In Luke 17:11–19, Jesus heals ten lepers who cry out for mercy, but only one — a Samaritan — returns to give thanks. This story beautifully reminds us that gratitude reveals true faith. The lepers’ healing restored more than their health; it gave them back their lives, their communities, and their dignity. Yet nine kept going, while one stopped to worship. That’s the challenge for us — not to take God’s blessings for granted, but to pause and thank Him. Like that one grateful leper, we’re called to recognize God’s mercy, to see His hand in every good thing, and to let gratitude shape our hearts. Because when we stop and give thanks, we don’t just acknowledge what God has done — we draw closer to the One who made us whole.

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Well, good morning, friends! It’s good to be with you as we continue our time together in Luke’s Gospel. I hope you had a great weekend. We had a wonderful day of worship at St. Matthew’s — another great Sunday in God’s house. He’s doing so many good things here, and we’re just grateful to be a part of it.

Today we’re in Luke 17:11–19, one of those passages that captures a theme we see again and again in Luke — the people on the margins, the ones society overlooks, are often the ones who show true faith. Let’s read together:

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, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “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 fell 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.”

This story is such a vivid picture of gratitude and grace.

First, let’s talk about leprosy for a moment. In Jesus’ day, few things were worse. Leprosy didn’t just make you sick — it made you unclean. You were cast out from your community, cut off from family, worship, and normal life. Lepers had to live outside the city, calling out “Unclean!” to warn others to stay away. They were the untouchables of their world.

That’s what makes this miracle so powerful. Ten lepers call out for mercy, and Jesus doesn’t even touch them — He simply says, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they obey, they’re healed. That trip to the priest was what made them officially clean again — restored to society, free to go home, back to synagogue, back to life.

But out of the ten, only one comes back to give thanks — and he’s a Samaritan, the last person anyone would expect. A double outcast: a leper and a Samaritan. Yet he’s the one who recognizes the grace he’s received, falls at Jesus’ feet, and gives thanks.

And Jesus asks, “Where are the other nine?” Ten were healed, but only one returned in gratitude.

You know, that question still echoes today.
Are we living like the nine — receiving God’s blessings and moving on — or like the one who stopped and said, “Thank you”?

It’s easy, isn’t it, to forget? Especially those of us who’ve walked with God for a long time. We can get so used to His blessings that we stop noticing them. I love that line from the old hymn “I Love to Tell the Story”:

“For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the rest.”

That’s what gratitude does — it keeps us hungry for the story, aware of the grace that’s carried us.

Friends, we have so much to be thankful for. Sure, we can thank God for material things — our homes, our families, our food — but there’s even more than that. We’ve been forgiven. We’ve been shown mercy. We’ve been washed clean. Spiritually, we’ve been made whole.

You and I have access to God’s Word every day. We can pray anytime. We have a church family. We’ve received grace upon grace — and that alone should make us stop, fall at Jesus’ feet, and say, “Thank You, Lord.”

There will always be things to complain about — things that go wrong, frustrations that pile up. But even in the middle of all that, there are countless reasons to give thanks.

So today, will you pause? Will you take a breath and thank Him?
Thank Him for grace.
Thank Him for mercy.
Thank Him for another day.

Let’s be like that one leper — the one who turned back, who stopped, and who gave thanks. Because gratitude changes everything.

Thanks for joining me today, friends. Let’s carry that thankful spirit into our week. See you tomorrow as we continue through Luke’s Gospel. God bless.