What if the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11–19 is not mainly a lesson about saying “thank you”?

Most of us have heard this passage preached as a simple message about gratitude: ten men were healed, only one came back, so be thankful. And gratitude is certainly there. But Jesus does not ask, “Where are the ungrateful ones?” He asks, “Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

That word matters.

In this sermon from First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Cushing, Oklahoma, we walk the border road between Samaria and Galilee, where ten men with leprosy cry out to Jesus from a distance. Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests, and as they go, they are cleansed. But one man, a Samaritan, turns back. ...