans. They were supposed to be grateful to God because they were chosen ones. We can be as ungrateful as these nine lepers as we use the gifts and talents God bestowed on us against God.
In summary, today’s Gospel passage reminds us to be compassionate with people suffering visible and invisible diseases, to find God in all things, and to be grateful so that Jesus will say to us, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." Amen.