“Where Are The Nine?”

by Chris Simmons

In Luke 17:11-19, we read of Jesus preparing to pass through a certain village somewhere between Samaria and Galilee and encountering ten leprous men who raised their voices to Jesus, calling Him “Master” and seeking His mercy. Jesus saw them, heard their request, and told them to “Go and show yourselves to the priests” (verse 14), which was the protocol prescribed in the Old Law (Leviticus 13:2-6; 14:2) for those who believed they had been cured of leprosy. To do what Jesus asked would require faith on the part of these leprous men to believe that Jesus would in fact extend His mercy to them. There would be no reason to go to the priests if in fact they did not believe they would be made clean by Jesus. We then further read in verse 14 that after they had started to follow Jesus’ instructions to present themselves to the priests that they in fact were healed or cleansed. Ten lepers had now been cured of a disease that they had had no hope of otherwise being cured of.

It’s interesting and important to note that as with all miracles of healing, it was immediate and noticeable and that all ten former lepers “saw that they had been healed” (verse 15). Could you possibly imagine the joy, relief, and elation in knowing that you had been miraculously healed of a disease that had no prospect of a cure? What would you have done if you were one of those lepers? How would you have responded?

Luke records the response of one of those ten (former) lepers in verses 15-16, “Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.” One of those healed or cleansed realized the grace and mercy extended to him when he obeyed the Master’s instructions and felt compelled to do three things: (1) “turn back”, (2) glorify God and worship Him, and (3) give thanks to Him. He realized he just couldn’t go on his way without doing those three things. He didn’t quickly forget the benefit extended to him and realized he bore an obligation for the benefit he received. David spoke about this very thing – first in Psalms 103:2 when he wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits,” and then in Psalms 116:12, “what shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” This one leper understood as David did: don’t forget what God has done for you and always consider what you need to give back to Him for His blessings.

But that was the reaction of just one of the ten former lepers who had been cleansed. What was the response of the other nine? Luke records in verses 17-18 the chilling words of Jesus. “And Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine – where are they? Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?’” Jesus provided the same “benefit,” miracle, or healing to all ten lepers, but only one Samaritan was convicted enough to return, worship, and give thanks. Evidently, the others simply went on their way and continued to live their life without returning, worshipping, and giving thanks. They enjoyed their new life and felt no compulsion to remember He who had healed them. To those nine who went on their way, again, Jesus asked soberly “where are they?” Had they forgotten so quickly about the benefits they received? Or did they see no need to ask the question “what shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”

We can’t ever forget what God has done for us in bringing about our spiritual healing and forgiveness. Peter exhorts us to continue in our spiritual growth so that we never forget our “purification from (our) former sins” (II Peter 1:5-9). We can’t afford to respond in faithful obedience to the Lord’s will, receive the eternal spiritual blessings that are found in Christ, and then simply go on our way without turning back and committing to a life of worship, thanksgiving, and service.

In Matthew 8:14-17 we read of Jesus miraculously healing Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. It’s noted that Jesus simply touched her hand, the fever immediately left her, and she arose and waited on, or served, Jesus. Aside from noting the immediacy of a true miracle, we should be impressed with her desire and commitment to remember the gift the Lord had extended to her and render to the Lord her service for what he had done for her.

How often in the Lord’s kingdom have souls cried to the Lord for His mercy and grace, responded in faithful obedience to the Lord’s will, received His forgiveness and healing, and then simply gone on their way? How often have the forgiven proceeded to live their life without any consideration of the need to turn back and commit their lives to the worship, thanksgiving, and service to God? To those who have received the forgiveness of the Lord and not turned back, the voice from heaven should echo in our hearts “where are they?”