The Ten Lepers

TEXT: Luke 17:11-19

ONE day, as Jesus was going to the city of Jerusalem, He passed through a little village. There He met ten men who were very sick. These men were called Lepers because they had terrible sores all over their bodies. Anyone who was a leper could not live at home with their families or visit their friends. They had to stay away from everyone so the other people would not get sick also.

The ten sick men had heard about all the wonderful miracles that Jesus had done. They had heard that Jesus could even make sick people well. When they saw Jesus walking along the road they wondered if He would do the same for them. But because they were lepers they couldn't go near Him. So they called out real loud and asked Him to please help them. They wanted to be well again.

Jesus never passed by anyone who needed help. He stopped when He heard them calling Him. Then He told them to do a very simple thing. He told them to go and show themselves to the priest. He knew that the priest would tell the people in town that the ten men were all well. Then they could go to live with their families again!

The men went right away to obey Jesus. While they were going down the road toward town, something wonderful happened! All the terrible sores disappeared from their bodies. Jesus really had made them well. They were so excited, they hurried even faster. They wanted to show the priest what Jesus had done for them.

But one of the men stopped when he saw that he was healed. He knew there was something very important that he needed to do. He turned around and went back to where Jesus was standing. He knelt at Jesus' feet and thanked Him for making him well again. He was well because he had faith and believed that Jesus could heal him.

And Jesus had healed him! Oh, he was so happy now!

Jesus asked, 'Weren't there ten men who were healed? Where are the other nine men? Only one man returned to say thank you."

Then Jesus told the man to stand up and go. But before the man left, Jesus did something extra special for him. Jesus told the man that his faith had made him whole. That meant that Jesus had forgiven the man's sins. What a wonderful miracle Jesus had done for him.

Jesus had done a great miracle for all ten of those men. They were probably all glad that they were no longer sick, but only one of them remembered to thank Jesus. We want to be like that one man. Jesus does so many things for us and it makes Him happy when we remember to thank Him.