Journey Begins

A road between Samaria and Galilee. Ten men stood far off at the edge of the path. Sores covered their arms, their faces, their hands. No one would come near them. They lifted their voices together. "Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!" Jesus called back across the distance. "Go show yourselves to the...

The ten men turned and started walking toward the priests. One step. Then another. Then one of them looked down at his hands. The sores were fading. He touched his face. Smooth skin. They all felt it at once, that rush of something new. Clean. Whole. Every one of them, healed as they walked.

One man stopped. He turned around and ran back, dust kicking up behind him. A Samaritan. He fell at Jesus' feet, pressing his face to the ground, praising God with everything he had. Jesus looked around at the empty road. "Where are the other nine? Only this man came back to give thanks?" He bent...

Lk 17:11