toddcast

This Thanksgiving, as 82 million Americans travel to celebrate with family, we can learn something profound from another holiday road trip. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem from Galilee to celebrate Passover and finds himself along the border between Samaria and Galilee when ten lepers cry out to Him for healing. Understanding the context makes this story remarkable. Jews despised Samaritans so intensely that they would add two full days to their journey—23 extra miles—just to avoid passing through Samaritan territory. Yet, as this story unfolds and is clear in the Gospels, Jesus seems unaffected by the social outcasts that so many Jews avoided. When the ten lepers call out for help, Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests, as required by Old Testament law. Remarkably, they're healed as they obey—before they reach the priests. All ten receive the same miracle. All ten are completely cleansed. But only one returns to thank Jesus. And here's the ...