Luke 17:15

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15) Turned back, and with a loud voice.—The words imply that the work of healing was not accomplished till the company of lepers were at least out of sight.

Benson Commentary

Luke 17:15-19. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed — Was so affected, that, with a heart full of gratitude and joy, he immediately turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God — Made a free and open acknowledgment of the signal mercy which he had received. Though he had kept at a distance from Jesus before, yet being sensible that he was now perfectly clean, he came near, that all might have an opportunity of beholding the miracles; and fell down on his face at his feet — In the deepest humiliation, giving him thanks as the immediate author of his cure; and yet this man was a Samaritan — One of that heretical nation, from which one would have expected less of any thing good than from the Jews, the professors of the true religion, and members of God’s visible church. Therefore, to make known the good disposition of the man, though he professed a false religion, and to intimate that the others, who had been more favoured with external privileges and advantages, ought to have showed as great a sense of piety and gratitude as he; Jesus said, Were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine? — Why did they not return to give thanks? This intimates that ingratitude is a very common sin; of the many that receive mercy from God, there are but few, very few, that return to give thanks in a right manner; that render according to the benefits done unto them. There are not found to give glory to God, save this stranger — Ο αλλογενης ουτος, this alien — Such, ever since the captivity, the Jews have considered the Samaritans. They call them Cuthites to this day. Thus many, who profess revealed religion, are outdone and quite shamed by some that are governed only by natural religion, and that not only in moral virtue, but in piety and devotion. “The ingratitude of these Jewish lepers, now cured, will appear monstrous, if we consider that the malady from which they were delivered is in itself one of the most loathsome diseases incident to human nature, and a disease which, by the law of Moses, subjected them to greater hardships than any distemper whatsoever. But though the cure of this dreadful affliction was produced without the smallest pain or even trouble to the lepers, and so speedily that it was completed by the time they had got a little way off, as appears by the Samaritan’s finding Jesus where he left him, these Jews would not give themselves the trouble of returning to glorify God, by making the miracle public, nor to honour Jesus, by acknowledging the favour. Such were the people that gloried in their being holy, and insolently called the men of all other nations dogs. But their hypocrisy and presumption received a severe reprimand on this occasion. For our Lord, in his observations on their behaviour, plainly declared, that the outward profession of any religion, however true and excellent that religion may be in itself, is of no value before God in comparison of piety and inward holy dispositions.” — Macknight.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:11-19 A sense of our spiritual leprosy should make us very humble whenever we draw near to Christ. It is enough to refer ourselves to the compassions of Christ, for they fail not. We may look for God to meet us with mercy, when we are found in the way of obedience. Only one of those who were healed returned to give thanks. It becomes us, like him, to be very humble in thanksgivings, as well as in prayers. Christ noticed the one who thus distinguished himself, he was a Samaritan. The others only got the outward cure, he alone got the spiritual blessing.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One of them ... - This man, sensible of the power of God and grateful for his mercies, returned to express his gratitude to God for his goodness. Instead of obeying "at once" the "letter" of the command, he "first" expressed his thanks to God and to his Great Benefactor. There is no evidence, however, that he did not, "after" he had given thanks to God, and had poured out his joy at the feet of Jesus, go to the priest as he was directed; indeed, he could not have been restored to society without doing it; but he "first" poured out his thanks to God, and gave him praise for his wonderful recovery. The first duty of sinners, after they have been forgiven and have the hope of eternal life, is to prostrate themselves at the feet of their Great Benefactor, and to consecrate themselves to his service. "Then" let them go and show to others the evidence that they are cleansed. Let them go and mingle, like a restored leper, with their families and friends, and show by the purity and holiness of their lives how great is the mercy that has cleansed them.

He was a Samaritan - See the notes at Matthew 10:5. This rendered his conduct more remarkable and striking in the sight of the Jews. "They" considered the Samaritans as especially wicked, and "themselves" as especially holy. This example showed them, like the parable of the good Samaritan, that in this they were mistaken: and one design of this seems to have been to break down the "opposition" between the Jews and Samaritans, and to bring the former to more charitable judgments respecting the latter.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

14. show yourselves—as cleansed persons. (See on [1686]Mt 8:4.) Thus too would the Samaritan be taught that "salvation is of the Jews" (Joh 4:22).

as they went, were cleansed—In how many different ways were our Lord's cures wrought, and this different from all the rest.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 15,16. It is most probable that this leper first showed himself to the priest, according to the commandment and the direction of our Saviour, and then returned to give our Saviour thanks. Some think that this glorifying God here mentioned, and his giving thanks to Christ, signify the same thing. I doubt it, because nothing appeareth from this story sufficient to convince us that he looked upon Christ as God; nay, it doth not appear that his faith was risen so high as to believe him the Messiah, the Son of David; they speak to him only under the notion of Jesus, Master, Luke 17:13. It is plain they believed him at least to be a great prophet, sent from God, and clothed with a power from God. I choose rather therefore to interpret his falling down on his face at his feet, as a humble posture of reverence, which those nations did often use to compliment their superiors by, even as a posture of adoration; and that his glorifying God was a praising of him as the principal efficient cause of his healing, and his giving thanks to Christ a civil respect paid to Christ as God’s instrument in the case. The evangelist addeth, and he was a Samaritan. Christ calls him a stranger, Luke 17:18 a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel, as all the Samaritans were.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed.... When he felt perfect soundness in his body, and perceived that he was restored to his health, and saw with his eyes that the leprosy was gone from him, which must be visible enough:

turned back; either immediately, before he went to the priests; or afterwards, came back to Jesus, when he bad been with them:

and with a loud voice glorified God; Jesus Christ, who is truly God, and whose proper divinity might be seen in this miracle; see 2 Kings 5:7 or God the Father, through Christ, and for his sake, by ascribing his cure to his power, and by returning thanks for it, and acknowledging with gratitude, Christ to be the author of it; which he did, with as loud a voice, as he cried to him for mercy; that all might know the miracle that was wrought, and join in giving glory to Christ: and it was but one of them that did so; gratitude is a rare thing, it is found but in few; unthankfulness cleaves to most persons; it is the general character of men to be unthankful and unholy; multitudes, even all men, share in the providential goodness of God, yet few take notice of, and are thankful for it; God is therefore said to be good, to the unthankful and to the evil, Luke 6:35. Few there are who are of Jacob's spirit, that judge themselves unworthy of the least of mercies, and are heartily thankful for every favour: and this the leper did, when he was sensible that he was healed; no man will seek after a cure, till he sees, or is sensible of his sickness and his wound; and when he does, he will inquire after, and make use of the proper means of healing; and when he has got a cure, he is, or at least ought to be, thankful for it: and so it is in spiritual things, the whole need not a physician, or see no need of the physician, Christ; but those who are sick, and sensible of the sickness of sin, do; and when they perceive that their diseases are healed, and their sins forgiven, then they call upon their souls, and all within them, to bless the Lord, who has done this for them: and it becomes such who are cured of the leprosy of sin, to glorify God; not only with their mouths, by bringing their offering and sacrifice of praise to him, as the leper by the law was obliged to bring his offering, at the time of his cleansing; but by deeds also, with their bodies, and with their spirits; by a holy, humble, and spiritual conversation before men, signified by the leper's washing himself, and clothes, and shaving off all his hair; and by attending on the word and ordinances, by a professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ, signified by the blood being put upon the tip of the right ear of the leper, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, Leviticus 14:14.

Geneva Study Bible

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 17:15. δοξάζων τ. Θ.: general statement, exact words not known, so also in report of thanksgiving to Jesus.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

15. one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back] The healing took place when they had shewn, by starting on their way to fulfil the command of Jesus, that they had faith. The Samaritan was on his way to his own priests at Gerizim.

with a loud voice] Some see in this an implied contrast to the harsh, husky voice of his leprous condition; but this is unlikely.

Bengel's Gnomen

[15. Φωνῆς μεγάλης, with a loud voice) which was in itself a testimony to the fact of the cure having been performed, to the glory and praise of God. For it seems that the voice of lepers is ordinarily hoarse.—V. g.]

Luke 17:15