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Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,[f] who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19

Showing himself to the priests made no sense for a Samaritan.

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  • 2
    I am not clear as to what point you are trying to make. Could you explain in more detail what you are asking.
    – Nigel J
    Dec 10, 2019 at 7:14
  • Sorry, I am not fluent in English, would make an incalculable deposit. The meaning of the Greek word "back" is similar to a wind that changes direction quickly.
    – Betho's
    Dec 10, 2019 at 15:50
  • Did the Samaritan recognize Jesus as a priest, so he achieved salvation?
    – Betho's
    Dec 10, 2019 at 15:52
  • 2) ὑπέστρεψεν, turned back ὑπο-στρέφω , aor. subj. ὑποστρέψωσι, opt. -ειας, mid. fut. inf. -ψεσθαι, pass. aor. part. ὑποστρεφθείς: turn about, turn in flight, trans. and intr., Il. 5.581, Il. 11.446; mid. and pass., intr., turn, return, Od. 18.23. Lexical Autenrieth >>> turn in flight <<<<
    – Betho's
    Dec 10, 2019 at 16:19
  • 1) ἐκαθαρίσθησαν they were cleansed x ἐἰάθη, he was healed, exterior cleaning versus complete cleaning.
    – Betho's
    Dec 10, 2019 at 20:00

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Yes, the Samaritan returned before going to priests. Luke 17:14 clearly states that,"...And as they were going (to the priests), they were cleansed." This phrase immediately follows Christ's command to go and show themselves to the priests. It would not make sense grammatically that they were going anyplace else. They were still on their way to show themselves to the priests which shows that they must have had faith that they would be healed even though the healing had not taken place immediately. Also, by Mosaic law there would have been no reason to show themselves to the priest if they had not been cleansed of the leprosy further supporting the fact that they had not made it to the priests yet when the healing took place. In verse 15, in all translations I consulted (ESV, NKJV, NASB, KJV) the English grammar emphatically implies that as soon as he saw that he was healed he turned back. There was no waiting for anything else to happen. He did not continue on to the priests as he had been instructed to do by Christ (God). By Mosaic law he would not be considered clean until the priests had pronounced him clean. Mosaic law would thus require him to loudly declare himself unclean on the way to the priests if by chance they encountered anyone else. As soon as he realized he was clean, He was, "glorifying God with a loud voice,...". He was obviously happy and full of gratitude for the healing that had just taken place. Just a note: I believe by commanding them to show themselves to the priests, Jesus was further validating his ministry as Messiah to the priests because all the lepers recognized who He was by name and no one could deny that they had leprosy for there were ten of them.

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