V 11.
In the course of his journey to Jerusalem he was travelling through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee.
NIV  Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem - and the cross.  The most direct way would have been through Samaria and it seems Jesus normally took this route although the Jews and the Samaritans were hostile to each other.  Jesus treated Samaritans with equal respect as he did other 'outcasts'.

Introduction to the New Testament, John Drane p 228.  The Samaritans were also unable to take part in the temple worship at Jerusalem .........  It is not altogether clear just who the Samaritans of New Testament times actually were.  It may be that they were descendants of people like Sanballat and Tobiah (Nehemiah 6) who during and after the time of the Jewish exile in Babylon had collaborated with the foreign rulers of Palestine.  If so, pious Jews would naturally regard them as half-breeds and traitors - certainly unfit to worship in Jerusalem.  On the other hand, it is quite likely that they had no connection at all with such people, and had arisen as a new Jewish sect of some kind in the  years just before the beginning of teh Christian era.  In any event, they had their own sanctuary on Mt. Gerizim and their own version of teh Old Testament, which was substantially shorter than that used by the Jews themselves.

V 12.
As he was entering a village he was met by ten men with leprosy. They stood some way off

The ten men with skin diseases had formed a small band, no doubt to support each other in their isolation from other people.  According to Jewish law they were not allowed to mix with other people and had to shout 'unclean' when they met aanyone else - to make sure that they didn't pass on the disease.

Richard Donovan, SermonWriter exegesis: ' The Torah regulated the treatment of leprosy.  Num 5:2-3 commands Israelites "to put out of the camp everyone who is leprous."  While that commandment also includes those with a discharge and those who are unclean by virtue of touching a corpse, these last two conditions are temporary while Hansen's disease is likely to be permanent.  Lev 13:45 requires a leper to shout "Unclean, unclean!" to warn uninfected people to keep their distance.  Lev 13-14 governs the inspection of suspected lepers, their isolation, and the procedure for declaring the healed leper clean.  It deals with infected clothing and houses as well as infected persons.

People regarded leprosy not just as a medical condition but also as God's judgment.  That made them less compassionate, because they regarded leprosy as punishment for sin.  The band of men had come to that spot to see Jesus, probably having heard of the miracles he had performed and hoping he might heal them.'

V 13.
 and called out to him, 'Jesus, Master, take pity on us.'

They called out to Jesus as they were unable to come close to him. They called him by name, so obviously had been waiting there for him to come along.  They called him 'Master' (the Greek word used is epistates - a person in authority). They understood from what they had heard about him - or maybe seen - that Jesus had a special kind of authority.  Maybe they also knew of his concern for the underdog!  Jesus was their only hope for a normal life again.

Jesus is our hope for a full and satisfying life -  eternal life.

V 14.
When he saw them he said, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests'; and while they were on their way, they were made clean.
NIV.... And as they went , they were cleansed.
NLT. ... And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.

Jesus actually noticed them.  Most people ignored them - just as we ignore, if we can, beggars in the street.  When I am accosted in the street by someone asking for money, what is my usual thought?  He/she is probably on drugs.  Why doesn't he/she get a job?  He/she is in this state because he's/ she's too lazy - or whatever - to pull himself/herself out of the situation.  If I'm seen to give money to this one, everyone will think I'm a 'soft touch'.

In Jesus' time, people thought that if you got leprosy or any other misfortune came to you, it was a sign that you had done something dreadful - you were a sinner, and God was punishing you.

But Jesus understood them.  At other times, Jesus touched lepers and others who were ill or disabled when he healed them.  This time he didn't.  He kept his distance, but just told them to go and show themselves to the priests.  He didn't make any promises to them; he didn't tell them they'd be healed; he didn't tell them their sins were forgiven - or any of the things he so often told people to reassure them.

He told them to go and show themselves to the priests!  The priests were maybe 40 or 50 miles away in Jerusalem.

So they headed off towards Jerusalem and the priests.  That's trust for you.  Jesus says 'go' and they went.  Even if it was their last resort, it would have been human nature to think that was just too much to do with no certainty of what would happen when they got there.  They must have felt disappointed.  They probably had hoped for an instant healing.  How often do we just not bother to do something that seems too hard and not certain enough, or which seems a bit ridiculous?  Are we missing out on something good from God, just because we think we know better?

So often in the Bible, God says 'If you.......... I will.........'  He asks us to trust him and obey first before he acts. Here is another time when people were asked to act first in faith and trust that something would happen.
Matthew 11: 28 tells us 'Come to me, all whose work is hard, whose load is heavy; and I will give you relief.....'   (not: I will fix you up and then you can come to me). 
Matthew 10: 32 - 'Whoever then will acknowledge me before men, I will acknowledge him before my father in Heaven....'  Luke 6: 10. Jesus told the man to stretch out his withered hand, and as he did so, the hand was healed.  The man first had to do what he probably thought was impossible, and it was as he acted that he was healed.
In the Old Testament, the story of Naaman the leper is another example. (2 Kings 5: 1 - 15) He went to Elisha to ask for healing, expecting to get the 'royal treatment' because he was an important man.  Elisha, like Jesus in this story didn't even come close to him. He sent a message telling Naaman to go and bathe in the Jordan river.  Naaman was insulted and thought he could  have bathed in better rivers at home.  But he was persuaded to do as he was told - and he was cured of his desease.

As the ten lepers were on their way to see the priests, as Jesus had told them, they were all cured of their leprosy.

V 15.
One of them, finding himself cured, turned back praising God aloud.

Only one of the ten is reported to have openly praised God for the cure.  We don't know exactly what the others did. but this one came back openly praising God.

How often do we openly praise God - no matter who is in earshot - for the good things he gives us.  We know and acknowledge in our hearts and maybe within our families and amongst our church friends what God does for us.  But do we spontaneously and loudly tell others as a natural reaction to his goodness?  Or do we keep it a private thing?  Can we blame others who don't know God personally for having some strange notions about him if we never tell them what he does for us?   I'm not suggesting we buttonhole strangers in the street and bore them with our personal details or that we stand on street corners bludgeoning people with our Bible in our hand.  But it's natural to tell our friends and acquaintances when someone does something nice for us. Why not tell them when our friend, God, does something nice for us - just in the normal course of conversation?

V 16, 17.
He threw himself down at Jesus's feet and thanked him.  And he was a Samaritan.  At this Jesus said: 'Were not all ten cleansed?  The other nine, where are they?

This man was exuberant in his gratitude.  He threw himself down in front of Jesus.  He wasn't worried about making a fool of himself in front of other people.

Luke tells us the 'juicy bit' - this one grateful man was a Samaritan, not a Jew.  As a Gentile, Luke is always happy to tell us when a gentile 'comes up trumps'!

Jesus also was quick to make a point - that only one of the ten was grateful enough to God to come back and give thanks. Had they gone on to Jerusalem to show themselves to the priests and worship at the temple?  Or did they rush home to tell their families their good news?  We don't know.  If the Samaritan had gone to Jerusalem, he wouldn't have been very welcome there.  But he gave thanks and worshipped at the feet of Jesus, where we all should go.

V 18.
Could none be found to come back and give praise to God except this foreigner?

Jesus publicly acknowledges that the one man who came back to glorify God was not a Jew, who might have been expected to do so, but a foreigner - a gentile, and, worse yet, a Samaritan!

It's all very well for us to shake our heads in criticism along with Jesus.  But what would we have done?

V 19.
And he said to the man, 'Stand up and go on your way; your faith has cured you.'
NIV.  Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

In reporting Jesus' words to the Samaritan, Luke points out to us that the ten were cleansed, or cured, of their physical disease, but only the one who came back to give thanks to Jesus and praise God was made well.  He was healed in his whole being - both physically and spiritually, because of his faith expressed openly and publicly.

Donovan: The Greek that is translated "has made you well" in the NRSV is sesoken se, from the verb sozo, which
has to do with salvation.  It can legitimately be translated, "has saved you."   "What we have, then, is a story of ten being healed and one being saved" (Craddock, Interpretation, 203).

Jesus sent him back to carry on his normal life.  He didn't ask him to go and do spectacular and wonderful deeds in Jesus' name.  He was to live out his normal daily life, but changed because he had received total healing.  His changed attitudes and his joy of living shown in his ordinary day-by-day activities amongst his friends and family would be testament enough.

Each Christian has received that same kind of healing.  What do our daily lives say about that?