Why did Jesus ask the healed leper, “Were not ten cleansed?” (Luke 17:17)?

It almost doesn’t seem fair for Jesus to ask the healed leper, “Were not ten cleansed?” After all, he’s the one who does the right thing and returns to thank Jesus. He isn’t responsible for making the men return. So why did Jesus ask that? Let’s examine some ideas for the answer.

Leprosy affects every part of a person: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

Imagine:

• You are disfigured, literally losing parts of your body.

• You must warn people, shouting “Unclean!” What a horrible way to identity yourself.

• You can’t touch anyone nor be touched. You can’t live with your family, have a job, or socialize with anyone except lepers.

• You can’t enter a place of worship because you are regarded as cursed by God.

• You feel responsible for the health of others because you could contaminate them.

No wonder the ten lepers stood at a distance desperately crying out to Jesus, begging for mercy. They use the word mercy hoping compassion will fill Jesus’s heart to deliver them from their pitiful condition. They have absolutely nothing of value to motivate this healer to return them to normal life. All they have are their longings but with no hope of healing ever happening. We might not be able to comprehend the longings of each leper’s heart about normal life unless we have been afflicted and helpless ourselves.

I have experienced hopelessness.

I initially hurt my back but managed it with exercise. Then decades later I incorrectly lifted my infant grandson and felt the wrenching of my back. For the next nine months, I was bedridden, trying to find relief through any means from the excruciating pain. Does God want me to be in pain for the rest of my life? I was terrified that might be true. I wanted to surrender to His will but continually cried out for mercy. Have pity on me, God! But nothing made a difference and my abnormal life continued without hope.

For the second time in my life, I considered taking my life. But knowing my precious grandson would grow up thinking his only grandma didn’t consider him valuable enough to persevere and how suicide would bring dishonor to God rebuked the temptation. Like the leper, I longed to return to my fruitful life.

But Jesus.

Jesus has mercy and tells the lepers to check in with the priest. No mention of healing. But they know the Torah says they must be confirmed as healed by the priest. That must mean the Miracle Worker intends to heal them. They walk away and the miraculous occurs. Can you imagine their joy, excitement, patting each other on the back, and wide-eyed amazement as they touch each other? The proof is in their smooth skin and the replacement of body parts. Normal life is on the horizon.

Jesus’s merciful heart heals the ten lepers, and he healed me through surgery. I returned to normal life, like the grateful leper, with deep gratitude and giving praise to Him to this day.

Jesus asks the healed leper who returns, “Were not ten cleansed?” Jesus may have been asking him to recount how the others responded (even though He knew).

He could be saying, “Reflect on why you didn’t give into the excuses which motivated them, preventing them from returning. Remember their response when you don’t feel grateful in the future.”

The possibility of Jesus’s meaning seems very real to me because God seems to continue whispering those words to me: Remember what I’ve done for you.

• What does God’s mercy mean to you? If you are a Christian, how did his mercifulness factor into your salvation?

• In what primary ways do you feel a need for mercy? If you’ve never asked for God’s gift of salvation, do you now?

Incredible God, I praise you for demonstrating your merciful nature by seeing my need while I was in a pitiful state. Thank you for reminding me of your gift of healing of my soul through salvation because I want to continue to be grateful.

(This is excerpted from God’s Intriguing Questions: 60 New Testament Devotions Revealing Jesus’s Nature.)