Returning with Gratitude

As Jesus continued on His journey to Jerusalem, He entered a village where ten lepers called out to Him from a distance: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13, NRSV).

Their plea was both desperate and faithful — a cry from those society had cast aside. Leprosy not only attacked the body but isolated the soul. It pushed people to the margins, away from family, worship, and community life. Yet Jesus did what no one else would: He saw them.

In the text, Jesus doesn’t touch or immediately heal them. Instead, He tells them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went — as they acted in obedience — they were made clean (Luke 17:14). Healing came not in the comfort of certainty, but in the faithful act of stepping forward in trust. That’s often how faith works for us, too. We might not see the end result, but when we move in obedience to Christ’s word, transformation begins along the way.

But then the story takes a surprising turn: only one man, a Samaritan, returns to thank Jesus. The others keep going, likely eager to reclaim their place in society or show their families they’re whole again. Yet this foreigner — doubly marginalized by both illness and ethnicity — turns back, praising God with a loud voice and falling at Jesus’ feet in gratitude (Luke 17:15–16).

The New Interpreter’s Bible notes that this passage highlights the “universal reach of God’s mercy,” showing that gratitude and faith often come from those society least expects (Green 333). Jesus’ final words, “Your faith has made you well,” go deeper than physical healing. The Greek verb sozo means “to save” or “to make whole.” This man didn’t just regain health; he received spiritual restoration.

John Wesley also understood salvation as a holistic renewal — not only forgiveness of sins but the restoration of the heart and life toward God (Wesley 816). Gratitude, then, isn’t just polite manners; it’s the natural outpouring of a heart that recognizes grace. When we return to Jesus — when we pause amid the busyness to give thanks — we find wholeness that goes beyond what the world can give.

Tony Evans writes that faith “doesn’t just believe God can work; it acts like God will work” (Evans 1762). The lepers’ obedience shows that faith is a verb — and gratitude is its echo. True faith responds in movement, and true gratitude responds in worship.

This story invites us to examine our own hearts: how often do we receive God’s blessings and keep walking? How often do we fail to return and give thanks? The Samaritan reminds us that gratitude draws us closer to the source of grace. It transforms healing into holiness, restoration into relationship.

In our church and community, we see glimpses of this every day — when meals are delivered to the sick, when neighbors check in on one another, when volunteers give their time without expecting thanks. These are the moments when gratitude lives out faith. As we reflect on this story, may we learn from the one who returned — may our lives become songs of thanksgiving to the One who still sees, still heals, and still saves.

Bibliography

• Evans, Tony. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Holman Bible Publishers, 2019.

• Green, Joel B. “The Gospel of Luke.” The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Volume IX, edited by Leander E. Keck, Abingdon Press, 1995, pp. 317–619.

• Wesley, John. The Wesley One Volume Commentary. Edited by Kenneth J. Collins and Robert W. Wall, Abingdon Press, 2020.

• The United Methodist Book of Worship. The United Methodist Publishing House, 1992.