The ten lepers
Have you ever recognized an interesting connection or relationship between people, places or periods of time in your life? Things in common? A recurring theme, number or date? Years ago, I had two friends—one whose birthday was one month before mine and one whose birthday was one month after mine—all on day twelve of the month. August 12. September 12. October 12. Most interesting, don’t you think?
All of today’s photos were taken this month in my favorite small town—Glen Rose, Texas. Get ready to read about the Top Dogs, my fifth-grade teacher, and what happened ten years ago.
Group three
Today’s post begins the third grouping in these Before and After posts—each grouping covering The Main Event, the Before Event and the After Event. We’ll begin with our new Main Event—when Jesus healed the ten lepers.
Near and dear
This beautiful healing event is near and dear to my heart. From the Christmas Eve post two years ago:
The question Jesus asked
Luke, the physician, tells us about an important event in Luke, chapter 17. Ten lepers called out to Jesus, asking for mercy, and he healed them. Only one returned to give God glory and to thank Jesus for changing his life.
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”
Luke 17:15-17, New Heart English Bible
Jesus asked this important question: “Where are the nine?”
Being the one
I’ve made this story a cornerstone of my parenting. I tell Logan regularly, “Be the one.” In other words—don’t be like most people. Be the one who says thank-you. Be the one who gives God the glory. Be the one who notices and acknowledges the impact. Be the one.
I look forward to digging more into this seemingly-short event—this seemingly-brief encounter. What do we need to see here?
About leprosy
I hope you’ll read this GotQuestions article about leprosy, which includes both the societal ramifications in Bible times and leprosy as a picture of sin and redemption. Important takeaways in Bible times include: (1) Lepers suffered from an incurable skin disease; (2) they were frequently ejected from society to live in leper colonies; (3) they had to cry out, “Unclean, unclean” to warn other people to stay away from them; (4) healing was extremely rare; and (5) both the diagnosis and verification of healing came from the priest.
This Cleveland Clinic article describes the causes, symptoms and treatment for leprosy, which can be cured today, thanks to antibiotics. Make note of the serious, permanent complications that can occur from this bacterial infection, including permanent paralysis, shortening of fingers and toes, blindness, and more. Because leprosy can eventually cause paralysis in hands and feet, people with leprosy often injure themselves unknowingly. They can’t feel the fire, the cold, the cut, the injury. We can scarcely begin to comprehend how difficult life would be if our hands and feet were paralyzed.
Before the advances of modern medicine, leprosy terrified people. It was a death sentence in many ways—socially, financially, religiously, emotionally and physically. The article “How Leper Colonies Work” paints a picture from the 1800s to today. In the section called The End of Leprosaria, you’ll be surprised by the number of leper colonies remaining and the number of people with leprosy today. Not everyone has access to modern medicine.
Jesus heals the ten lepers
Let’s look at The Main Event.
It happened as [Jesus] was on his way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance. They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” It happened that as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger?” Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”
Luke 17:11-19, New Heart English Bible
The Samaritan
This translation calls the grateful Samaritan a “stranger.” Other translations call him a “foreigner.”
The Samaritan did many wonderful things. He turned around and came back after he was healed. He glorified God with great enthusiasm. And he fell gratefully at Jesus’ feet. He shows us a wonderful picture of a truly grateful heart devoted to the Lord. And Jesus told us something vital about the Samaritan—the foreigner.
Jesus commended the Samaritan’s faith.
All in
Jesus didn’t commend the Jews who went on their merry way. Jesus commended the outsider, who—in reality—wasn’t an outsider after all. He was in. I believe he was all in.
The replacements
The history and significance of Samaria and its people—Samaritans—can teach us much today.
Recap and removal
King Ahab’s father built the city of Samaria as the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. The last post included the great evil of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Ahab built a temple to Baal in Samaria, the capital city, and children were murdered on its altar. At that time in Jerusalem, about 30 miles south, King Jehoshaphat of the southern kingdom of Judah worshiped God in the temple built by Solomon. Some of the people of Judah were true believers, but many weren’t. Their hearts were elsewhere—devoted to foreign gods and idols. Details in part 5.
About 130 years after King Ahab died, the Assyrians captured Samaria and carried off its people as the Lord’s judgment against them for their apostasy and grave sin.
They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. They [sacrificed] their sons and their daughters [in] the fire, practiced divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
2 Kings 17:16-20, New Heart English Bible
The new Samaritans
The king of Assyria replaced the Israelite residents of Samaria with people from other lands. Over time, there was much intermarriage. Samaritans became synonymous with being mixed, racially and spiritually—worshiping both the one true God and idols. The Jewish people viewed them as outliers—like trash—unclean in mind, body, spirit and lineage. For more about the Samaritans, see these two articles from GotQuestions.org:
♦ “Who were the Samaritans?”
♦ “What is the importance of Samaria in the Bible?”
Divided hearts
Then
The great chasm between the Jews and the Samaritans came partially from the Samaritans’ duplicity—divided hearts—claiming to love God, but also worshiping false gods and idols. Sadly, many of the Israelites’ hearts were divided too, but they didn’t see themselves rightly.
Some, like the Pharisees, rejected God altogether, even though they knew all the “right” answers and sat in positions of great authority and power. They had their pedigree papers—I mean their stellar lineage, their education, their status as the religious leaders—plus being God’s chosen ones. They had it going on, as the saying goes. Or so they thought. They didn’t see themselves rightly.
Do we?
Now
Christians today like to think we’re wholly devoted to the Lord and don’t worship idols. While we may not have statues or shrines in our homes, idols come in many shapes and sizes. Have you ever met one of these 10 familiar gods? The god of comfort or ease. The god of money or possessions. The god of entertainment. The god of power or control. The god of talent. The god of marriage, family and/or children. The god of distractions or addictions. The god of status. The god of activities or busy-ness. The god of self. Can you think of other common gods these days? I thought of one. Many people worship The god of narcissism via social media. So sad….
Some of these “little-G gods” aren’t inherently bad—like being comfortable, having possessions, loving your family, or enjoying talents and activities, but they can become gods when they supplant God Almighty’s preeminent place in our hearts.
Kings like Ahab replaced God in their nations.
The king of Assyria replaced the Samaritans in their land.
And people throughout time
have replaced God in their hearts.
Seeing Jesus loved and treasured in Glen Rose thrills my soul.
A special place in Jesus’ heart
Jesus loved the Samaritans. Remember the wonderful parable of The Good Samaritan? In the parable, a Jewish priest and a Levite—Top Dogs in the temple and religious life—ignored a man who desperately needed their help. Their hearts were cold. The Good Samaritan showed the injured man compassion. His heart was warm. That reminds me of the leprous Samaritan healed by Jesus. His heart was warm toward the Lord. Where were the other nine? The Jews who were healed? Far, far away.
Jesus revealed himself to the woman at the well in Samaria—and many Samaritans met with him and believed in him.
So when the Samaritans came to [Jesus], they asked him to stay with them. He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
John 4:40-42, New Heart English Bible
And Jesus specifically mentioned Samaria right before his ascension into heaven.
The Samaritans weren’t trash, rejected step-children or second-class citizens to Jesus. He commended them, revealed himself to them, and desired their salvation and transformation—just like us.
Jesus loved the Samaritans.
Time to reflect
In what ways are you like the Samaritans? Close your eyes and think….
Then read this wonderful Bible verse out loud:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight always, LORD,
my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14, New Heart English Bible
If Jesus isn’t your rock and your redeemer, would you like to know him? Read the Thanksgiving posts and part 1 and part 2 of my salvation story.
The number ten
In the Bible, numbers carry significance. We see the significance of these numbers: three—the Trinity, seven—days of creation, ten—commandments, twelve—disciples, and forty—days and nights in the flood, and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. And these key numbers are repeated again and again in the Bible, with great significance.
Today, since we covered Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers, we’ll dig into the number ten.
The number ten in scripture
I found many examples of the number ten in the Bible. In my mind, The Granddaddy is The Ten Commandments. Here are ten additional thought-provoking examples.
1. A requested sign from the Lord: A shadow moving ten steps back
2. Tens in the temple—cherubim dimensions; basins, lampstands, tables
3. Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem: Tenth month/tenth day
4. Daniel and friends—tested for ten days; ten times better than others
5. Daniel’s vision: ten horns, ten kings
6. Esther made queen in the tenth month
7. Execution of the ten sons of Haman—the genocide orchestrator (see this post)
8. The parable of the ten virgins
9. The parable of the lost coin
10. Many examples in Revelation: One, two, three, four, five…
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre.
Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.
Psalm 33:2, New Heart English Bible
The number ten in my life
Recently, when I realized the significance of the number ten in my own life, I was truly amazed.
[For] God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:33a, New Heart English Bible
1. Ten years in the dark house
See part 1 and part 2. Spiders. Snakes. The people in the house. The mirror. The darkness.
2. Ten years since the last family reunion
Ten years ago this month, we walked away from the sociopaths—Brandon’s parents. Hallelujah! What a life-changing decision. The Lord strengthened us greatly through (1) preparation and practice, (2) dreams, and (3) the truth. For more details, read the Sociopaths series or see Sociopaths in the index. (Also, see Dreams in the index.)
3. Ten years working for Child Protective Services
While extremely difficult, I desperately needed these ten years in Boot Camp for discernment. What was the focus? Digging for the truth—asking the right questions, finding the answers, and making important decisions for children. Drink in a remarkable, “happy ending” story from my days at CPS in this post.
4. Ten years working at St. Matt’s
The Lord chose an ethereal place for The Healing Journey in my life and gave me my new mom, Kathleen. Enjoy part 1 of Simplicity, starting at The Fond Farewell.
5. Ten years between Shelly’s death and Pam’s death
Brandon’s extremely violent sister, Shelly, and my wicked sibling, Pam, The Almighty, died in December—ten years apart. Isn’t that remarkable? Read about Pam’s death and so much more in this post.
6. When I was ten…
My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Wright, was so very precious. She loved me, encouraged me, and frequently put my schoolwork on the wall in our classroom. Her peace, kindness and attentiveness blessed me deeply. My grandma in Mississippi was unhappy and remote. Mrs. Wright was like the grandma I wished I had—warm and caring. And the Lord blessed me with her for a whole year—five days a week. I look forward to thanking her in glory.
7. Ten years between my first marriage and my second marriage
I married Greg in July of 1988 and I married Brandon in August of 1998. See all eight parts of Grieving Divorce, and the poem I wrote to Brandon on our silver anniversary.
8. Ten years into our marriage…
Logan started kindergarten. His teacher was a warm, sweet grandma. Thanks be to God.
9. Ten months ago, in September of 2025…
I found out about my upcoming hip replacement surgeries, which led to my retirement last fall. Praise the Lord for all these important milestones in my life. He held my hand and walked with me each and every step—working all things for my good. Check out Simplicity, part 1 thru part 4 about that season in my life and more.
10. Ten days ago…
Charlene and I took a day trip to my favorite small town, Glen Rose, Texas. What a lovely day. The blessings of Christian shops—American Honey and Front Porch Designs. Lunch at an old-fashioned soda shop. A surprise rain storm. A quiet place to sit for a great conversation. Exploring at the Creation Evidence Museum. Lingering in each place—counting my blessings. The beauty of a cloudy, peaceful day with my Soul Sister.
As we’ve explored Jesus healing the ten lepers in today’s post—plus the significance of the number ten in scripture and my life—I hope you’ve enjoyed the ten photos taken recently in Glen Rose.
The next verse features the number ten twice in its reference/location. Jesus said:
“The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”
John 10:10, New Heart English Bible
Your turn
Is there a recurring number, word, date, pattern or place in your life? At the beginning of today’s post, I asked: “Have you ever recognized an interesting connection or relationship between people, places or periods of time in your life? Things in common? A recurring theme, number or date?” I definitely found the significance of the number ten in my life.
Start making some notes about the month and year of key events in your life, how long you were in particular places or situations, the timeframe between Point A and Point B. You may find some revealing—and surprising—recurring numbers, dates, durations, months, places, themes, patterns and/or people in your life.
What’s the point of such an exploration? For me, patterns reveal the foreknowledge, planning and purposes of God in a beautiful way. I find these things very comforting. I’m reminded of the scripture featured in Simplicity, part 4:
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29, World English Bible
I hope that truth brings you peace today and in the days ahead. Speaking of peace, the closing song below is extra-special.
Coming next
We’ll cover the Before Event associated with Jesus healing the ten lepers. Will we also get to the After Event? We’ll see. Until then, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Closing word and song
I asked our church pianist to play French composer Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” at our wedding reception. It’s a favorite. The setting of this rendition will warm your heart.
“Debussy “Clair de Lune” on Piano for 80 Year Old Elephant” by Paul Barton
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